Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin (1744 or 1745-1792) was a talented prose writer, a bold publicist, a hard-working translator, and a prominent statesman, but he entered the history of Russian literature primarily as a playwright, and above all as the author of the evergreen 'The Minor,' perhaps the only comedy of the 18th century that is still staged in theaters and evokes a lively public reaction.

This publication brings together the dramatic works of D. I. Fonvizin, as well as materials he prepared for the magazine 'Friend of Honest People, or Starodum,' which was banned by censors.