Not a single thinker has caused such fierce discussions in Russia in the last two decades as Lev Gumilyov. From expressing admiration and admiration to gross vilification, such is the variety of people's reactions to his books. The discussion about his work is not always scientific in nature, often it is reduced by supporters and opponents to mutual ideological and political accusations. Obviously, a huge range of opinions about this scientist is associated not only with differences in the perception of different readers, but also with the versatility and ambiguity of his work itself, the deep contradiction of his personality. This collection presents the most interesting discussion works of the creator of the theory of ethnogenesis and his supporters and opponents since 1970.