Volodymyr Vynnychenko is known as a rebel of Ukrainian literature at the beginning of the 20th century. His intellectual views often caused conflict, but at the same time he built an impressive career as a man of letters and a politician. Vynnychenko became a famous playwright, author of novels, articles and memoirs, and in 1917 he headed the General Secretariat of the Central Rada.

"Notes of Curly Mephistopheles" is a novel in which a moral experiment is conducted, in which the relationship between a man and a woman is openly analyzed for the first time in Ukrainian literature. The main character, who does not want to be a father, tries to get rid of his own child. But the woman, refusing to perform an abortion, forces him to reconsider his views. Finally, the unwanted child becomes a psychological support for the protagonist. The author tests his credo "do what you want when you are not tormented by remorse" and looks for the limits of personal freedom in relationships.