About the book: 1991 / Research essays are dedicated to the life and work of the great Russian poet M. Yu. Lermontov. The material is diverse in thematic and genre terms. The history of the “house of Princess Mary” in Kislovodsk, the search for the rock where Grushnitsky and Pechorin fought, the deciphering of abbreviations in “A Hero of Our Time” are adjacent to an almost detective plot: the author of the Caucasian watercolor, which has long been attributed to Lermontov, is identified. A number of finds of a historical, everyday and historical and cultural nature fill the gaps in the poet’s biography, expand the idea of ​​his friends, and the prototypes of literary heroes. It is unlikely that anyone will be indifferent to the story about the unique portrait of Lermontov - the last during his lifetime - from the funds of the Oryol Gallery. The abundance of unknown and little-known drawings allows you to better imagine the era described. Addressed to a wide range of readers.