Ukrainian statesman, novelist, playwright and artist Volodymyr Vynnychenko (1880–1951) made his literary debut in the early twentieth century. He was forced to leave Ukraine, living for some time in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France. He collaborated with a number of Ukrainian publications abroad, and continued his political career in exile. The plots of short stories and short stories included in the publication mostly reflect the social upheavals of the early twentieth century. The growing discontent of the peasants, who are ready to go against the master, is depicted in the story "Court". In the work "Soldiers!" the psychology of leadership is revealed - a leader is born from an inconspicuous peasant. The discrepancy between the shell and the essence makes it funny in the eyes of the environment of the hero of the work "People's Figure". In the stories "By the Car", "On the Pier", "Slave of Beauty" the revolutionary intelligentsia is reflected for the first time in Ukrainian literature.