Аннотация: The Story of the literary plan "APushkin"
The Story of the literary plan "APushkin"
The count Nesselrode comes to Nikolay Pavlovich:
- Your Majesty, the plan 'APushkin' is produced.
- Explain more in details.
- Prince Peter Dolgorukov in Paris published the prophetic article. He builds a historical sequence. First, Pushkin with his controversial creativity. Then Lermontov with poem "Death of the Poet", after him Gogol with his "Dead souls", followed by Leo Tolstoy with his "I can't be silent!" and "Meaningless aspirations". The Revolution of 1905. And some later - year of 1917.
- So-so ...
- I think it is expedient to take countermeasures: organizational and economic.
- State your proposals.
- What is the peculiarity of Pushkin's economic situation? Paul (Pavel) Eliseevich Shchegolev wrote: "the Material base of Pushkin's life was radically different from the material bases of the entire nobility. He did not live on serf income, peasant dues; he did not live on the salary. The only parish that provided, though not sufficiently, the existence of his and his family, was in royalties [honorarium, fees]."
What is a honorarium? This is part of the money paid by readers when buying the results of creativity, the part that comes to an author. Economic sequence: Publishing house (an edition of a book) - trade (a sale of a book) - an author (a honorarium).
There is no sense to limit book publishing and strangle book trade now. Who reads books? Educated class. And who is the core of the educated class? The Russian noble class. In quantitative and percentage terms - a small part of the total population of the Empire. If they are strongly pressed, it will be enough to have two publishers and two bookstores - on one in Moscow and in St. Petersburg. And to ban completely all publishing houses and bookstores (upto zero) we won't be able: Europe won't understand us.
- Yeah....
- But we can announce a care!
- We care!
- We care both for readers, and for writers!
- We care for all!
-Writers don't get royalties, they get ... uh ... let's call that money grants. And readers get free content!
- Better a content a free, than the Convention nationale!
- A gratuitous content has always been! In any case, since the emergence of libraries without a readers' payments. But adults of the "European type" were in certain civilizational relations with people called "writers". Bookstore, bookstands. A flipping through of books, a choice. Purchase. Some books were thrown into the garbage, and some were put on the bookshelf. Bought new books. There were writers who lived on royalties. There were readers who were reading books purchased for money.
To force out, to displace a paid content by a gratuitous mental products! It is one of the central points of the plan!
- To displace!..
- We have a reserve unused - a category of literary clochards (homeless bums).
- Clochards - they are from France?
- This is a conditional, code name.
- Conditional ...
- And money big isn't necessary for these people. There is a stock of vigorous people, - they for literary clochards will write some works. We won't deny also that clochards are capable of something ... We will make them literary organisms, we will make them gentlemen of chamber, we will create literary associations with their participation, we will establish newspapers and magazines under their leadership.
Creation of the phantom of the literary sphere! It is one more of the central points of the plan!
- Phantom!.
- To Pushkin nobody prevents to sit in the Mikhailovskoye. Let his hand asks for a feather, his feather asks a paper ... Freedom of creativity!
- Freedom will meet us joyfully!... I understand ...
- Pushkin - separately. The readers - separately.
Your Majesty! Let's count. Let's say the conditional duration of adult life of one person - 60 years. That is, 60*365*24=525000 hours. Result conditional. A sense is not in accuracy, but in - a principle.
- Problems should be considered in a complex, from the different sides.
- So, 525000 hours. For this period of time each person has to make a lot of cases. At him, an abstract individual, a lot of time remains for literature, books? We take a conditional figure, digit for one person - 1000 hours. A conditional person spends during an adult life for a literature, books, - suppose, - 1000 hours. A meaning is not in accuracy, but in - a principle.
- It is important to find a right approach to a solution.
- The plan "APushkin" is based on your instructions! I continue. A conditional person must to spend these conditional 1000 hours for a reading, discussion, consideration of mental products of literary clochards. Books, magazines, newspapers! Literary associations! Collective solemn lunches, eventually!
- And what about Internet? And radio? And television?
- They are prospects of the future. I continue a thought. A conditional literary time of a conditional person has to be filled completely. A results of activity of literary clochards must occupy all time of perception of a conditional person! If activity of one literary clochard occupies in reflections of one conditional person 1 minute, so, respectively, 1000 hours * 60 minutes = 60 000 literary clochards. The figure, digit can be changed towards reduction and in the direction of increase. Gogol received about 600 rubles a year in a beginning of his career. 600 rubles * 60000 = 36000000 rubles a year. 36 million rubles a year for obtaining reputation of patrons of the Russian literature and for the movement towards up to a future with the bypassing of 1905 and 1917, - such the theme doesn't deserve discussion?
Pushkin let enjoys.
Друг милый, предадимся бегу
Нетерпеливого коня
И навестим поля пустые,
Леса, недавно столь густые,
И берег, милый для меня'.
"Sliding on a morning snow,
Dear friend, we will admire a running
of an impatient horse
Also we will visit empty fields,
Forests, recently so dense,
And a river shore, cute for me."
Everyone is free. In any case - Pushkin. And, I hope, he - is happy.
Freedom of creativity, Your Majesty!
Nikolay Pavlovich with interest has looked at Nesselrode:
- 'В те дни, когда мне были новы
Все впечатленья бытия -
И взоры дев, и шум дубровы,
И ночью пенье соловья, -
Когда возвышенные чувства,
Свобода, слава и любовь
И вдохновенные искусства
Так сильно волновали кровь, -
Часы надежд и наслаждений
Тоской внезапной осеня,
Тогда какой-то злобный гений
Стал тайно навещать меня'.
- "Those days when to me were new
All impressions of life -
Both a looks of maidens, and noise of an oak grove,
And a night singing of a nightingale, -
When sublime feelings,
Freedom, glory and love
And inspiring arts
So strongly raised my blood, -
Hours of hopes and pleasures
Made a sudden melancholy,
Then some spiteful genius
began to visit secretly me".
Nikolay Pavlovich has smiled. The count Nesselrode has slightly bowed and has smiled in reply:
- So, Your Majesty, plan "APushkin". Briefly: "Not d'Anthes, but - literary clochards!" We have to find a way to a future with a bypassing of revolutions of 1905 and 1917! We are the patrons of literature!
Nikolay Pavlovich has attentively looked at the count Nesselrode:
- What will I be able to do, the count, if Alexander Sergeyevich will be insisting on a duel with own relative?
- Demand, Your Majesty, from the gentleman of the chamber Pushkin a promise that he will not duel with d'Anthes!
- Perfectly, count! We don't have a lot of talent to throw around, even if we will encourage literary clowns. That is, ... clochards.
The count bowed.
The Emperor came in a good mood:
- And you know, the count, Peter the Great for us is the example!
The count has bowed.
- This box, container is called "drawer of a long time". Do you remember "the drawer of a long time"?
- 'Покойный царь еще Россией
Со славой правил. На балкон,
Печален, смутен, вышел он
И молвил: "С божией стихией
Царям не совладеть"'.
- "The late Tsar rules the Russia
With glory. Onto the balcony,
Sad, confused he came out
And he said :" With God's element
Tsars cannot cope."
Nikolay Pavlovich looked at the count with displeasure:
- We are European people and we have to manage time. Give me a copy of your plan "APushkin" .
The count Nesselrode handed over a copy of the plan.
Nikolay Pavlovich sealed the sheets in an envelope and wrote on the envelope: ""Plan "APushkin". After 222 years period. Focus on gratuitous content. Force out, displace a honorarium. Literary clochards. A phantom of the literary sphere. In particular, not forget about the restriction of a book publishing and the suffocation of a book trade! Destroy the national market of book trade. Create a space of pseudo-creativity and of mass gratuitous grant-content'.
He has put the envelope in "the long time drawer" and has again come to good mood:
- It seems, the count, Pushkin is employed in the your Ministry? Make the transfer of my meeting invitation to the cleverest person of Russia. I will demand from him a commitment not to duel with d'Anthes! Your's plan "APushkin" I sent in the "long time drawer". And my plan - is the plan "Pushkin". Now Alexander Sergeyevich is a relative of baron van Heeckeren and can spend more time in European cultural circles!
And I thank you, the count, for service, and I inform you about rewarding you with an award, the order! You are the chancellor and the minister. And all of us wait from you for the most vigorous activity! I will take care of increase in the budgetary funds going into your disposal.
The count Nesselrode bowed and went to his office building to perform his duties.
September 17, 2018 21:47
Translation from Russian into English: September 19, 2018 18:14.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Рассказ о литературном плане 'АПушкин''.