The paper investigates the creative reputation of Nikolai Akhsharumov, the circumstances that have influenced its formation as well as some strategies aimed at affirming it. The reputation of an imitator acquired by Akhsharumov when he was still living is frequently accounted for by the rejection of the real literary school, but of far from small importance was the role played in the formation of this reputation by his own life-creating strategies, as well as his search for an alterna-tive way in Russian literature.
The live-action, experimental character of N. D. Akhsharumov’s works (in «The Player» and «The Model») has in many respects provoked and anticipated an appropriate response of Russian critical papers. In particular, the abnormal, anomalous, artificial type of the characters in his stories can be attributed to the author's intention, coupled with the adoption of new grounds in his work anticipating the modernist experiments.
The paper analyzes not only N. D. Akhsharumov’s works, but also popular sources (modern editions and popular encyclopedias) which make it possible to get an idea about the modern status of this writer in the history of Russian literature.