This is exactly what the recently departed R. A. Lafferty was like, just two years short of his ninetieth birthday. Like any eccentric (many, however, did not hesitate to call him a genius), he often came to the attention of critics. However, having thoroughly “digged” into his roots and his work, the majority retreated, throwing up their hands. It is absolutely impossible to describe this strange personality! Moreover, Lafferty’s even more “indescribable” creativity defies rational analysis. But today everyone agrees that without this author, modern science fiction would noticeably fade, including, probably, the readers of the magazine “If,” in which Lafferty was one of the most published foreign authors.