“In search of the great maybe” is a kind of detailed lecture notes on the history of foreign literature by the famous philologist, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, professor at VGIK Vladimir Yakovlevich Bakhmutsky (1919-2004). The spoken word determined the structure of the book, sometimes its fragmentation, and the very style, which is far from academic. The book covers the development of European literature from the 12th to the mid-20th century and will be of interest both to students of the humanities, high school students preparing to enter universities, and to a wide audience of readers seeking serious reading and expanding their cultural horizons. Editor O. Aldoshina.