The museum collection includes a book by the writer Arkady Petrovich Gaidar “The Drummer’s Fate.” The drawings to it were made by the artist, book illustrator and engraver Konstantin Vasilyevich Kuznetsov. The book was published by Detyzdat in 1939.

In 1936, Arkady Petrovich conceived the idea for the novella about “children who suddenly became orphans” — “The Drummer’s Fate.”

Among the first memories of Timur Arkadyevich Gaidar about his father, which date back to October 1937, was the following,

“I’m currently finishing the novella ‘The Drummer’s Fate.’ This book is not about war, but about matters as severe and dangerous as war itself,” Arkady Gaidar informed readers of the “Children’s Literature” magazine in November 1937.

On November 2, 1938, Pionerskaya Pravda newspaper, issue No. 149, began publishing Arkady Petrovich Gaidar’s new novella. At the end of the publication, it said, “To be continued.” However, neither the next issue nor the subsequent ones published the continuation. The typesetting of the novella was also halted in the Pioneer magazine, and Detyzdat ceased work on the book. The printing was stopped without any explanation to the readers or the author.