Less known is that Chukovsky loved writers “to antirobot”. So, in 1919 on the eve of the 100th anniversary of N. A. Nekrasov, he began to address the well-known poets and writers questions about Nekrasov. The questions were simple: “do you Like poems of Nekrasov?”; “What the poetry of Nekrasov you think is the best?”; “Did Nekrasov’s influence on your music?” etc., He replied Alexander Blok, Nikolai Gumilev, Anna Akhmatova, Maxim Gorky, Yevgeny Zamyatin, and many others. It was interesting how the same questions are answered by various celebrities.
And in 1910 he dared “to antirobot” of Leo Tolstoy, sending him the question about his attitude to the death penalty. Leo Tolstoy said during his “care” of Optina, a few days before death Astapov. And that was the last text of Tolstoy, except for letters to relatives.
of course, I thought not keep to dress up in the mantle of the great Korney Ivanovich, but I found it interesting to send modern writers, are “quarantined”, your profile.
that’s what they said. The answers will appear on the website on Saturdays and Sundays.
cheers!
Your Pavel Basinsky
Maxim Amelin, a poet, translator, publisher, award winner Alexander Solzhenitsyn:
In January, I turned 50. Since the date of such a degree of roundness in life, usually alone, I decided to make a gift – week Roman holiday. Tickets at a discount was purchased in December, and the week fell at the end of February – beginning of March. “Well, well, not the tourist time and you can relatively safely be considered déjà vu and something new, to see friends and move a little its curved-oblique Italian”, I thought.
(With foreign tongues who do not use them constantly in everyday life, a big problem. Spoken language, especially one that is applicable in one country, which is still gathering dust in the far corner of the mezzanine suitcase with good quality and beautiful, but almost unworn things. They must at least occasionally consider air that is not stale. Usually two or three days go to the suitcase to get this and blow the dust, seeing beneath it the inscription in large letters “ITALIANO”. Then begin to emerge that an unknown individual meaningful words. About Shalamov in Kolyma story where the hero remembered “Organon”, but its meaning was not immediately recognized. After a couple of days “signified” catches up “meaning”, they merge, but… it’s time for you to return. We have to hurry, as in vain, to push everything removed back in the suitcase and stick it in the same far corner where got. Why not take advantage of the relatively longer trips did not want to.)
But, already buckling the straps in the plane, half empty or half full, I gave ��you report that there is a risk in the North of Italy, the virus was already raging hard. And so, as they say, is bad.
Rome was lovely and almost empty, without annoying crowds of tourists and idle onlookers, as if he were talking one-on-one with you. Many for the first time managed to calmly consider in deserted museums and cathedrals, on the deserted streets and squares. Italians, carefree and outgoing, literally everywhere – just not from irons and coffee makers – warned of quarantine measures, on the need to distance himself, but no one would listen, by doing exactly the opposite.
Tulchevskaya “Mal”aria” (this is not a disease but a “bad or contaminated air” in Italian) was knocked in the head:
I Love this God’s wrath! Love this, invisible.
all diffuse, mysterious evil
In the flowers, in the source, clear as glass,
And prismatic rays, and in the very sky of Rome.
All the train high, cloudless firmament,
still your Breasts easily and sweetly breathes,
All the same warm wind tops of trees rocking,
All the same the smell of roses, and that is all there is Death!
in Addition to the vivid picture and deep thoughts, probably, in this poem contains and zagovora component – magical effect of poetry to reality has not been canceled yet. Because, probably, and managed a favorable way to return, not having picked up any infection, which in the meantime made his way to Moscow.
homeland is met with caution, in disguise from head to toe, a two-week personal-isolation, then adopted in General, in almost two months already staying cooped up. But the “Boldino autumn” did not happen. First, because it is spring. Second, even my Nagatinsky Zaton does not Boldino where Pushkin was the first time (the effect of a new place, the next two times did not bring a similar fruit) and was caught off guard. Thirdly, preparation of books (my main occupation) is a continuous process, not too dependent on place of residence of its members (there is Internet, telephone, etc.), actually, it’s mostly “udalenke”. Something like that may have predicted more respected in the “Last poet”: “the light / I idle den is not, / And earth is no privacy!”
During this time, managed to, in between, and prepare two articles for the April “New world,” and some writing (mostly seismicheskoi the genre), and partially disassemble and organize the steadily growing library (conventional and electronic), and even to fill in the twenty year gap – purchased on eBay 7 minutes that big Grotowski Derzhavin.
I used to respect the work of others, so seeing the dry statistical reports of infections, first of all think about doctors, which is now extremely hard, and I even thought there is somewhere to trudge to forbid God give them work – the Italian experience before the eyes.
Alas, the modern poets are mostly lost for lack of demand not only magic, but also prophetic gift, and need it to sadly admit. Therefore do not presume to guess. (“We have “the Feast during the plague” And another feast don’t write,” just read in the fresh collection Kouchner in the “New world”.)
of Course, the planet Earth, which mankind is greedy and ruthlessly uses the last hundred years, and will continue to resist – you have to be ready for it. But I am confident that the future is mirrored the past (individual and total), and it is worth it to look closely – there are answers to all the questions.
