Alexander Isaakovich Mіrer (1927–2001) was a science-fiction writer, translator, and literary scholar. He debuted in science fiction with the novella “There Will Be a Good Day,” followed by “I Have Nine Lives,” “Obsidian Knife,” “Submarine ‘Blue Whale’,” and others. But the writer’s most famous work was the duology “The Main Noon”—“The House of Tramps”—with astonishing meticulousness and convincing detail describing the invasion of Earth by aggressive alien “body snatchers.” This cult book, rightly included in the golden fund of domestic science fiction, has shaped more than one generation of readers. Even today, A. Mirer’s novellas and stories have not lost their charm and still read like a breath.