«VERY TRUNKED YOUR WARM LINES ME...»: EPISTOLS BY L.P. GROSSMAN TO S. I.-Y. BOROVOY

Abstract

The epistles of the Soviet literary historian, literary critic, writer, doctor of philology, professor L. P. Grossman, presented in this publication to the Soviet Historian S. I.- Y. Borovoy covering the period from 1945 to 1964. This period was significant in connection with their mature scientific activities, the presence of authority in scientific circles, leading positions in the community of scientific intelligentsia and the emergence of new intellectual works. Despite the small amount of epistolary heritage, it is an invaluable historical source, which gives the opportunity to touch different aspects of the biographies and works of two scientists. The correspondence that arose in the course of personal communication was not intensive and long in general. From the available data on correspondence today have revealed 20 epistles of L. P. Grossman – 8 letters, 11 postcards and 1 telegram. The main topics of the messages are: current events in the field of professional activity, news from academia and some aspects of everyday life. Epistles help to restore the essential details of the development of historical science in the USSR and university life in Odessa during the postwar period. They are of indisputable interest for studying the history of the Soviet cultural process of the 1940s – 1950s and deal with a number of issues, in particular the evaluation of scientific achievements of S. I.-Y. Borovoy. A separate line runs the theme of love of L. P. Grossman to his native city, to which he has expressed the feelings in many epistles in various artistic forms. The article provides new facts regarding some episodes of biographies of two scientists. The primary version of the full name of S. I.-Y. Borovoy and, for the first time in historiography, indicate the graduation by L. P. Grossman of Kiev University, and not of Novorossiysk University, as it was previously mistakenly reported in publications of various genres. These materials as a component of the source-study base for the study of the history of historical science contribute to obtaining more comprehensive and reliable information about the development of the historiographical process in the USSR in the period of the 1940s-1960s. From the text of the letters it is clear that S. I.- Y. Borovoy constantly answered his correspondent, without the habit of lingering with an answer. Although the correspondence lasted intermittently, it was obvious that the communication was mutually pleasant, with characteristic confidential and friendly relations, sincerity, and ease of communication. The publication is accompanied by a fairly complete commentary on the content of the epistles and introduces into the scientific circulation a valuable historical source from the fund of personal origin S. I.-Y. Borovoy stored in the State Archive of the Odessa region.