The book includes the best stories of Taras Grigoryevich Shevchenko, the genius of the Ukrainian people, an outstanding artist, poet, writer and public figure of the 19th century: “Haydamaky”, “Musician”, “Naimychka”, “Artist” and “Twins”. In the story “Naimychka” Shevchenko talks about the moral and psychological drama of the mother of an illegitimate child, forced to hide her motherhood. “The Artist” and “The Musician” tell the story of the suffering of talented slaves - the serf intelligentsia, looking for an opportunity to realize their abilities. “Twins” is dedicated to the theme of human upbringing. All stories are written in Russian, which Shevchenko masterfully mastered. Also on the pages of the book is the poem “Haydamaky” - a historical epic in verse. The poem is written in Ukrainian and tells about the Koliivshchyna - the people's liberation Cossack uprising against the oppression of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.