This year marks the 120th anniversary of Academician Lev Vladimirovich Shcherba , a man of rare charm, deep knowledge and noble thoughts. He was a teacher of more than one generation of Russian linguists, a constantly searching thinker, a guardian of public enlightenment. B. A. Larin, one of L. V. Shcherba's students, said about him: "Such a tall man, such a purposeful fighter and seeker, unbending in loyalty to his principles, lived restlessly, tensely, and sometimes miserably. In this life of vicissitudes and misery, he reminded us more than once of the Knight of the Sorrowful Image; in his biography there were encounters with highwaymen, fights with windmills, and donkey kicking... But he also knew the happiness of victories, lived to see recognition and honor. Whether it was necessary to take more care of this fragile body and strong spirit of a person, or such a bright and restless person cannot be durable, but we lost him too soon... " (quoted from Kolesov V. V. L. V. Shcherba, Moscow, 1987, p. 146). Years later, his students and followers will write books about Lev Vladimirovich, publish works, and share their memories of this legendary, but earthy, simple and human scientist. But until now, many episodes of the life of L. V. Shcherba remain not fully covered. They - these fragments of memory-are in his letters to people who are close in spirit and work, those with whom his fate will bind him for many years to come, with whom he will go side by side in difficult years for Russian science, and to whom, finally, he will fully contribute, hoping and believing in young forces... The letters we found from L. V. Shcherba to D. N. Ushakov and V. V. Vinogradov, as well as a letter from T. G. Shcherba, the scientist's wife, are interesting in many ways. Rich in ideas, lively, direct and very frank messages of Lev Vladimirovich convey to us the aspirations and hopes of those years, what is so acutely perceived now and is still in the field of view of modern science. In ... Read more