Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin. One of the most influential figures in Russian literature, whose works are still memorized by adults and children alike to this day. Among his contemporaries, he was known as a genius and a freethinker; he was adored and envied. The poet's life was tragically cut short in January 1837 as a result of a duel with the Frenchman Georges d'Anthès.

During the final year of his life, Pushkin was deeply grieving the recent death of his mother. The loss of a loved one took a heavy toll on Alexander Sergeyevich's work; for a long time, he could not write a single line. In early 1837, shortly before his death, the poet's spirit lifted: something completely new and wondrous began to emerge from under his pen. Pushkin was convinced that this would be his finest work. Only a few days remained until the fatal duel…

Tula-based comic artist Aleksey Khromogin ("Lights in the Forest", "The First Man on Earth") presents a study-reflection on where the line is drawn between a masterpiece and mediocrity. Are we right when we call yet another piece in an endless succession of masterpieces "genius"? Do the life and death of the person who created a work affect our perception of it? Or does the greatness of an exemplary Creation not depend on the words and numbers that will be carved into the Creator's tombstone?