Опубликовано в журнале Дружба Народов, номер 7, 2011
EFIM BERSHIN. Clown’s Assistant.
To be a clown, as it is well known, is a sad occupation. And what about clown’s assistant? It must be still more sad, because it is less noticeable. But the circus is not a place for melancholy. Though circus doesn’t end within the circus. Life outside it sometimes plays such tricks which no clown could hit upon. It plays them also in the circus itself and they may be the tricks to which not only some clown’s assistant but even hardened investigators seem not to have a clue. Though who knows…
POETRY
Poetical geography of this issue is very wide and diverse: highly emotional publicistic and philosophical poems by VYACHESLAV SHAPOVALOV from Kirghizia are neighbouring with the young lyrics of VIKA OSADCHENKO from Uzbekistan; like a fresh wind from Ukraine is the original voice of ALEXANDER KABANOV, whose rhymes can’t be confused for anybody other’s; and next to
him – deeply reflective psychological verses by NATALYA ARISHINA from Moscow.
VICTOR DYATLOV. The Great Xenophobias.
“Great xenophobias” were springing off and replacing each other through the XX century, which may be indicative of their being called for by the society. Phenomenon of supernatural menace seem to be required by the society or by a considerable part of it. The author analyses the essence of these irrational fears.
ALISHER FAIZULLAEV. Morning Pilau as a Social Action.
Variety of national traditions is immense and most of them have their deep social meaning. Lack of knowledge in other peoples’ traditions may lead at the best to curious incidents and at the worst to inflicting a serious offence. That’s why it’s very useful, to say nothing of being highly interesting, to study other peoples’ customs. Here A. Faizullaev presents the national proud of Uzbeks – pilau – not only as a famous national dish but also as a specific social action.
DMITRIJ BAVILSKIJ. “Fiction Writer Is Not Needed Any Longer, Required Is a Witness”.
“May be it’s good for some conditional process if five-ten books deserving attention appear each year (such as “Green marquee” by Ludmila Ulutskaya or another novel by Mikhail Shishkin, Pelevin or Sorokin), but for the reader accustomed to regular laborious reading these breaks through do not create a single continuity and all the efforts of serious authors turn to fall out of the zone of any atten-tion”, — D. Bavilskij is reasoning in his interview with Olga Balla.