The book of the famous literary critic B.F. Egorov is dedicated to the life and work of the outstanding philologist, literary historian, culturologist, semiotician, promoter of new ways in the field of humanitarian knowledge, founder and head of the famous Tartu school Yu. M. Lotman. In his study, Lotman's long-term friend and associate B.F. Egorov combines the life biography of a scientist with a detailed analysis of his scientific heritage. The book also includes military memoirs of Lotman himself and other materials.