one year ago my path accidentally crossed with the route of Olzhas Suleimenov. Drank at a reception in honor of Victory Day, a little vodka, the next day, spoke under the recorder (the newspaper interview), and parted, not knowing that unexpected meeting turn into a friendship.
this year I read everything written by him and written about him. We spent dozens of hours in conversations about his life and about our common destiny, poetry and politics, about power and weakness, honor and betrayal, faith and temptation, much of anything.
Olzhas – the only one left from the galaxy of the sixties. I wanted to write “latest”, but immediately realized that that word to him is not suitable. He was never the last in the cohort of brilliant names, it is acknowledged Voznesensky, Yevtushenko, Rozhdestvensky – his poems, interviews, dedications “to the leader of the Kipchaks”. It is in the campaign has always been in a special position, no one else like Eastern giant, unconditionally loved and forever recognized.
Jealous Yevtushenko once during their overall performances somewhere abroad, looking at the scene, where he was Suleimenov, written, as it exhaled, on a piece of paper:
Amongst us as tramps,
the Stage feeling like a pedestal,
Inostrannie all the aliens
Sir Olzhas Suleimenov appeared.
his Whole life is a series of extraordinary actions. In 25 years, being excluded from the literary Institute for the daring temper and actually having thus “wolf ticket”, he was under the impression Gagarin flight and wrote the poem “Earth, bow to man”! and immediately became famous. There were books, poems, trips abroad, awards.
In 1969 he was invited to the party Central Committee of Kazakhstan: “Sit down at the poem about Lenin, the 100th anniversary of the leader. And we guarantee you the Lenin prize.” He sits down and writes, but the output is not the leader of the proletariat, and of temple prostitutes from the Babylonian era, party bosses grabs his head, however, the poem is called “the Clay book” immediately takes its place among the best works of modern literature. Performances in theatres, translations into different languages, enthusiastic articles critics.
Yet five years later, he again amazes party bosses, this time in Moscow, when the t “AZ and me”. There’s the main ideologist Suslov is taken for the poet, demanding to apply the most severe measures. And it is not the turkisms found by Olzhas in “the Word about Igor’s regiment”, so angered Secretary of the Central Committee, no sedition was unheard of freedom that breezed from there all pages.
the Spirit of freedom in this book permeated virtually all the arguments and researches of the author. He, contrary to established rules, did not refer to Lenin or Marx, did not bother to stay within the generally accepted IU��of otologie (step right or step left – shot), on the contrary, once with the first lines, declared himself a skeptic, and skepticism is the Foundation of genuine scientific knowledge. Mind you, not Marxism-Leninism, and not patriotism, as was the custom, and skepticism.
to Be free – is also a talent perhaps even more rare than all the others. Any power is always arranged so that its citizens were dependent. For her, the authorities, there are a thousand ways, tools, tricks, carrots and sticks.
to Be inwardly free is almost always in all ways unprofitable. But this is the only way for the artist and Creator.
Claiming more then forty-five years ago, steppe and field were connected by many ties, he stayed true to this the rest of his life. And today is also fiercely defends the principle of the interdependence of ethnic groups, peoples, States. For suleimenovu, just realize that the world will get a chance to be saved.
In the late 80-ies and 90-ies, he actually breaks away from literature – politics completely captures Olzhas. MP, head of the anti-Nuclear movement “Nevada – Semipalatinsk”, member of the Board of the Federal Ministry of foreign Affairs, the Chairman of established political parties, the Ambassador in key European countries. Andrei Voznesensky rebukes the other: “go Back to poetry, we will together travel around the world, to act…”.
ascension is formally right. But he does not know that he long ago realized he Suleimenov: it is for the life of some higher power, he’s destined to be a spiritual shepherd of his people. The poet, it is not a profession but a state of conscience and soul. “But you can do only in a peaceful country is explained by Olzhas Suleymenov. – And what is at stake is the fate of literature even, as the fate of my readers.”
In the early 80’s, when russkoyazychnye encouraged by Moscow, he spent in the Union of writers of Kazakhstan conference on the protection of the Kazakh language. In the 90s, when it was dangerous not only for career, but for life, he defended the Russian language. Here it is, the fate of the honest and principled man: you’ll always be someone evil. Before Suleimenov went with the brand of “pan -” and “Kazakh nationalist”, and now has become a “Russophile” and “not a patriot”. But it is not exchanged for justification. He had no time.
you Know, it is now concerned about Olzhas Suleimenov? He’s looking for the key to the explanation of ancient words in all languages, and says that is on the verge of major discovery that will mean a revolution in the etymology. Well, you see, for the man who today is 84 years.
