Work of a Slavist as an Example of Scientific Diplomacy: Olaf Broch’s Epistolary Legacy

Abstract

<p>2017 marked 100 years since the October Revolution, the consequences of which are well known to everyone. 100 years ago Olaf Broch wrote to Aleksey Aleksandrovich Shakhmatov: «No matter how turbulent the times are, we should not forget about people, about individuals.»1 It is these words that contain the main idea of this article that shows Broch not only as a researcher, linguist and dialectologist (this is what other articles in this volume are dedicated to), but Broch as a man whose life is an example of limitless love for humanity, persistence and dedication in Slavistics, in establishing international communication and maintaining healthy scientific bonds and relationships between people of science at any time: whether it be a period of historic turmoil or a stable daily routine. <p>It is known that the best testament to what a person feels and how he reacts to different life situations and historical circumstances is his letters: it is a letter, not memoirs, that at a certain moment of life immediately reflect the person's thoughts on paper.