Edward Rutherford is an English writer, author of global bestsellers such as «London», «Dublin», «Ireland», «New York», «Paris», and others. On the pages of the novel «Russian», a novel about Russia, unfolds a story spanning almost two thousand years, where real historical figures intertwine and interact with fictional characters created by the author. Having studied a vast amount of literature, he broadly outlines significant milestones, capturing the most dramatic events in history and the role of man within them. Russian literature serves as a conduit for Rutherford through the centuries, providing a model for the characters and their relationships. Rutherford's perspective is, of course, that of a foreigner, another «traveler to Rus»: observing, studying, wishing to establish cause and effect, sincerely trying to understand. This novel, conceived and realized during a turning point in Russian history and capturing the country as the writer saw it in the late 1980s, has also become a part of history today. It resonates with an important theme for the author: no matter how many heavy trials befall the country and its people, it, like a phoenix, rises again.