Yes, Bunin is harsh, almost relentless. But at the same time, he writes about love with tremendous power. For him, love is a much broader and richer concept than the usual impression of love. Love for Bunin means uniting with all the beauty and all the complexities of the world: it is the nights, the sky, the eternal roar of the ocean, the books and the musings, in other words, everything that exists around us.

Bunin's landscape is so precise, rich, so geographically diverse and at the same time so filled with lyrical power, that it cannot be discussed briefly. This subject requires special discussion. Bunin handled the Russian language with astonishing perfection. He knew it as well as only someone who endlessly loves his country can know it.

Bunin's language is simple, sometimes very concise, precise, but at the same time rich and full in terms of sound: from the vibrant copper of ritual to the utmost transparency of spring water, from rhythmic clarity to shades of amazing tenderness, from light melodies to slow thunder. In the field of language, Bunin is a nearly unsurpassed master!

Like every great writer, Bunin pondered deeply on happiness. He anticipated it, sought it, and when he found it, he generously shared it with other people...