The fate of Vasily Makarovich Shukshin (1929–1974) absorbed all the jacks and failures of the Russian 20th century. The son of an Altai peasant executed on false charges, he managed, thanks to his enormous natural gift and extraordinary will, to make his way to the very top of Soviet public life without losing his root national feeling. A peasant, a worker, an intellectual, an actor, a director, a writer, a Russian warrior, Shukshin charmed Russia, became its seeking intercessor, a tough intercessor before the authorities, while remaining an incredibly secretive, “encrypted” person. How did Shukshin become Shukshin? What kind of childhood did he have and how did his mysterious youth pass? How did his relationship develop with the authorities, the Church, the literary and cinematic environment? How did his personal life influence his work? How did he see the past, present and future of Russia? Finally, what did Shukshin succeed and fail to do? Alexey Varlamov, a famous prose writer, literary historian, relying on letters, work notes, archival documents, memoirs, made an attempt to “decipher” his hero, and the reader had the opportunity to get acquainted with Vasily Shukshin again. sign of information products 16+