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Anatoly Naiman is one of the four poets whom Akhmatova called "the magic choir." Readers' recognition was brought to him by the books "Stories about Anna Akhmatova", "The Glorious End of Infamous Generations", the novels "B.B. and others", "Love Interest" and several collections of poems. The hero of the book "Sir", Isaiah Berlin, lived almost the entire 20th century, was born in Riga, spent his childhood in Petrograd and emigrated with his family to London as a boy. He was Russian, Jewish, English and European in every sense of the word. He was in the thick of it and often became a key participant in the historical events of the middle and second half of the century. He was the greatest authority as a historian of philosophical ideas, but his world fame went far beyond the scope of scientific activity. Many people, from the most significant to the most ordinary, including the author of this book, fell under the spell of his personality, thoughts, conversations. "Sir" is not a biography, not a portrait, not a memoir. This is a novel about the need of the era for such a person. The author seems to be looking for his hero among other destinies that lay before him, among the most diverse geographical and intellectual landscapes. Their many hours of conversations are part of the book as a lively dialogue that preserves the voices and direct intonations of the interlocutors.