In its simplest form, Valerian Pidmohylny’s novel 'The City' is the story of an ambitious young man who moves from the village to Kyiv and builds a new life there. He is often compared to the hero of Maupassant’s 'A Dear Friend' and the self-confident and unscrupulous conquerors of social heights from Balzac’s stories. However, for Pidmohylny, it is not just a career story. He places the life of Stepan Radchenko in the historical and cultural context of contemporary Ukraine.