A remarkable novel by Boris Zhitkov (1882–1938), an extraordinary writer of the first half of the 20th century, close to the OBERIU circle and unfairly remembered by generations as the author of children's stories about sea adventures. His novel, 'Viktor Vavich,' Zhitkov's only major work written for adults, was noticed as early as the 1930s, but was published in full only decades after the author's death. A densely populated narrative about the 1905 Revolution, about love and betrayal, about friendship and family, about courage and cowardice, 'Viktor Vavich'—one of the most important novels written in Russian in the first half of the 20th century—remains unread to this day. The foreword, written for this edition by literary scholar Valery Sazhin, will help one understand the significance and grandeur of this captivating text.