"Geroĭ romana, gollivudskiĭ akter Dzhek Berns, ros, kak i avtor, ne znai︠a︡ svoego biologicheskogo ott︠s︡a. Matʹ okruzhila ego obraz molchaniem i mistifikat︠s︡ii︠a︡mi. Poiski ott︠s︡a, kotorymi nachinaetsi︠a︡ i zavershaetsi︠a︡ ėta ėpopei︠a︡, opredeli︠a︡i︠u︡t vsi︠u︡ zhiznʹ Dzheka. Krasavet︠s︡, li︠u︡bimet︠s︡ zhenshchin, talantlivyĭ artist, vse svoi roli on igraet dli︠a︡ odnogo-edinstvennogo...

"Nick Naylor likes his job. In the neo-puritanical 1990's, it's a challenge to defend the rights of smokers and a privilege to promote their liberty. Sure, it hurts a little when you're compared to Nazi war criminals, but Nick says he's just doing what it takes to pay the mortgage and put his son through Washington's elite private school St. Euthanasius. He can handle the pressure from the antismoking zealots, but he is less certain about his new...