Roman Ivanychuk (1929-2016) - a famous Ukrainian writer, winner of the prize. A. Golovko, National Prize of Ukraine named after T. Shevchenko. In his creative work are about twenty historical novels, which the writer fills the white spots in our history. It is not limited to depicting certain events of the past, but outlines many problems that concern our contemporaries. This includes the final liquidation of the hetmanate, the destruction of the Zaporizhzhya Sich and the imprisonment of its last Kosh Ataman Petro Kalnyshevsky at the age of 86 (!) For 25 years in the Solovetsky Monastery. II on the throne of the Moscow Empire, the defeat of the Pugachev uprising ... Against this historical background is the protagonist of the novel - philosopher Paul Lyubimsky, whose life symbolically intersects with Gregory Skovoroda, the last Hetman Kirill Rozumovsky, writers Vasily Kapnist, Ivan Karamn and Ivan Kotlo. .