Modern Russia as a world of dystopia Music by the Strugatskys
A charity event was held in the St. Petersburg PEN club to raise funds for Ukrainian stimulants. Everyone who donated 1,000 rubles received a copy of the new edition of Boris Vishnevsky’s book “Double Star. Worlds of Music of the Strugatskys” signed by the author.
The new edition, in contrast to the first two, published in 2003 and 2013, respectively, also includes the original script for the film It’s Hard for God, which Arkady and Boris Strugatsky wrote in 1966. As well as the correspondence of the authors with the officials of the State Committee for Cinematography and the Lenfilm detention center, the Strugatsky investigators who happened, in their opinion, happened. The start of filming took place in 1968, but the events in Czechoslovakia – first the “Prague Spring”, and then its detachments of the five Warsaw Pact countries – put an end to these plans.
“The work of the Strugatskys is becoming more and more relevant every day”
Journalist, writer, deputy of the City Legislative Assembly from the Yabloko faction Boris Vishnevsky in a conversation with a correspondent of the Russian Service, Voice of America recalled that the suppression of the Prague Spring was officially called “Operation Danube” in the Soviet Union. And in this there is a certain echo both with today’s events and with the past, where the Soviet and then the Russian army was involved.
“There was a “limited contingent” in Afghanistan that demanded “help for the fraternal people”, in 1994 there was a “counter-terrorist operation” in Chechnya, and no war. In 2008, there was “forcing Georgia to peace”, in 2014, “the return of Crimea to its native harbor”, and we had a lot of other things. We observe, we never fight with anyone, we only defend ourselves. True, for some reason it is constantly expanding as a result of this protection – such a strange historical paradox, noted back in the days of the Russian Empire,” Vishnevsky noted with irony.
Returning to the topic of his book, he noted that today Russia lives “in a mixture of the worlds of Ugly Swans, Inhabited Island and It’s Hard to Be a God.” The fact that citizens daily experience the president exactly the same exposure as from the emitter towers from the “Inhabited Island”, the greatest courage today is to dare to publicly object, as in “Ugly Swans”, and not smart, but loyal – as in “It’s Hard to Be a God”, and dozens more examples could be named, because each of these three rights can be quoted from any page, and everything will be revealed surprisingly modern. In general, the work of the Strugatskys is more and more relevant every day,” Boris Vishnevsky, who has been friends with Boris Strugatsky for many years, is sure.
“Very repetitive work that is done 24/7”
The new version of the book “Double Star. The worlds of music of the Strugatskys” was published by the St. Petersburg publishing house “House of Galich”. Leaders – member of the Human Rights Council of St. Petersburg, Archbishop of the Apostolic Orthodox Church Gregory Mikhnov-Vaitenko the day before, he won the 2022 Moscow Helsinki Group Prize in the nomination “For merits in the field of protecting legal agreements and other risk groups.”
In an interview with a correspondent of the Voice of America Russian Service, he said that the idea to release an expanded edition of the book Double Star was contained last summer. “We discussed it, started doing it, a possible work was discovered there, the script (the film “It’s Hard to Be a God” – A.P.) had to be scanned, to see the typescript in the form when it was published in a book edition. And while we were getting ready, the New Year had already arrived, and from the New Year to February 24, everything also slipped too quickly. We threw up our hands and said: “Well, apparently, now is not the time.” The number of copies in May that we printed was just for gifts that instantly scattered,” recalls Grigory Mikhnov-Vaitenko.
After this idea, a presentation arose to those who showed material assistance to Ukrainian refugees who found themselves on the territory of Russia beyond their will.
And this mission of the Archbishop of the AOC is engaged in moments of improvement in the territory of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region.
Mikhnov-Vaitenko also cited the words he told in a conversation with the “high police authorities of St. Petersburg.” A: “Dear colleagues, in the detention of law and order, to do so, refugees who end up in St. Further. Because a person without documents, without money and without the opportunity to legalize, find a job and earn money is dangerous for society, and we understand this.” And, uttered by the interlocutor of the Voice of America, the “high police authorities” agreed with this, and caused a protest among the residents.
Hryhoriy Mikhnov-Vaitenko also said that we are talking about thousands of Ukrainian accelerations, mentioning that the customs officers have the exact figures. At the same time, those Ukrainians who decided to leave for the West, or return to their homes in a roundabout way, are present in mind. In Russia, as a rule, the elderly, or young people who have not acquired their own family. Their motivation is simple: they speak Russian, and in Europe or America they have no relatives, or those who are guaranteed to be ready to accept them. And a family with children, most likely, will leave for one unit with the Leningrad region of the EU country. Each case has its own peculiarities of crossing borders: “Most people are taken to Estonia, but this is due to the position of the Estonian authorities, which, I would say, is the most liberal, because they provide citizens with the opportunity to travel and are called “DPR” and “LPR” and Ukraine with internal passports. And they do not listen to different shades.
Finland requires a passport, Latvia sometimes requires it, sometimes not, they have some characteristics of their own, and Estonia does not require anything, except for a revision card.
And if there is such a card after February 24, then they calmly pass, and then people are on their own – they can stay in Estonia, they can go further, or return to Ukraine in the near future. And this is quite problematic: there is only one border crossing in Belarus, which lets Ukrainian citizens go there. Everything else is long circuitous routes through Lithuania and Poland. Our wonderful colleagues and friends from a number of European volunteer organizations pay for their tickets, organize routes and overnight stays at the docking points, because the logistics are very difficult, especially in recent weeks. because – summer, holidays and Europeans go somewhere to the resorts.
Therefore, this is a very important work that requires coordination, but it is carried out 24/7, and it involves volunteers who do not develop from their government, police and regular services. And, in spite of all the horror of what is happening, a new community is growing, proportional to any system of power, or perpendicular to it,” notes Mikhnov-Vaitenko.
And at the end of the conversation about the nomination of those Ukrainians who decided to return to their homes at all costs: “Among them there are people from Mariupol, from Izyum and other cities who have been subjected to serious violations. And to our question: “Where are you going to return?” there is a simple answer: “Nothing, we’ll rebuild.” But so, I say, either old people, or young and childless.
“Ukrainians in their country live as they think”
The correspondent of the Voice of America Russian Service also spoke with Petersburgers who responded to the invitation to take part in this charity event. But some of those who donated and received Boris Vishnevsky’s book declined to comment briefly, even on condition of anonymity. One woman honestly confessed: “I would talk to you, but I have 85-year-old parents hostage, and I cannot risk them.”
Completely after some elections, I decided to call myself only one young man – Artemy Kolonitsky. He said that he had three reasons for coming to the St. Petersburg PEN club: “The first is endless love for the Strugatskys, the second is respect for Boris Lazarevich (Vishnevsky), I follow his activities on social networks all the time, and my whole family is very treats him with respect. And, of course, helping refugees is also a good thing. I think that the Ukrainians, who are now on the territory of Russia, feel very bad. And this is the first time I take part in related promotions.”
Another young man introduced himself simply as Ruslan. “I support Boris Lazarevich and I think he is doing important things. Everything is done for a reason. I believe that his activity is fundamentally necessary for the city, and he is one of the objects who at least somehow produces my views and interests in the city. And I certainly know where the charitable donations will go. There is a tragedy, and all the girls need it,” Ruslan said.
An elderly woman, who identified herself as Galina Dmitrievna, said that she and her son Dmitry Grechesky had lived in the village of Belovodsk in the Luhansk region some time ago, and in natural conditions they were not treated very well. “But later I realized that I came with my own concepts and views, and did not try to understand those people who lived nearby. And that’s why they didn’t like me. The same thing is happening now – why do Ukrainians in their country have to live according to rumors as someone else’s below? They live as they see fit, and if they don’t like something, they will take to the streets, protest, proclaim their slogans, make claims against the government, change power in elections or without elections,” Galina Dmitrievna believes.
She also drew attention: “My son actively communicates against what is being done in the Donbass and in the Lugansk region, and I am also against it. Moreover, I categorically believe that everything that our government does is a crime. Because both Donetsk and Lugansk regions are Ukrainian. And Crimea too!
Additional edition of the book “Double Star. The Worlds of Music of the Strugatskys” sold almost all of them. Collected 112,500 rubles, which are paid to help Ukrainian refugees.