March 8th, 2018, 08:28 pm
Not all extensions are equally useful. Sometimes recognized masters stumble on them. As much as interest increased as one read the first part of the novel "Tobol" by Alexei Ivanov, so much did it fade away when moving through the second part. Truly it came at the start and "Few Chosen Ones" gladly reached the final.
And more than a year's break did not benefit reading. In the novel, a lot of storylines are mixed, a lot of heroes, very different, a few basic intrigues. Taking on the second part a year after the first, without re-reading the beginning, it is difficult to navigate the plot mess. Still, splitting up a two-volume book in this way is not good for the reader.
Well, okay, at the very least, but gradually some connections improved, memory threw some clues, and it became possible to focus not on memories, but on the main action. And what? And no good. First of all, it should be noted that the mystical side of the plot, poorly outlined in the first part, begins to dominate in the second part. And that gets boring. Very boring. All this taiga demonism, confrontation between pagan and Christian gods, conversations with the dead and telepathic connections between the characters, maybe good for some mediocre "fantasy", but cross out the merits of such a well-begun book.
The beginning of the novel aroused interest precisely in the disclosure of the unknown world of old, pre-Petrine and Peter Siberia - cities, customs, administration, settlements, markets, history, life and customs of the taiga peoples, contacts between such heterogeneous elements as Russians, Samoyeds, Bukharans, Swedes. Every page is something new, exciting and informative. In the second part, this Siberian novelty is no longer there, but there is sheer devilry.
The only bright spot in the second volume is the campaign of Colonel Buchholz. First, this story is interesting in itself. Secondly, the author quite vividly depicted the battles at Lake Yamysh, the siege of the Russians by the Dzungars, and the heavy standing in the fortress. Thirdly, here, on the sly, the author runs through the history of the steppe, which is also unknown to us. A story that is by no means limited to the campaign of Genghis Khan.
However, there are also disadvantages here. The Siberian specificity in the first part was most often revealed deftly and skillfully, that is, through the development of plots, that way unobtrusively and fascinatingly. The history of the steppe is given fluently, in the spirit of dry academic lectures with a mass of unfamiliar and unmemorable names, words and concepts. After all, they have nothing to do with the plot for the reader. The author simply dips us into this mess to the very top, quickly takes it out and no longer returns to the issue raised, leaving only a mess in our heads. Thus, the meaning of these inserts is lost.
The cinematic style of jumping from plot to plot, from intrigue to intrigue, also becomes bad. The author simply snatches individual episodes from the life of the characters with a gap in the chronology of several months or even years. That is why there is no feeling of development of situations, characters. We simply have to take all changes for granted. Do not absorb and comprehend them, but only read the words of the author "now he looks like this and feels like this." The connection between the reader and the characters of the novel is interrupted, the need or even the opportunity to empathize with them disappears.
It's a pity, frankly, I'm very disappointed with this continuation. If I had not read it, not only would I not have lost anything, but, perhaps, I would have remained better opinion about the novel as a whole.
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On sale A new book Alexei Ivanov "Tobol. Few Chosen", the second part of the epic work (the first part was called "Many Called") about how the reforms of Peter I plowed Siberia. Konstantin Milchin - about how the Ural writer's soul ended.
Once the writer Alexei Ivanov was walking around Perm and met the devil. The unclean one immediately offered a deal: let Ivanov give him his soul, and in return the devil would give him the talent to write brilliant prose. Ivanov agreed, they concluded an agreement with which everyone was satisfied. The devil laughed, because he knew that without a soul, writing talent is worth little. Ivanov also chuckled: he knew, as an expert on the legends of the Khanty and Mansi, that he had not one soul, but five. I gave away one, and the other four will last for a long time.
The devil kept his word. Stunning novels began to come out from Ivanov's pen one after another: the magical "Heart of Parma" and "The Gold of Riot", the realistic "The Geographer Drank His Globe Away" (successfully, by the way, filmed), underestimated, although no less brilliant "Fornication and Mudo" ", a little less successful, but still amazing" Bad weather. And a few more non-fiction books (hell be generous).
As befits a resident of the Ural region, Ivanov spent his remaining souls economically and pragmatically. But the devil, as luck would have it, turned out to be also Ural, corrosive and hardworking. And he finally got to the last soul of Ivanov just when he began to write the novel "Tobol".
Old Ivanov put all the souls he had left into his texts, rediscovered the Urals for Russia and, choking with delight, shared with the reader unknown episodes of the history of our country and his beloved region. In his place came Ivanov 2.0, a master of his trade, a cold, distant novelist who came to Siberia, looked at her in a businesslike way and decided that she was worthy of his pen.
The new Ivanov skillfully weaves an intrigue and, with a patronizing intonation, retells about famous stories. The hand does not rise to scold this book: the devil keeps his agreement, Ivanov is still as magnificent as a storyteller. But to find enthusiastic words about the novel "Tobol. Few Chosen" is no less difficult.
So, before us is the second and, it seems, the last part of a large historical prose. XVIII century, Tobolsk and environs.
The governor of Siberia, Matvey Gagarin, not only stole, but also secretly colluded with the Chinese. The Russian detachment of Colonel Bukhgoldz set off to conquer Kashgar, but was surrounded on the territory of present-day Kazakhstan by the Dzungars, lost almost all his strength, did not surrender to the enemy, but was forced to retreat. Captured Swedish officer Renat dreams of escaping with his beloved Brigitte from Russian captivity. The cunning Bukharian Kasym weaves intrigues, and the priests baptize the Ostyaks. Semyon Remezov builds a fortress in Tobolsk.
The fates of two dozen characters are intertwined with a complex set of sympathies and contradictions, the happiness of some means the painful death of others. Everyone will die, everyone will rot in the ground, and the Tobolsk Kremlin stands to this day.
Again, this is a very skillful text. Ivanov can, in one paragraph, as if casually, retell the content and background of Vasily Perov's painting "Nikita Pustosvyat. Dispute about Faith", without even naming the painting itself. And this is very useful: if a reader goes to a museum and there he immediately recognizes the plot, he will figure out what's what. Even Ivanov, who was operated on and gutted by the devil, is still strong in describing nature:
“Winter stopped hiding: it no longer sent scouts into the cellars, attics and barns, it didn’t arrange quiet night raids, it came in the daytime - everywhere, wide and open.<…>Winter filled the city densely with itself, as a boat is loaded with supplies for a long journey.
Or, through the mouth of a Swede, explain how in Russia Siberia and the state of the economy and politics are closely connected with each other in any of the periods of our history:
"Siberia supplies the treasury with furs, that is, with gold. And this circumstance provides Russia with the opportunity to differ from Europe. Russia does not need to acquire gold in exchange for the fruits of its economy, so it can keep its economy intact in the ancient order. If it were not for the furs of Siberia, the Russians the tsars would have to, like European monarchs, rid the peasants of their serfdom and allow manufactories. Siberia is the key to understanding Russia."
However, it's not just that. In the old novels devoted to Perm and its environs, Ivanov turned a normal, interesting, but generally ordinary Russian region into a wonderful country. The novels were equal or even greater than the region. But Tobolsk with its Kremlin is an incredible miracle in itself. Much more than the novel itself.
Tabbert spread the map on the bed for the last time, admiring his work: Tobol, Irtysh, Ob, Lake Zaisan and Lake Chany, Turgai and Baraba steppes, Tyumen, Tara, Tobolsk, Surgut, Narym, Berezov, Obdorsk, Mangazeya ... Tabbert carefully folded the cloth tripled and rolled into a tube to reduce the number of folds that could damage the image. He placed this pipe in a case made of waxed canvas, sewed it up with tarred thread and inscribed the addressee's name on the side.
Dietmer arrived at noon. Tabbert prepared a glög, just in case, as one can make in Russia, but Ditmer refused to undress and drink. He was surprised at the size of the package and weighed the package on his hand.
I didn't expect it to be so big and heavy.
– I warned you that my mail would be large and voluminous. I understand how difficult it is to arrange a secret delivery, Jochim, but that's what I'm paying you twenty riksdaler for.
Dietmer looked around Tabbert's dwelling quickly and carefully. Everything here testified to the good - by the standards of captivity - the wealth of the captain. On the table lay a large handwritten book in wooden covers. No doubt Russian. This is where Tabbert got his knowledge of geography from. It's good that the captain has the original source.
“You see, Herr Tabbert,” Dietmer said politely. - After the correspondence is read, it is put under lock and key in a special mail chest, marked with a scorched seal. The key to the chest is kept by the courier. I can secretly get into the chest from the courier and put an unauthorized letter there. This service is not too expensive. But your card simply will not enter the existing chest. In your case, I will have to change the chest for a more spacious one, and such an enterprise will require bribing a courier and an official with a seal. I ask you for seven more riksdalers.
Tabbert smiled knowingly.
“You are a good capitalist, Jochim.
"I'm putting myself in danger," Dietmer protested. “After all, for your mail, I can lose my position.
- I accept your terms. Seven more riksdalers.
Dietmer lied to Captain Tabbert. As soon as he saw the size of the parcel, he immediately realized that it would certainly attract the attention of the customs officer. Sending a landcard with regular mail is an impossible task. Tabbert must find another way. And this land map, alas, will be lost for Tabbert. However, he, Ditmer's secretary, with certain actions, will be able to benefit from the failure of the captain. Tabbert will have at his disposal a Russian book, with the help of which, if he finds a desire, he will restore his work.
In the provincial office, Ditmer went to Gagarin's room, closed the door, took a knife and opened the bundle. Crunching with primer, the polished canvas occupied the entire table of the governor. Ditmer gazed with admiration at the lace of fine lines and beaded signatures in semi-Gothic texture. Of course, this magnificent work should cost a lot of money.
And Tabbert had drunk glög that evening and was getting ready for bed when his door swung open without knocking. A young Russian officer entered the room—Tabbert had seen him at Remezov's—and two soldiers followed him.
— Captain Tabbert? the officer asked in German, squinting in the semi-darkness.
“Master… uh… Demarin?”
- I have an order to take you under guard and escort you to the casemate.
- Why? Tabbert was surprised.
- I can not know.
Glög warded off bad thoughts, and Tabbert accepted the unexpected arrest with ironic bewilderment. Some stupidity. He is not to blame for anything. He did not participate in a fight at the fair, did not perform any work for the governor, the quality of which the governor could be dissatisfied with, did not leave the city, did nothing at all and did not quarrel with anyone. He walked along the snow-covered street, enjoying the cold and feeling the healthy strength of his body.
Glög dissipated by midnight. Wrapped up in an epancha, Tabbert sat on a trestle bed in a cold log closet in the basement of the governor's house. The corners and the ceiling here are overgrown with shaggy frost. The white moon shone through the narrow portage window, hopeless and merciless, like a shot in the face.
When sober, Tabbert clearly understood that he had been imprisoned for attempting to send a landcard. For what else? Apparently, Ditmer betrayed him. On reflection, it was a very sensible thing to do. And the money for the transfer will remain with Joachim, and the threat of losing the place will dissipate. Maybe Ditmer will even be rewarded for vigilance in checking email. But Tabbert abruptly forbade himself to think about the baseness of the secretary's act. It is pointless to waste spiritual strength on useless anger. You have to think about yourself.
He can't refuse the landcard. Yes, it is unworthy to deny your guilt. There is no shame in making a landcart for a nobleman. He was driven by a thirst for knowledge and a noble desire to enlighten the fatherland. So, we must prepare for punishment in order to meet it with honor. How can he be punished? They probably won't be in jail. Most likely, they will be sent even further to Siberia. But where? Working on the map, Tabbert perfectly studied the geography of this country. Well, if he is sent to Yakutsk. The city is large by Siberian standards, and there you can collect information about the Asian north: about Kolyma, Chukotka and Kamchatka. These lands in Remezov's drawings were described only approximately, without details. In Europe, a good description of the northern limits of Russia will undoubtedly arouse great interest. Not bad if they send you to Irkutsk. There is a huge freshwater sea nearby, located in an unknown way in the middle of the continent. In Nerchinsk or Selenginsk main topic– Mongolia and China. In Tara - Dzungaria. In Turukhansk, he could have created a description of the Russian fur trade. If they are sent to Obdorsk, there is Mangazeya and a sea passage. But Berezov is bad. From Aikon, that Ostyak girl, he had already learned everything he needed about the local foreigners. And Surgut is bad, and Narym, and Yeniseisk, and Tomsk, and Krasny Yar, and Kuznetsk ... He could not figure out what to do in these cities. But there is no need to be discouraged. The world is full of secrets everywhere; they will be found in those parts that seem like a deaf desert. The strength of the spirit overcomes the vicissitudes of fate, and those who want to know will certainly find the object of study.
Tabbert lay down on the trestle bed, threw himself on his coat, and fell fast and soundly to sleep.
In the morning they gave him hot water Instead of breakfast, they took me to the governor.
Prince Gagarin received him in his office. Tabbert looked around the furniture of the office with some confusion: he had already tuned in to the road, to hardships, to the meager life of an exile, and here was a Dutch stove, curtains, furniture, porcelain, parquet, stucco, the smell of fresh coffee ... Matvey Petrovich in a Tatar dressing gown and soft boots sat in an armchair, and on the table lay a card carelessly folded into eighths. Apparently, the prince was looking at her.
“Introduce yourself,” Gagarin said sternly.
- Captain Philip Johan Tabbert von Stralenberg.
- Oh, you "background"! Gagarin chuckled. - Your card, background?
Matvei Petrovich pointed to the table with his finger. Tabbert noticed a thick emerald ring on the prince's finger.
“The landcard is mine,” agreed Tabbert calmly.
– Have you forgotten that our powers are at war? Where was he captured?
- In Perevolochne.
Captain Philip Tabbert commanded a battalion of Princess Ulrika Eleonora's Pomeranian Regiment, which was part of the corps of General Count Lewenhaupt. On that summer day, on the field near Poltava, the Pomeranian regiment held the right flank of the royal army, resting sideways on the Yakovets forest, inaccessible to cavalry. The right flank overturned the Russians and almost reached the line of Russian redoubts, but Tsar Peter himself led the descuration of his troops and stopped the advance of the Swedes, and then the Russians broke through the system of General Hamilton and put the Swedes to flight. Captain Tabbert fought valiantly, and only a company and a half of his battalion survived, but defeat is defeat. Tabbert managed to lead the soldiers to the main forces of the army, and they retreated for two days along the Vorskla River to the crossings across the Dnieper. But the Russians took away the boats, and there was nothing to cross. Levengaupt's army was blocked on a cape between Vorskla and the Dnieper. The Russians offered to capitulate. Not knowing what to do, Count Lewenhaupt convened an officers' council. Tabbert attended, although he did not have the right to vote. The officers decided to surrender. Captain Tabbert would never have supported this decision, but there, in the village of Perevolochne, he was not asked.
"Tobol. Many are called. Roman-peplum” by Alexei Ivanov (M.: AST, edited by Elena Shubina) - the first half of the epic, 700 pages of Siberia during the time of Peter the Great. It is open from Stockholm to Beijing, from Solovki to Lhasa. The capital boyars, captive Swedes, Bukhara merchants, Chinese nobles, Old Believers, taiga tribes, monks of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, the “new Russians” of the Petrine model and the builder of the Tobolsk Kremlin, the compiler of the “Drawing Book of Siberia”, a titan who grew up not at all in Tuscany, - Semyon Ulyanich Remezov. In his knowledge - Semyon Dezhnev's kochi pacific ocean, the fire-breathing mountains of Kamchatka and a detachment of Atlasov's Cossacks, the ruins of Mangazeya, petroglyphs on the rocks of the Irtysh, Scythian gold mounds, tea and emeralds of Chinese caravans… Alexei Ivanov answered Novaya Gazeta's questions about Tobol.
— Alexey, why - Tobolsk? Are you leaving the Urals for Siberia?
Everything is much more prosaic. The production company offered me to write a script for a series about the Tobolsk cartographer, chronicler and architect Semyon Remezov. His figure has long been known and interesting to me. And I'm also interested in working in a drama series format, like the ones that HBO or AMC do, and this format gives birth to a new type of novel, a modern novel. For the sake of the new format, I accepted the offer, hoping to make a script for the producers and a novel for myself at once. The Urals is still close to me, but other regions are also captivating.
- Do you “enter” Siberia “on one plot”?
- Most likely, "I go to one story." Although it sounds wrong, because there are many plots in this novel, and the whole project will take 3 years. In general, I work on projects that can be imposed on a certain territory. "Yoburg" and "Bad weather" - Yekaterinburg. "Ridge of Russia" and "Gornozavodskaya Civilization" - Ural. "Pitchfork" - the territory of the Pugachev region, including the Orenburg region, Bashkortostan, Tatarstan and the Lower Volga region. A specific territory always sets certain parameters for a work that determine the language, tempo, imagery and cultural background.
— Your “philosophy of the Urals” is spelled out in the “Ural Matrix”. In "Tobol" you see through the history of the governor Gagarin, the architecton Remezov and the Ostyak Aikoni the birth of the "philosophy of Siberia". So?
— No, I had no such ambitions. In this case, the format of the drama series is more important to me than the regional identity. Just using the example of the Urals, I figured out for myself how regional cultural complexes are arranged, and I already immediately determine this structure in the new material. So, probably, a doctor meets a person with whom he is going, for example, to have a drink, and immediately understands: "Myopia, hypertension, osteochondrosis." Having got acquainted with the history of Siberia of the Petrine era, I immediately saw its “nerves”, understood who is the bearer of the spirit of history: embezzlers, Swedes, pagans, missionaries, newly baptized, Chinese, schismatics and Dzungars. Siberia of that time consists of these "details". The choice of heroes is determined by the specifics of the territory, and the heroes live as they should by identity.
— What do you think about today's economic idea of "pivot to the East"? How did you relate the novel to her?
— I did not relate the novel to any idea, and when I was writing, it was amusing for me to see the sudden hope for China — as if the novel was back to back on TV. But that's just a coincidence. I like the idea of friendship, or rather, close cooperation with the East. It's always good to be friends, and it's always bad to be at odds. But we will not be able to intermarry with the East. It is not our mental nature, and it will never be ours. I wrote about this in "Forks", and not in "Tobol". The main value in Europe is freedom, in Russia freedom is also a value, but not the main one, and in the East it is not a value at all. Therefore, Russia is a version of Europe, and genetically we do not interbreed with Asia. "West is West, East is East."
- Russia and Siberia in "Tobol" are cruel and harsh. Life there is almost unbearable. The footpath of the captives and exiles, the Swedes and the Old Believers is unbearable. And you also draw into the plot the story of the extermination of the city of Baturin by the troops of Peter and the story of the siege of Solovki by the “Nikonians” ... Is this an “ancient atrocity” common to all countries? Or part of our genetic code?
- I don't think I agree with you. Life in Siberia in those days, of course, was harsh, but it cannot be called unbearable. Shalamov in Kolyma was much worse. It has always been difficult for exiles, forced laborers and explorers, but ordinary Siberians never went hungry in the old days. The heroes of the novel, who died a natural death, lived for quite a long time: Filofey - 77 years, Remezov - 78. If Siberia were hard labor, Stolypin would not have promoted the policy of resettlement. Let me remind you that in 1913 the export of grain from Siberia exceeded the export of grain from European Russia. It is always cold in the North, and the middle zone and the south of Siberia are no worse than the Yaroslavl or Ryazan regions. In general, the "torture character" of Siberia is a myth. But the "old atrocity" is terrible. However, it is not exclusive to Russia. Before the Age of Enlightenment, morals were brutal everywhere, and even then there was tension with humanism.
- They say that Russia - unlike the British Empire and the United States - did not exterminate a single indigenous people. How do you rate this opinion? And if you express in one phrase the “theme of the Ostyaks” in Tobol, what is it?
- Yes, Russia did not exterminate foreigners, although it oppressed and robbed them. And under Russian rule, the number of foreigners increased. However, the issue is not the philanthropy of Russia. First, there was enough space in Siberia for everyone. Secondly, Russia was interested in foreigners. They weren't even recruited. Foreigners supplied furs to Russia, and furs were the main export commodity. To get furs, you need to lead a very difficult lifestyle. Farming is still easier than fishing. It is more productive, and therefore more profitable and more reliable. The Russians preferred in Siberia to do what they are familiar with - agriculture, and let the foreigners do the fishing, whose traditional way of life is "sharpened" for this, therefore they were not touched as far as possible. The Americans, for example, did not particularly need furs; in the New World, settlers immediately began to start manufactories and Agriculture, based on slave labor, and then why do Americans need Indians? In short, Russia's peacefulness is explained by the weak development of the productive forces. If Siberia had been mastered not by the peasant, but by the industrial method, only fluff would fly from foreigners. And the theme of the Ostyaks in the novel was formulated by Remezov: "You are a toy for every strong man."
Artistic concept for the film "Tobol": Sergey Alibekov - Governor Gagarin has a whole philosophy of embezzlement. No one in Tobol can do without this... Did your understanding of Siberia in the time of Peter the Great give you something to understand today's Russian Federation?
- Governor Gagarin, of course, is a thief, but he is a passionary. His theft is from human insolence, and not from banal greed. He uses his high post not to put his hand into the treasury, but to arrange his own business, of course, illegal. The treasury for him is just a bank that issues interest-free loans. In the second book, Gagarin will explain to Peter, who accuses him of stealing: "I drew from that well, which I dug myself." He is similar to the "guild members" of the Soviet era, who, the stump is clear, are criminals, but not exactly thieves.
"Voevodsky" and "governor" periods of the history of Siberia and Russia are very different. "Voivodship" customs are "extortion", bribery, when each official takes as much as he can. “Governor's” customs are already a hierarchically organized system, that is, corruption, when each official gives the chief a certain bribe in order to be able to take for himself how much remains. Corruption, or rather, the extent of its prevalence, is a derivative of the police state. Peter built a police state, replacing banal extortion with complexly organized corruption. Governor Gagarin, "the chick of Petrov's nest", actively helped to build this state, because he was a corrupt official. But he understood that the richer people will live in new system the more active the trade, the more he will benefit. In this understanding lies the progressive role of Gagarin. As Mishka Yaponchik said in the movie "Deja Vu": "Mafia? I wish we had her!" The whole mechanics of the transition process from governors to governors and from theft to corruption is perfectly described in the monograph of the historian Mikhail Akishin “Police state and Siberian society. The era of Peter the Great. So these are not homegrown conclusions.
- The history of the development of Siberia is no less difficult and interesting than the "ship voyages" from Columbus to Cook. Why is this geographical feat not appreciated even at home? Why didn't Siberia give rise to a school of adventure novels in Russia?
And Siberia is no exception to the rule. What adventure novels are there about Pomors? What about the conquest of Central Asia? What about Novgorod and Pskov? Oh oh internal wars Russia - for example, about the bloody Orenburg expedition or the monstrous Kuban raid? All quality entertainment revolves around kings and emperors. This is Russian subservience to the authorities, when it seems that there is nothing interesting outside the shadow of the throne. And Russia itself is boring. There are, of course, breakthroughs. I remember with what horror and delight I read Fedoseyev's "The Evil Spirit of Yambuya" about a cannibal bear that attacked a party of topographers. But what is written is largely morally obsolete. In general, Russia does not know itself ... and does not want to know. In FIG, who needs a campaign of the Poles to Solvychegodsk or the construction of the Dead Road - this is not Moscow. The Moscow-centricity of life also gives rise to the cultural impoverishment of the country outside the capital. And new genres are formed on new material. If the material is a priori considered rotten, there is nothing to wait for some kind of Russian western.
- What role does Semyon Remezov play in the novel "architecton"?
— Merges all lines into common system. Remezov is the main connoisseur of Siberia, and Siberia is a specific region. Each hero has his own plans, one way or another connected with Siberia, and therefore each hero goes to Remezov for advice or help. Remezov is the conductor of this orchestra. He indirectly directs the processes of "genuine" Siberia, because he knows how it works, and Governor Gagarin directs the processes of the reformed Siberia, because he has power and passion. And Remezov's relationship with the governor is a duel between the poet and the tsar, when both are creators. Only the climax falls on the second part of the novel. So far, the poet and the tsar are only exchanging friendly cuffs, sympathizing with each other.
Artistic concept for the film "Tobol": Sergey Alibekov - The novel seems to be very centered. Not the story of one hero, like "Gold of rebellion" and "Bad weather", but the polyphony of dozens of destinies? Which one of them is main character? And who is the most favorite?
- The way it is. There are a dozen main characters in the novel, whose fates are interdependent and sometimes intertwined, sometimes they diverge. The reason is in the format.
I already said that new novel comes from the drama series. What is its essence? It can be disassembled on the example of the most successful work - "Game of Thrones". I will talk about the film, and not about Martin's epic, because the example of the film makes it clearer. A drama series is always composed of several paradigms, artistic systems, one might say genres. Moreover, two of these paradigms are always antagonistic, that is, they have not been combined before. To organically combine them is the achievement of postmodernity. In The Game, such paradigms are fantasy and historical naturalism. Fantasy is fiction; history is true. Fantasy is a high genre; naturalism is low, almost trash. It would not hurt to have a third paradigm - alien. In The Game, such a paradigm turns out to be the video sequence itself - the best nature of the world. The guidebook genre can be considered an alien paradigm in this film, it is not a feature film genre. In literature, anything can serve as such an alien paradigm: in The Name of the Rose it is semiotics, in The Da Vinci Code it is conspiracy theories.
And in "Tobol" I have characters from different paradigms, genres, that's why there are a lot of them. Pagans and missionaries - from mysticism; the Chinese and the governor are from a political detective story; officers and dzhungars are from the military genre, and so on. And the alien paradigm is, let’s say, “ alternative history"- the main collision of the novel: the governor's collusion with the Chinese on a "private", "unauthorized" war against the Dzungars.
The drama series, as a new format, has another feature: a change in the status of ethics. The syncretism of the format excludes the ponderous moral lesson that is characteristic of traditional literature. Ethics here is in the status of entertainment, well, as in infotainment, news is understood as entertainment. Therefore, all heroes are right, even villains and thieves, and all faiths are true: the reader sees the world through the eyes of an Orthodox, Muslim, schismatic, Protestant and pagan. However, "multipolarity" does not lead to relativism: the reader does not forget "what is good and what is bad."
The new format was, of course, not invented by the directors of the Game of Thrones. It was invented by the titans of culture of the second half of the twentieth century: Eco, Marquez, Fowles, Suskind. The directors simply translated the achievements of the titans into the mainstream. And we have received the final product of postmodernity, which, it turns out, does not destroy the tradition, but develops it, and, moreover, retains the humanistic essence. And what we call postmodernism is only an intermediate phase in the evolution of postmodernism, declared the finish line.
Working in a new format is an exciting artistic challenge. And the amazing history of Peter's reforms in Siberia provided me with excellent material for such work. And the point is not at all who I love more, the Urals or Siberia, mom or dad.
- When will the second volume of "Tobol" be released?
By autumn 2017.
- You said a year ago that the novel is part of the project. There will also be a documentary book and an 8-episode film… Right?
- Between the first and second books of "Tobol", that is, at the end of this winter, non-fiction will be released - the book "Debri" about Voivodeship Siberia - the history of Russian statehood in Siberia from the time of Yermak to the time of Peter. In The Wilds, I will simply talk about the events that are mentioned in the novel, so that those who wish have, so to speak, a documentary context. The novel is a novel, and there are deviations from history in it. Small, but there. For example, in the novel, Metropolitan Filofey learns about the death of Bishop John on a missionary trip through the taiga, but in reality at that time he was in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. It doesn't change anything, but still. Deviations are dictated not by the ignorance of the author, but by dramatic expressiveness.
In the historical genre, the main task of the author is to create an image of the era, and to create this image, dramaturgy is needed, which sometimes deviates a little from history. It's okay, because history should be studied from textbooks, not from novels. A historical novel becomes when the actions of the characters are determined historical process, and it does not matter that there are discrepancies with textbooks or, for example, fantasy fragments. Therefore, for example, The Three Musketeers is not a historical novel, but an adventure one, since its characters are motivated by love, friendship, honor, and not by the struggle of Catholics with the Huguenots and not by the relations of England with France. And my novel The Heart of Parma (although it’s immodest to talk about myself) is historical, not fantasy, because the characters act as the era requires, and not their personal preferences and not the preferences of the author. Not to understand this essence of the genre is unprofessional.
The eight-episode film "Tobol" is already in the works. Scenery is being built in Tobolsk - Remezov's estate, after filming, these scenery will be transferred to the museum. Directed by Igor Zaitsev. Not all actors have been approved yet, but it is known that Dmitry Nazarov will play Remezov, and Dmitry Dyuzhev will play Peter I. Filming will begin in March 2017. The film should be ready by the end of 2018. It will be shown in 2019 on one of the federal channels, Channel One has already expressed its interest. In addition, a full-length film, a kind of Russian western, will be made based on the series, and it will go to the box office.
- Why are you (so knowing and understanding church art, Siberian hagiography, so tenderly writing the image of Bishop Philotheus) ... do you always write the word “God” in prose with a lowercase letter?
- Because faith is not in the complication of spelling. I write secular texts, and “God” with a capital letter, in my opinion, is appropriate only in church literature or in the texts of clergy. Under normal circumstances, such petty servility looks like an old lady. It is unlikely that God likes it when for his sake they bruise their foreheads in bows.
