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Tal'́s handwritten memoirs, recorded in 88 notebooks, recount his life experiences and explore in detail the following subjects: the life of the Imperial family and the role of Rasputin; high society and cultural life in St. Petersburg at the turn of the century; social life and customs in the Russian provinces during the 19th century; the Aleksandrovskiĭ Lycʹee; military education and the Hussar Regiment; the February and October Revolutions; and the Russian emigration, first in Yugoslavia and, after World War II, in France. The narrative, although predominantly second-hand, is frequently interspersed with personal reminiscences and the recollections of family members, friends and colleagues. Georgiĭ Tal ́stresses the eyewitness aspect of these accounts, stating that he recorded much of the information the time it occurred. However, his repeated use of verbatim dialogue gives the memoirs a tone of historical fiction.