The book was compiled by M.M. Bakhtin, small in volume, but striking in its depth, in which philology and philosophy appear in their original unity. It included studies of the early years: "The Author and Hero in Aesthetic Activity" (1920s) - the most important work of Bakhtin's philosophical aesthetics, as well as "On the Philosophical Foundations of the Humanities" (1940s), "The Problem of Speech Genres" (1953) and a number of other articles and notes, collectively reflecting the whole path of the scientist.