The brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky do not need to be introduced to readers. Their works are classics of not only fiction, but also modern Russian literature in general.From the simple to the complex, from "The Land of Crimson Clouds" and early novels and short stories through "Snail on the Slope" and "Picnic on the Side of the Road" to "The Doomed City" and "Burdened with Evil" — the brothers have made such a creative journey over the thirty years of their writing. The path is flinty, accompanied by constant reader success, on the one hand, and on the other hand, the wary attitude of high—ranking writers. The reasons are clear: the unpredictability of their behavior in literature and the suspicious atypical nature of the characters, whom the authors face a difficult but necessary choice — either to remain human and row against the wool of the world, or to float smoothly with the will of the villainess of lame fate.