Life dictates the topics for us
Tchoudinov Alexander
In an editorial, the editor-in-chief of the Annual explains how the topics for the sections of this issue were chosen. Citing John Lennon's quote "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans", the author of the article notes that current circumstances have forced the editorial board to abandon previously planned topics in favor of more actual ones. The coronavirus pandemic that began in the world, which caught the author in Northern Italy, where the deserted streets of medieval Verona reminded him of the history of theBlack death, prompted him to choosethe history of epidemics in France as the main topic of the issue. The second topic, to which a separate section is devoted in this issue, namely "The 200th anniversary of the Napoleon’s death", was chosen as a sign of solidarity with French historians, who in 2021 had to prove in their country the need to celebrate this memorable date and to study the era of Napoleon in general.
References:
Tolstoy A.N. Sobranie sochineniï v 10-ti tomakh. M., 1959. T. 5. S. 305