“An Intersection of Fate”: Iurii Lotman and Zara Mints’ Youth Diaries.

Abstract

The article offers a comparative analysis of the diaries of Iurii Lotman and Zara Mints. The biographies of those two prominent scholars have many similarities. The wartime experience influenced of the formation of the personality of both. From the diaries we learn about the intellectual quests of Lotman and Mints and how they strove to educate themselves. The article reveals the similarity of their characters, attitudes and goals. This article is based on unpublished archival materials.

Keywords

• iurii lotman
• zara mints
• diary
• intellectual formation
• self-teaching
• self-analysis