About the book: 2000 / “I corrupted a thousand virgins,” Ivan the Terrible allegedly boasted to one of the foreign ambassadors. Rumor, historical and literary works have eagerly developed this topic over the centuries. Only the tsar had either five or eight “official” wives, and he couldn’t even count his mistresses... But is this so?.. Maybe these are just rumors about his incredible masculine strength and lust, as well as about the incredible cruelty of Ivan the Terrible ?! The novel by Elena Arsenyeva is another look at the private life and actions of the mysterious Russian sovereign.