“BUT YOU SPOILE ME SO MUCH”: CREATIVE COMMUNICATIONS BY A. E. PRESNYAKOV AND S. F. PLATONOV IN 1906–1909

The letters of A. E. Presnyakov for 1906–1909, addressed to his university teacher S. F. Platonov, are fully introduced into scientific circulation. One of the most sought-after archival cases by researchers allows us to name the main topics of their scientific communications, issues of pedagogical, administrative and publishing activities. The epistolaries make it possible to eliminate some undocumented opinions of researchers and categorically assert that A. E. Presnyakov was one of the numerous students of S. F. Platonov, who formed the basis of the St. Petersburg Historical school and belonged to their “older generation”, while reaching the scientific mastery level of his mentor. With the favorable participation of S. F. Platonov, the student became a full member of the Archeographic Commission on December 12, 1906. A major step in his scientific career should be considered the following year, 1907, when A. E. Presnyakov was invited to the position of privat-docent at the Metropolitan University. A lot of space is devoted to the work on the dissertation, which has been seriously delayed. The influence of S. F. Platonov on A. E. Presnyakov’s time during the writing of his master’s thesis was undoubtedly great.