Kniga posvyashchena issledovaniyu samoreprezentatsiyevropeyskogo individa XV - XVII vv. vavtobiograficheskikh sochineniyakh trekh kul'turnykhtraditsiy: zapadno-khristianskoy, vostochno-khristianskoyi iudeyskoy. V ney rassmatrivayutsya raznoobraznyemodeli i sposoby rasskazov evropeytsev o sebe i svoeyzhizni, proslezhivaetsya dinamika izmeneniy etikhrasskazov v period perekhoda ot Srednikh vekov k Novomuvremeni, obuslovlennost' ikh form i soderzhaniyakonkretnymi istoriko-kul'turnymi obstoyatel'stvami. Vtsentre vnimaniya nakhodyatsya Zapiski o dostopamyatnykhdeyaniyakh papy-gumanista Piya II (Enea Sil'vioPikkolomini, 1405 - 1464), Kniga zhiznimonakhini-karmelitki Teresy Avil'skoy (1515 - 1582),Zhitiya inoka Epifaniya (? - 1682), Zhizn' Iegudyvenetsianskogo ravvina Leona da Modena (1571 - 1648),Zapiski kupchikhi Glikl' iz Gamburga (1646/7 - 1724).