From the author: This book contains articles from different years. It is, in a way, a portrait of the author, who has been “bifurcating” all these years: writing both about modern literature and the classics. I don’t think, however, that this resulted in a difference in assessments: on the one hand, maximalist, on the other, lenient. And from modern prose I chose that which inherits the classics and remains faithful to it. Moreover, in my opinion, literature was saved thanks to this fidelity, just as our entire spiritual life was saved. It was precisely about salvation during these years, for never before have we been exposed to such a total danger of unbelief and lack of charm. I called my book “Confession.” Zoila." Zoilus was an evil critic, he criticized Homer. I hope, however, that the reader will find in it not only strict analysis, but also those “sparks of love” that, in Gogol’s words, soften and clarify the most merciless denunciations.