Bakhtin Mikhail Mikhailovich (1895-1975) - Russian philosopher, culturologist, theorist of European culture and art. Researcher of the language, epic forms of narrative and genre of the European novel. Creator of a new theory of the European novel, including the concept of polyphonism (polyphony) in a literary work. Exploring the artistic principles of the novel by François Rabelais, Bakhtin developed the theory of universal folk laughter culture. He owns such literary concepts as polyphonism, laughter culture, chronotope, carnivalization, menippeia, spiritual "top" and bodily "bottom," etc.