Coronavirus has made adjustments to the work of the literary awards. The traditional finale of the “National bestseller”, which was held in late may, was postponed to the autumn. In the meantime, the correspondent of “MK” has decided to speak with last year’s winner of the “Azbest”, writer, screenwriter Andrei Rubanov. His novels “Prepare for war”, “Patriot”, “Finist – bright Falcon” invariably became the events and drew the attention of critics and readers. In an interview Rubanov told about postoronnim the world and explained why the pandemic did not teach anyone anything and nothing will change.
Isolation lasted for almost two months. How do you survive the quarantine?
– I Have a house in the village, there is de facto no quarantine. No cameras, no electronic passes. And no Internet. And virus there either. I am 50 years old, I experienced many kinds of crises, I have nothing to fear. I even bread he can bake. Sorry for the people whose lives were claimed by the pandemic. Feel sorry for the doctors who are fighting to save lives. Pity those who can not stand the nerves: unfortunately, a lot of these. The rest is transient.
In the novel “Chlorophyll” Moscow of the future, mired in greed, hallucinogenic overgrown with grass, and people turn into plants. Today, the pandemic is increasingly creating fantastic scenarios postirochnaja the world. And how you imagine it?
– Nothing will change. The world will go on the same rails. We are waiting for the economic downturn, we sit without money, but we were without money. Hairdressers, plumbers and drivers needed for any situation. Doctors can perform a feat, but a year after the end of the pandemic, the public will forget about doctors and will, as before, to follow the lives of footballers and film stars. Total control and the implantation of chips is also not in the coming years, it is now just does not have the resources necessary to patch the hole, to extinguish the discontent of the poor. The atomization of society will not happen, will not be everyone’s “udalenka”. Man is a collective animal, it needs to be part of the crowd, band, troop. So that everything will return to normal. With regard to Russia – very sad to see that communication between government and society is broken. From above growl and directives descend, the bottom one does not understand and complain. The government openly says: “We are not leaving the office, can all of you follow”. And does not understand that the context ugly: there are some “we” and have some “you”. “We,” you manage, “we” know what’s best. And “you” mum. Usually in crisis periods of history are pushing up new leaders, trusted by the masses. Now there is no such person who would come out and say: brothers and sisters, I know what to do, I will guide you. In this sense, the current crisis is not a crisis. All sectors of society forinterested in seeing all as soon as possible ended, and humanity would return to its previous mode of existence.
– Many critics have noted the masculinity of your prose. In your opinion, today a man can afford to be weak, or it needs to comply with generally accepted standards “protector” and “provider”?
– the Legend about my so-called masculinity invented criticism. Real power does not depend on gender. If anything, I believe that women are stronger than men, at least in Russia. True power is not in his fists, and even in the fearlessness in the face of threats. The most valuable human qualities are patience and courage. Force that smile, when all depressed. Of course, the man must be the protector, and if need be – and a warrior, simply due to the fact that he’s physically suited to it. To be earner – that’s how it goes. We must proceed from the equality of men and women from marriages and unions, built on the basis of equality: who knows how and produces. Can a man be weak? Of course, anyone can be weak, it is a question of dignity, self-respect.
the Heroes of your books often come from the 1990s because of the crisis caused by the pandemic in Russia, spoke about returning to the years which are called “dashing”. So bad was the 1990s?
For the vast majority of people it was heavy, and worse – humiliating. Hunger is easier to endure than the humiliation. Now we can talk about the 90s as a sort of vaccination: the society instilled in quotation marks, the capitalist mode of relations with its injustice, social stratification and fear of the future. The truth is that Russia’s economy has always been a weak point, and hope that in a few years we will have built modern producing and consumer economy, was naive. Yes, in 90-e was released creative energy: tens of thousands of people, such as myself, become entrepreneurs and have created jobs, but these people were too small. Rising from the bottom to the wave of private initiative stalled in the second half of zero. The backbone of the economy became a major state-owned business, and small and medium – abandoned to their fate, is not protected either politically or legally. In the 90s of course, we won’t come back because there is already “vaccinated”. In the 90s I had the feeling disaster complete degradation of the state, now I have no such feeling. I might since better know his people.
Your romance “Finist – a clear Falcon” is largely about the all conquering power of love. How much love can stand against fear and panic?
Love has nothing to do with fear and panic. It is possible to fall today and tomorrow to panic. Panic p��bidets knowledge, intelligence, common sense, discipline and self-discipline. However, if there are loving people – your powers are tripled. Love always confronts entropy, it makes life creative, fastening momentum. Hardships are easier to overcome, not alone, but together with your loved ones.
Interestingly, two landmark books on various aspects of love – “the Decameron” of Boccaccio and “Dark alleys” Bunin – was written during one epidemic, the other during the war. What, in your opinion, is that writers appeal to the intimate during extreme events?
I think it’s obvious. Wars, crises, epidemics pass, but human passions remain. Brodsky did not notice the current policy, Daniil Andreev wrote “the Rose of the world” in jail. This is true not only of literature, but of any creative activity. If the person is up to something, he embodies conceived regardless of the situation. That’s the whole point. Humanity no matter in what historical circumstances written a particular book made an invention. I’m writing a book, and I do not care to pandemic – the pandemic will end, and the book will remain.
Businessman Znaew from the novel “Patriot”, in some sense, is a prisoner of his own ambitions. Pursuit of success and recognition is often called a disease of our century. What do you think about this? The extent to which the story of the coronavirus cause to rethink the former guidelines?
– the Satisfaction of ambition is pleasure. Someone is enjoying a meal, some music, some socializing with friends. And someone the satisfaction of ambition. Everything you see around you created by ambitious people. In a personal communication, as a rule, they are unpleasant, they shattered nerves. Businessman Znaew – neurotic, all the while waiting for the worst. Pandemic it does not scared. The first novel about Sneva was released in 2009-m year, and was called “Prepare for war”. In my opinion, everything is obvious. Another thing that alarmists screaming “Tomorrow will be worse!”, nobody loves. When Noah built the ark, he built it alone. No one believed that the world will perish. I repeat: the pandemic did not teach anyone anything or change anything. There is the inertia of social development and three to five months of shock is too little, so this inertia to overcome. Now people are just waiting when this is all over and you can live as before, with some adjustment for financial difficulties. Going to restaurants, watching football and flying on vacation to Thailand.
do you Follow the contemporary young writers, and what new authors you could mention?
young watched with one eye open. Names will not be called if five people call, the sixth, unnamed – offended. I think in the literature we are waiting for the women’s wave, now activity �� this environment created mainly young women, and in fact in the texts and in criticism. I think in the coming years, literature will be held at strong female personalities. A full-fledged literary market we did not create, did not work. May not be market in the country, where the 146 million population less than a thousand bookstores. But, thank God, there are people, the activists, there is a stir, there are festivals, awards, literary bloggers. Is revived by Ergonovin the magazine “Youth”. Is the newest award – “New horizons” or the award of Arseniev. That is, there is a desire to expand the interests of society to literature as a spiritual and intellectual tradition. Can’t we – the nation of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Chekhov – the neglect of our literature is from all points of view, stupid and irrational.
