It is an interview with Pavel Uvarov, a well-known historian, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, head of the Department of Western European Middle Ages and Early Modern Period of the Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, taken on his 65th birthday. P. Uvarov talks about choosing a profession, his studying at the university, his formation as a medievalist, voyages to France and work in French archives. The fi rst topic of his scientifi c research was the history of the University of Paris, the study of which later led him to investigate the broader problem of the social stratifi cation of French society at the beginning of the Ancient Regime. One of the main topics of research interest for P. Uvarov is the modern historiography of the history of France. The interview focuses on the analysis of the peculiarity of French studies in Russia and France, the characteristics of the corporation of medievalists, the infl uence of French historiography on historical studies in Russia.