Evgeny Rudashevsky facts from life. Evgeniy Rudashevsky: “I am interested in the topic of understanding the world around me

Should you trust the advice of writers when going on the road?

Text: Anastasia Skorondaeva/RG
Photo from Evgeniy Rudashevsky’s Facebook profile page

The series of teenage books “Extreme Picnic” will help you conquer the North Pole or explore the length and breadth of the taiga: four volumes “Bonfire”, “Thirst”, “Hunger” and “Shelter”. The beauty of these books is not only that they will tell you how to survive in difficult situations, but also that you can travel without leaving your home, lying on the couch.
The series is also a guide to the world of adventure literature. Which writer is pleasant to travel with, and who should not be trusted, what to do if you panicked on a hike, and what is more difficult - training a seal or writing a book - we talked about this and more with the journalist, traveler and writer, author of the “Extreme Picnic” series » Evgeny Rudashevsky.

Evgeniy, you became a mentor to a young traveler; you not only captivatingly described the typical situations he might find himself in, but also gave a lot of advice on how to deal with the most extreme ones. Have there been times when you fell into a panic while hiking and didn’t know what to do? What do you advise the guys to do at such moments?
Evgeny Rudashevsky: Such cases happened in those years when I was just starting to go on independent hikes. These included unexpected encounters with a bear, rockfalls that cut me off from my companions, and long wanderings through the taiga, when the trail had long been lost and there were only swamps around. But sometimes extreme situations arose out of the blue, without any bears or landslides.

Once in Kamchatka, not far from the Nameless Volcano, I was going down a loose ravine to the river. The backpack made the descent much more difficult, and then it seemed to me that the best solution was to send him down on a rope. However, the rope was in the lower flap, under the sleeping bag, it was inconvenient to get it on the slope, and in the end I abandoned the backpack without a safety net. The backpack slid onto the shore, hit a boulder, flew up two meters and plopped into the river. The current quickly picked him up and carried him further along the riverbed. So fleeting carelessness left me in the forest without equipment...

Panic is an insidious enemy worse than a wild beast. And here it is difficult to give any general advice, because everything depends on the conditions in which you find yourself, and most importantly, on the characteristics of your psyche.

But I tried to touch on the topic of panic in each of the four books, from “Bonfire” to “Shelter”, and each time I gave small, but very specific tips - those that helped me.

In a stressful situation, I always look for an opportunity to lie down for at least one minute: I close my eyes, imagine that I am on my favorite sofa, remember the smell of bird cherry cake, think about the thick sour cream cake on a soft crust of bread, listen to my own breathing. It calms me down. It gives me the opportunity to briefly escape from the mess in which I found myself, and continue to act more soberly, without panic. It is important to mentally pull yourself out of a difficult situation, to briefly move to a place where you are truly comfortable and calm. If it is not possible to lie down, sometimes it is enough to close your eyes and take seven calm breaths, concentrating all thoughts exclusively on breathing. After this, you can open your eyes and make a decision.

By cleaning up your parking lot after yourself, you are ultimately ensuring that your next parking lot will be just as clean. Photo courtesy of KompasGuide publishing house

Discover some of the most useful life hacks for traveling and hiking from classic authors of adventure literature.
Evgeny Rudashevsky: There are plenty of life hacks in adventure literature - from the most serious ones that help you survive in the wild, to the very funny ones that make your journey a little more enjoyable.

The second type includes, for example, the words of Dr. Livesey from “Treasure Island” Robert Stevenson:“Look, [Jim], how useful it is to be a delicacy. You've probably seen my snuff box, but you've never seen me sniff tobacco from it. What I have in my snuffbox is not tobacco, but a piece of Parmesan, an Italian cheese.” Believe me, a “delicacy” unexpectedly taken out of your backpack helps to cheer you up during a difficult time on the road. You don't have to use parmesan, it could be caramel bars, dark chocolate, nougat with nuts, sorbet or something else.

You will find more serious advice in the novel Arkady Fiedler“White Jaguar - Chief of the Arawaks,” which describes the making of tinder and lighting a fire using flint. In the novel Henry Rider Haggard"King Solomon's Mines" is about the search for water on sandy slopes, and one of my favorite adventure stories is "In the Land of Blizzards" Farley Mowat- the production of fire by friction is described in detail, in all details. After reading “The Tale of the Adventures of Arthur Gordon Pym,” you will definitely understand that if you are thirsty, you should never drink alcohol, even if we are talking about simple wine. And so on.

However, you should not believe everything that the classics wrote. Sometimes they have quite funny misconceptions. Thus, the heroes of Jules Verne’s novel “The Fifteen-Year-Old Captain” sincerely believed that making fire by friction was the simplest task that even gorillas could cope with.

Which authors pulled you into unprecedented corners of the world?
Evgeny Rudashevsky: He became my guide to the world of adventure. We are talking primarily about the novel “Kim”. After reading it, for a long time I dreamed of living in the north of India, climbing the snowy foothills of the Himalayas, and most importantly, having a real Indian massage, after which Kim was so tired that he slept for thirty-six hours straight!

Photo courtesy of KompasGuide publishing house

Then there were Fenimore Cooper, and Jules Verne, and , but the main role in my childhood was probably played by “Sannikov Land” Vladimir Obruchev and "On the edge of the Ecumene". I still consider Ivan Antonovich’s novel one of the best in its genre. Efremov managed to convey a bewitching feeling of the mysterious, unknown world around. What is it like to live in your own little Ecumene without the slightest idea about the rest of the globe? The wonderful world of pioneers, for whom Africa was no less mysterious than Proxima Centauri for us.

Which writers' books would you recommend for beginning readers and adventurers to travel on?
Evgeny Rudashevsky: I think modern teenagers can safely start their adventures with the classics. For example, from the novel Henry Rider Haggard"Moctezuma's Daughter" or from the "Blue Lagoon" Henry Stackpoole.

Do you have a favorite book character?
Evgeny Rudashevsky: It’s difficult to single out one character, but at the age of twelve I was delighted with Professor Challenger from the novels. He was beautiful in his almost bestial uncontrollability, passion for science and adventure. I can’t say that I imitated him in any way, but sometimes, when setting out on a dangerous journey, I encouraged myself with the question: “What would Challenger do in such a situation?”- and with a confident answer: “I certainly wouldn’t sit on the couch and think about how dangerous the path would be.”

You recently visited Machu Picchu. Was it a dream or what drew you there? Is the next book set in Peru?
Evgeny Rudashevsky: I went to Peru in search of specific material. Now I’m working on a large adventure work, which the KompasGid publishing house will release in four books at once. The first book will be published in autumn 2018. And yes, the events in this work (working title “City of the Sun”) will also develop in South America. A trip to Peru and other trips related to the “City of the Sun” became, let’s say, a pleasant necessity.

It is extremely important for me to visit the scene of the action myself, to see with my own eyes ancient cities, mountains, jungles - all those places where I plan to send my heroes. What is important are the smells, sounds, and the atmosphere itself as a whole, which is impossible to guess in absentia. I try to anticipate the feelings of my characters, so that in the future I will know exactly how to convey them on paper.

What’s more difficult: writing a book for children and teenagers, conquering distant countries, or training seals (you’ve had that experience too)?
Evgeny Rudashevsky: Indeed, I worked as a trainer in the Irkutsk nerpinarium for two years, and it was an interesting, and in its own way, difficult experience. But training, like all travel, has always remained for me a collection of material. Everything I did was ultimately aimed at literature. I wanted to see life in different manifestations, to better understand man and the world in which we live. I understood that without this knowledge I would not be able to truly write a single book.

Under your awning there will be a fire pit (in the center), a woodpile of dry firewood, a backpack and a log that will replace your bench. Photo courtesy of KompasGuide publishing house

While working with animals and traveling, I often encountered all sorts of difficulties, but they do not compare with the work of creating a book, which alone accumulates all these difficulties at once.

In your books, the action takes place either in Abkhazia (“Hello, my brother Bzou!”), or you send the reader to the Irkutsk Baikal region (“Where Kumutkan Goes”), or on a journey through the Eastern Sayan (“Solongo. The Mystery of the Lost Expedition”). You talk colorfully about the life and traditions of these places. Is it a conscious choice to send your heroes to places where not everyone can get to?
Evgeny Rudashevsky: The most important, primary thing for me remains the story itself. Where it unfolds, what cultures people are involved in are secondary questions. I don’t send my heroes anywhere; the story that underlies the work does it for me. Sometimes this forces me to study a completely new culture that was previously unfamiliar to me, as was the case with the story “Hello, my brother Bzou!”

I am only glad of this, because a new culture is a valuable experience in the general study of man. But no matter how much I am in love with the places that I describe, they remain only the background, because the most important thing in any book is the person himself, his thoughts and experiences. After all, even in “The Little House at the End of the Earth” Henry Beston The main role is played not by nature, to the description of which ninety percent of the text is devoted, but by the person who lives in this nature and animates it with his gaze.

“Hello, my brother Bzou!” a very touching piece. Can a writer shed a tear over his own book? What can move you?
Evgeny Rudashevsky: I don’t see anything reprehensible in tears, regardless of whether you cry after reading a book or looking at the perfection of marble matter on Bernini’s sculptures. Many things can touch you, not just your own book. Almost all works Irving Stone I finished reading it in tears, because for me the saddest thing is the death of a person, and an outstanding one at that, and any biographical work, as we know, ends with death. How can anyone remain indifferent to the last lines of “The Origin” - Charles Darwin buried a stone's throw from Isaac Newton's grave, and after the funeral William, Darwin's son, says: “Imagine what delightful conversations our father and sir will have every night Isaac Newton, when, with the onset of night, the cathedral becomes empty and quiet.”

Why did you decide to write for teenagers?
Evgeny Rudashevsky: My books are partly on the border between teenage and adult literature. And I feel comfortable on this edge. On the one hand, there is an opportunity to talk about complex, important problems, because it is during the period of growing up that the deepest sincere experiences fall. On the other hand, teenage literature sets very clear boundaries that cannot be crossed. Such frameworks protect against verbosity and excessive reflection, which under other conditions could be immersed in - moving away from real images into the depths of heavy abstractions.

Teenage literature is always movement, development. There is one big question hanging over every teen book: “Why was this written?” There can be no creativity for creativity's sake. You can’t just describe something and be satisfied with that. Every line, every story leads to something. And I like it. Adult literature is allowed to dwell on narcissism, self-statement, but teenage literature is not. And this is not about moralizing. A book may be practically devoid of plot and any specific conclusions, such as “My Mother Loves an Artist” by Anastasia Maleiko or “Friend April” Eduard Verkin. But even such books, written entirely for the sake of atmosphere, for the sake of the sound of one specific note, do not close in on themselves, but lead you to something, make you look at the world around you differently.

Do you think it is necessary to retain the child within you in order to speak the same language with the guys? Or how not to lose contact with them?
Evgeny Rudashevsky: I never thought about it and

I never tried to “speak the same language with the guys.” This would be dishonest both to yourself and to the reader.

First of all, I speak my language, or rather, the language that history requires. And I never deliberately simplify the text, I never remove supposedly complex words, phrases or thoughts from it. It is enough to write sincerely and clearly. The reader does not like to be considered a fool. And he does the right thing.

If we talk about the topics that are touched upon in my books, then here I completely agree with Jerome K. Jerome: “There is no need to write a special “for youth”; young people have a wrong idea of ​​life, and they experience disappointment when they recognize humanity as it really is.”.

Do you agree that children's and young adult literature is on the rise today? Do you feel heard by your teenage audience?
Evgeny Rudashevsky: I will not undertake to discuss the rise or decline of children's literature. To understand this issue, you need to at least have a good knowledge of its history over the past thirty years. It is obvious that there are more and more domestic teenage writers. The circulation of independent publishers is growing. And most importantly, the level of publications itself is growing. At book fairs and festivals throughout Russia, the reader’s interest is visible specifically in Russian authors who are able to talk about modern life that is familiar to this reader.

Now writers are invited to schools, libraries, and cultural centers. Of course, it happens that schoolchildren are simply forced into such meetings as if they were going to another lesson, but more and more often you see the faces of truly interested children - those who have already read your books or are just preparing to open them. Over the past three years, I have met with young readers from various cities in Russia: Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Kemerovo, Krasnoyarsk, Yekaterinburg, Syktyvkar, Nizhny Novgorod, Ulyanovsk, Kazan, Cheboksary, etc. I think all these trips would have been impossible without a real interest in modern literature on the part of both teenagers and their parents.

And finally, a bold question: can your books and the books of your young colleagues “advance” classic literature for teenagers?
Evgeny Rudashevsky: Unfortunately, there is no need to move anyone here. If we are talking about such classics as Robert Stevenson, then they are gradually forgotten. When we talk about adventure literature at meetings with teenagers, I always ask the guys if they are familiar with the works of these authors. At best, two or three schoolchildren answer this question positively.

And yet, the classics of adventure prose of the 19th and 20th centuries have firmly taken their place in the history of world literature. They will always come back to them. It is impossible, and there is no need to “move” them anywhere. There is no competition here. Moreover, there is a sense of community. The more new adventure novels are published now, the more modern readers turn their gaze there - to the world of old adventures, where the masters of the past stand like mighty boulders.

HELP "RG"

Evgeniy Rudashevsky is a journalist, traveler, and writer. He is trying his hand at non-fiction for the first time, but his experience as a journalist helps him create extremely informative and easy-to-read text. Evgeny Rudashevsky was born in 1987. Studied in Moscow, Irkutsk and Chicago. Winner of the “Book”, “Golden Delvig”, “South Ural Literary Prize” awards, etc.

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‒ Evgeniy, as far as I know, the book “Erchegaard. Twilight Town is your first experience in the fantasy genre. Why did you decide to write it?

“This book is the first in the fantasy genre, but I started, in fact, back when I was 19-20 years old, with mystical stories. At that time, my first publications were just coming out - half-fantasy, half-mysticism, they had something from Franz Kafka and Marquez. It was from these writers that I drew some ideas. I was so impressed by Kafka's writing that I decided to try to create something similar. And around the same years, the first ideas for writing “Erhegaard”, which was not yet called that then, were already emerging in my mind. Gradually these ideas accumulated, but I felt that I still lacked either literary skills or a vision for this whole story. Five years passed before I was able to take it up.

But when I write, I don’t make any distinction for myself between realistic prose and fantasy. For me it's just using different artistic mediums. Sometimes ideas and images come to you that you still can’t depict realistically, so you start using other techniques. But the essence itself, and many of the images, are related to each other. I take it all as one.

‒ What fantasy books do you like and which ones influenced you?

‒ For me, the standards of fantasy are, first of all, “The Chronicles of Dune” by Frank Herbert, the first three books, and “The Chronicles of Amber” by Roger Zelazny. Of course, other books, including Soviet ones, were partly influenced, and Tolkien influenced in his own way. But the model that I would like to roughly follow - in terms of atmosphere, in the construction of images, in the literary technique itself and in content - is “The Chronicles of Dune”.

‒ Your book contains many references to the past of the Erhegaard Lands; almost every chapter begins with a “historical” reference, a “quote” from some ancient book or the text of a leaflet taken from an abandoned building. Tell us how you created this world?

- For me, in general, the world itself, including the history of the Lands of Erchegaard, is the basis of the work. Often, fantasy books are based on human relationships: someone argues, falls in love, gets married, or some big battle is the focus. This is also interesting in its own way. But the fantasy component itself turns out to be the background, and if you take separately the relationships between the characters and some conversations, you might think that this is a completely realistic work. Sometimes it even seems that the fantasy setting is a little unnecessary. But for me, what is important first of all is the history of the Lands of Erhegaard. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you what the essence is, since the main idea is revealed only in the last book of the series. Initially, I conceived one book, but then I realized that I would not be able to convey all this atmosphere in it. Therefore, the first, second, third, fourth books and possible sequels are such a lead-in to the central image that I just came up with around 20-21 years old, which I really want to display and which I am gradually getting closer to. And the history of the Lands of Erhegaard, their legends, traditions - this is the most interesting thing. I get the greatest pleasure from working on them.

The book weaves in all kinds of stories that I learn on my trips, and there are also a lot of references to the history of Siberia. Anyone who lives in Irkutsk or Buryatia will probably recognize many places. For me, the prototype was the Oka region, Tofalaria, which I already described in a realistic manner in the book “Solongo. The mystery of the missing expedition." If you read it carefully, you will notice certain intersections. They will continue, and then it will even become clear why they overlap. All details are drawn from real life, observations, from the culture of the Buryats, Tofalars (aka Karagas). This is a melting pot from which you gradually extract certain images. And to display them more deeply, you use fantasy techniques, an element of mysticism appears. It seems to me that mysticism is needed to better understand the idea of ​​shamanism, the very spirit of this culture. Of course, I’m not saying: read “Erchegaard” and you will understand something about Buryat shamanism! For us it is perceived as a fairy tale. But the Buryat peoples really believed in all this. Their legends, fairy tales, burhans (sculptural images of a Buddha, bodhisattva or other characters of Buddhism. ‒ Note edit.) - for them it was all absolutely real. And to tell about a world where this is still real, I needed Erchegaard’s stories.

- In one of your interviews, you said that when working on a book, you usually try to rely on three proven sources. What sources did you use when writing Solongo?

- Indeed, this is a rule of journalistic work: it is desirable that every fact that you report is always confirmed by three independent sources. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to observe this principle. For example, tofalars - very little is known about them. Few scientific works are devoted to them. These were mainly the works of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Geographical Society, some Soviet scientific works. But there are not many facts. There are few heirs of the Karagas, and they are already assimilated. Therefore, sometimes there are simply not enough sources. But in my literary work, as a rule, I rely on the following three sources: the first is personal experience (taiga, Sayan Mountains, Siberia - from personal hikes), the second is scientific literature that I can find, and the third is “experts” local residents and those who are well versed in the topic I need. I had to turn to them for help to verify some points. So, conditionally, there are three sources.

‒ In Solongo, the main character often remembers his grandfather, and later he even followed in his footsteps. Is there someone in your life who has influenced you as much?

- This manifests itself in different areas. For example, my grandfather on my father’s side is a scientist, Doctor of Science, taught at the Physics and Technology Institute (Moscow University of Physics and Technology - approx. edit.). In a scientific approach to sources, I always focus on my grandfather. His love for books could not help but rub off on me. There was a huge library at home, from which I learned a lot of new things. I just went to the closet and picked out a book at random that I thought might give me some ideas. Therefore, children's literature passed me by, but I didn't mind, I liked it.

And if we talk about my Irkutsk grandparents, then from them I drew a love for my hometown and Siberia in general, and an interest in its history. I was lucky because, in fact, my entire family is teachers, and this could not help but affect me.

‒ Here is one of the statements of the hero’s grandfather: “We live many lives. Having changed, we become different people, strangers to ourselves.” Remembering your past self, do you also see a stranger?

- Yes, because life forced me to live in completely different places and forced me to change my activities. These are different stages, in a sense, different people. Sometimes I don’t even understand why “that person” behaved the way he did. In its own way, it’s interesting to live different lives and then remember. Sometimes - with sadness because I would still like to live that life, but it ended at the wrong time. This is such a birth-rebirth within one life, and it is quite exciting. I really hope that now this process has slowed down somewhat; before it happened more rapidly. I hope - and at the same time I understand that ten years will pass, and maybe I will remember myself today as a familiar, but somewhat stranger. And that's great, because you don't have the slightest idea how you'll think, what you'll do. Of course, I’m going to continue writing, although God knows how things will turn out, and that’s good too.

‒ In Solongo, the main character often imagines a map of the world, on which black spots indicate places where he could not go even with the strongest desire. Are there such black spots on your map?

- There are black spots. The Mariana Trench is a black spot for me, because I have slightly increased intracranial pressure and diving is not useful for me. I once went swimming and dived, but no more than ten meters. Realistically assessing things, I understand that Everest is also closed to me. He is so half black, half gray. Gray - because it has become a tourist place, thousands of people go there, and I just don’t want to spoil the impression. For me, Everest is the Everest of the times of Hillary, Norgay (they made the first ascent of Everest on May 29, 1953 ‒ approx. edit.), when it was still a real top of the world, not yet a tourist one. But there are actually few “black” places on my map. The whole world is interesting to me, and only Everest and the Mariana Trench are inaccessible.

- On the one hand, tourism is good, people learn a lot of new things. But, on the other hand, it can cause certain harm to nature and culture. Do you think there is a solution to this problem?

- I still wouldn’t call it a problem. It's great that the world is so accessible now. For example, in the spring I am going to Peru. It's funny to think - I'll get there in a total of sixteen hours. What is a sixteen-hour flight when in Russia, to get, for example, to Irkutsk, not so long ago it took three to four months. Today all these long distances have been reduced. Almost any person who has a more or less profitable job can save some money to travel to Europe or Asia. Of course it's wonderful. The world has become more open. But at the same time he became more boring. This is also why sometimes you don’t want to go somewhere. You have some kind of image of a place, formed from books, from history, and then you come there and see tourists with umbrellas. Some dangerous rock, which is difficult to climb, you, all exhausted, lathered up, climb there with a backpack, thinking that you have conquered the peak, and there tourists walk around happy and contented - they were thrown there by helicopter. In this sense, the world has become a little boring.

And the fact that tourists often leave behind dirt and destroy some cultural monuments - of course, this is sad. But, on the other hand, it is natural for us. This is the smoke of civilization - the fact that garbage is spreading everywhere. But, fortunately, people also love to clean. We always have one thing after another. First, a crowd of tourists leaves cans behind, then a crowd of volunteers comes and removes all these cans. Natural process. It would be somewhat strange to say that tourism should be banned so as not to pollute some important places. Although in Peru they have now slightly limited access to Machu Picchu, and this is logical - thousands of people go there. We'll still go to Machu Picchu, of course, but I'm a little afraid of what I'll see there. For me, this is something so supernatural, but then I come, and there will be thousands of tourists and heaps of garbage. Of course, this will spoil the view a little... And yet it is a big plus that people have the opportunity to travel around the world.

The only thing that remains sad is that the world turned out to be unusually small, and we now live in such a gap between space travel and the time when it was still interesting to walk on earth. I hope that in 40-50 years I will still find the moment when it will be possible to go on an excursion to Mars. I'll be happy to fly there. Of course, I won’t live to see the flights to the Andromeda Nebula, but that’s okay, I’ll also be happy to walk around Mars and I’ll also throw my candy wrapper there, check in, leave a human trace. Let them know that people are like that.

The conversation was conducted by Polina Andreeva

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Polina Andreeva, 14 years old, holder of the diploma “Book Expert of the 21st Century”, Moscow

Books by Evgeny Rudashevsky:

About the book by Evgeny Rudashevsky “Hello, my brother Bzou!” told by Ksenia Barysheva in the article and Ksenia Polkovnikova in the article

About the book by Evgeny Rudashevsky “Solongo. The mystery of the missing expedition” was told by Polina Andreeva in the article and Daniel Bronsky in the article

Rudashevsky Evgeny Vsevolodovich (born in 1987 in Moscow), traveler, journalist, winner of the fourth season of the All-Russian competition for the best literary work for children and youth “Kniguru” (2013) for the story “Hello, my brother Bzou!”, which was at the last fair NON/FICTION was presented by the KompasGid publishing house.

- First of all, Biblioguide congratulates you on the publication of your book. This is your first book for a teenage audience. Did you originally address it to teenagers?

No, definitely not. It was written five years ago, spontaneously, when I arrived in Abkhazia. I am a hiker, a traveler, and often go hiking. In one of them I heard this story, and literally immediately the entire basis of the story was written. The drafts were ready in Ldzaa itself [the village that is described in the story. - Note. "Biblioguide"] and nearby villages. I learned the details of the life and relationships of the Abkhazians only later. Then, during the campaign, I didn’t think about the audience, I didn’t even think about publication. I just liked the story and wanted to capture it on paper.

- The publisher positions the story as anti-war. Is this your idea too? Or is it more about harmony with the world, about friendship, about non-violence?

There was an immediate position that peaceful life was ending, but this was not intended as an anti-war slogan. The story of the friendship between a boy and a dolphin is central. The reasons for the end could be different, it’s just that war is the most pronounced, the most absurd manifestation.

- But still, you talk in the book about military conflicts.

Yes, sure.

- Another question that I wanted to ask you since “Kniguru”: many readers noted that the hero, the young man Amza, is somewhat naive, although already of military age. Is it because the time is like this (1980), or is it due to being cut off from the world?

Rather, the features of the area, the Abkhazian flavor. There are completely different ideas about life: it is believed that a man can get married no earlier than 35-40 years old, only when he gets firmly on his feet. And we often have weddings at 20-25 years. That is, initially the bar for “adulthood” was shifted. And plus - the pace of life is completely different. Growing up happens more slowly. Well, in the eighties, civilization had not yet captured the mountain villages, and this also had an effect.

- Is it still the same now?

Hard to say. But from the stories of Abkhazians, I know that now there is an era of tourism there. If an Abkhazian lives near the sea, he will definitely rent out his house, so the leisurely mood is gone. I had to draw it not from observations, but from people’s memories. Nature has not gone away; all the descriptions in the story were made on the spot. It seems to me that this is the only way to act: to arrange a kind of plein air, only to paint not with paints, but with words. Roerich has this in his diaries: “If you look at a picture of the Himalayas and try to imagine them, you will only get mountains. To understand them, you need to come and see the details that make up the feeling.”

- You became a laureate of “Kniguru” in 2013. Are you following this competition now? Are you interested in how children's literature is developing?

- What book influenced you as a child? Has it shaped you as a person?

In the seventh or eighth grade, I was, as they say, plowed by Franz Kafka. Not exactly a children's theme. But he came to me through a ban. The two-volume Kafka book stood on the top shelf of the home library. I saw the spines and one day asked my grandfather what kind of author he was. He replied: “Forget it and don’t open it. It’s too early for you.” Accordingly, I took it out and started reading, first “The Castle”, then everything else. I was caught reading and the book was taken away. I conducted a search in the house, found the book, but I understood that if I read it openly, it could be completely taken out of the house, so I resorted to a trick. Taking advantage of the time when no one was there, I used an old home photocopier to make copies of twenty to thirty pages, and returned the book to the box where I found it. I read copies in bed under the covers or in the bathroom. My parents began to worry and even wanted to see a doctor: I started “showering” three times a day for about 20 minutes. And I wet the sheets of paper, stuck them on the wall and read.

- What important books are you reading now? Is Kafka a thing of the past?

I have read Kafka many times! But he stayed in his youth, along with Marquez. For me they are two sides of the same coin. Now I'm more interested in a popular science book.

- Readers are always interested in how a writer writes. Do you consider yourself a writer? Many people say: “I’m not a writer, I’m an author. The specific text belongs to me, but this is not my main activity.” Where is your area of ​​interest?

I am a journalist by education, but I have changed many professions in various fields. I was a cleaner, a trainer, and a guide on taiga hikes. I can’t call myself a writer, it’s too early. I hope to achieve this title someday, but so far I’m not sure. I'm the author.

And the process of working with text is as follows, using the example of “Bzou”. As a rule, everything starts spontaneously. I worked as a trainer, I already read a lot and knew about dolphins. I traveled, knew the Caucasus, that is, I had a certain background. And having heard the story in the mountains, I immediately began to write. But the manuscript almost died. I walked through the Chkha pass and wanted to walk through the Bzyb gorge (it was a solo hike, I stood in the wrong place, and at night the rains soaked everything, including the manuscript, it got wet). But I liked the story so much that when I returned, I tried to restore it. I write only by hand and then retype it. I write the initial notes, then the basic manuscript, then I completely rewrite it by hand, expanding all the episodes, then I retype it. In the case of “Bzou” I reprinted it about ten times. He constantly returned to her. Then, on the advice of a friend, I sent him to Knigura.

- How important do you think reading is in life? How does a person who reads differ from a person who does not read?

Reading is always a way of thinking. When you read, you think. This is the kind of pause you take from a very fast, hectic world. This is a pause when you can stop and think about something. A book, if it closes in on itself, if you read it and don’t move on, is not suitable for you. In a good way, a book should push a person to step beyond himself, lead him to some idea, perhaps not related to the idea of ​​the book itself.

In a sense, a book is better than an interlocutor: you begin to argue with your interlocutor, sort things out, and social relationships are activated. And here is pure reflection. If literally on every page you stop and think about something, then the book is good.

- Do books accompany you on your travels?

Before I go anywhere, I read local authors. Before traveling to Georgia, I read Nodar Dumbadze. It didn’t quite work out that way with Abkhazia; I met Iskander later. But now I try to stick to this habit, even if I travel around Russia. I go into the store and ask for books by local writers.

- Is there a book that you want to see published or reprinted?

Yes, books by Canadian writer Farley Mowat. It was well published in Soviet times, but has now been forgotten. First of all, the most famous book is ageless and can be read by both teenagers and adults: “Don’t Cry “Wolf!””; for teenagers - “Whale to be slaughtered.” Just in time for a conversation about understanding what is happening. The author is an animal advocate, advocated for peace, against nuclear programs. A man who himself went through the Second World War died recently at a respectable age. But he also has just children’s books: “In the Land of Blizzards” and “The Curse of the Viking Grave.”

I have a favorite Irkutsk author, Yuri Samsonov (I myself am half from Moscow, half from Irkutsk). His wonderful books are “Bag of Dreams” and “Maxim in Adventureland.” Unfortunately, they were not reprinted after they were published by the East Siberian Book Publishing House.

- Your hero Amza is quite lonely. A teen book is often expected to have a love story or a theme of relationships with friends. Your young man is only friends with a dolphin, but it seems he has no one else...

I am very interested in the topic of comprehension, awareness of the world around us, one of the most difficult in adolescence. Why the sky is blue can be read in books; Parents will tell you what to wear in winter. And when the first, not yet formulated questions appear about why we live, where everything is going, the most difficult period begins. The questions have not yet been formulated in words, there is only a premonition of them. No one around can answer them for the teenager, and loneliness and sadness arise. Okudzhava has the lines: “I don’t understand people who don’t like to be sad, because when you’re sad, you think.” This is true. When we laugh, we don't think. I'm not against laughter, but sadness is about solitude and reflection. From my point of view, awareness is the most pleasant thing in this life. When you look around, understand and feel what is happening, understand yourself, this is a great pleasure.

My hero, a teenager, is trying to understand himself in the context of this world: the bustle of everyday life, communication with a dolphin, impending changes, and the first shoots of understanding are breaking through in him. At this moment he is definitely alone, because there are no people who can answer him. The problem is that adults, when they go through a period of doubt, get used to it, and in the future they answer children’s questions: “Wait, when you grow up, you’ll understand. I had the same thing, a couple of years will pass and you will calm down.” This is absolutely not the answer that a teenager is looking for. In a couple of years it will no longer be him, but a completely different person, and answers are needed now. He is left without answers and with the position of isolation of an adult: “live and you will know,” and this leads to loneliness.

-Who can give the answer? Nature? Or should we look for the answer within ourselves?

The difficulty is that questions are not formulated in words, they are just feelings, and the answer must come in feelings. And how - everyone has their own way. Nature itself will not answer; it is man who animates it. If you approach her with an emotional question, you can get an answer. But I am sure that a response can be received from the city with its concrete boxes, both from good and from bad, the main thing is not to give up, to move, not to fall into despair. As a rule, the one who insists on these questions receives an answer and tries to understand himself and what is happening. When there is no answer for a long time, people either fall into despair or abstract themselves from their questions, try to laugh at them, forget them and move on. But if you remain calm, try to return to the topic again and again, read something, think about it, talk to someone, sooner or later an emotional internal response will come. Harmony is formed, the first step towards awareness.

- And yet, why did you decide to write about dolphins?

I worked with mammals and I had an understanding of their behavior and lifestyle. Well, the real story I heard was about dolphins. If I had heard about an orangutan and a boy in Peru, perhaps there would have been a similar story. Although the image of a dolphin is somewhat symbolic. Of all the large predators, dolphins are the friendliest. This is explained by their evolution. For millions of years they have no enemies left. There is a shark, but it is not a rival: it is a fish, and mammals are smarter, and it cannot resist a school of dolphins, they will easily kill it. There are cases where dolphins saved people from sharks.

The image of a dolphin is a longing for a calm, non-aggressive peaceful life. There are many stories of friendship between dolphins and humans; they go back to ancient times. The very first is about Odysseus’s son Telemachus, who was saved by a dolphin as an infant. Apparently, in the era of bloody wars, when there was no medicine or social security, and people died early, for the ancient Greeks the dolphin was a kind of symbol of non-aggression. After all, a dolphin does not attack. Those few cases where an attack on a person was recorded turned out to be cases of self-defense. Therefore, the dolphin is a symbol of friendliness.

However, this is where an interesting philosophical theme begins. Dolphins, having achieved this non-aggressiveness and friendliness, completely stopped in their development. Their evolution has stopped. The way they were thousands of years ago is the way they are now. The Strugatskys have a good phrase: “If humanity stops making mistakes and a cataclysm happens, we will all die out. Mistakes save us" [“And then, if anything changes in the Universe, we will happily die out - again, precisely because we have forgotten how to make mistakes, that is, try different options not provided for by the rigid program” (“Roadside Picnic”)]. On the other hand, wars are mistakes, also a way out of harmony. So it's not easy to talk here.

- Do you think harmony is possible among people?

I think yes. Since my youth, I have been faithful to the ideals of Ivan Antonovich Efremov and I know that one day the ideals described by him will come to us to one degree or another: perfection, both physical and spiritual. This is also a theme from Ancient Greece, when a person ideally had to be perfect physically (cybernetics will probably help us) and, above all, mentally and spiritually. This is also why I do not agree with the statement that life has become worse now because it has become too fast: people read books in an hour and a half, etc. It is likely that this is the very training that will allow us to develop further.

- Thank you for the interview and wish you success!

Evgeny Rudashevsky is an extraordinary young man. In his twenty-eight years, he has almost literally gone through thick and thin, wherever he has been and with whomever he has worked! And, most importantly, he became a good writer, having won several literary awards. Today Evgeniy is visiting our literary portal...
- Evgeniy, for such a young man you have a very rich biography. And yet, I would really like to know from you how you became a writer? How did you come to this, having initially chosen the profession of a lawyer and even studied at serious universities in Russia and abroad? Was jurisprudence a wrong or forced choice? And how did you have the courage and determination to start all over again?
- Creativity has always been a way of thinking for me. I was writing about something and thinking about it that way. A kind of dialogue with yourself, with your ideas. A continuous process, the result of which, over the years, was novels or short stories that I had never thought of publishing.
Law was a conscious choice, I have never regretted it. Any experience is important, it allows you to look at the world from a different perspective. And the more of these sides you learn, the better you understand a person. What else to write about if not about a person?
I wanted to travel, and this craving overpowered the desire to become a lawyer. One day I woke up and realized that my life should be different. Then I studied at a small Chicago university. After skipping class, I went to the bus station and bought tickets for the next bus to Wisconsin. Thus began my first independent journey.
- Such twists of fate, which, apparently, could not help but result in literary works, how much did they enrich you as a person? Do you regret any moments in your life? For example, that you worked as a cleaner?
- I do not regret anything. Unlucky days turned out to be a stepping stone to successful days. Everything is like Vizbor: “Your sadness is not the reason, but only a step for you.” I don’t see anything wrong with being a cleaner. Any honest work through which a person supports himself or his family is worthy of respect. I still remember the people I encountered then. I also remember the atmosphere of that life, and this is always valuable. I worked the night shift, returned home along a deserted road on a bicycle, and every time I watched the sun rise over the forest ahead. I breathed easily and freely. This was the main thing.
- If possible, what family are you from? Where were you born and raised? Did you already have a craving for creativity and writing in your youth?
- I grew up in a family of teachers. Since childhood, I had to move often. I changed schools six or seven times. Lived in different cities. Perhaps that’s why I feel equally good everywhere. I feel at home everywhere and am always ready to travel.
I wrote my first story in fifth grade. I don’t remember why I did it and what I felt about it. But I can say for sure that later writing always brought me satisfaction. I didn't ask for more.
- What did you read in childhood and youth? Which authors may have given you a life message or developed your literary taste? Can we say that you yourself belonged to the category of “thinking teenagers” for which you are writing now?
- I don’t know if I was a “thinking teenager,” but good grades for studies in the class magazine were always replaced by deuces for behavior. Shouts of “Rudashevsky, get out of class” were heard throughout the school. I was restless. He often got into trouble. Climbed roofs, basements, wandered through swamps. The school literature program passed me by. But I always found time for adventure books. At night I read Fenimore Cooper, Jack London, Henry Rider Haggard, Arkady Fiedler. The most striking impression at the time was made by “On the Edge of the Ecumene”. In my opinion, no one better than Ivan Efremov conveyed the fascinating feeling of the mysterious, unknown world around. Traveling into the unknown is always inspiring.
- The first literary experiments and the first book are always unforgettable, but not always smooth. Did everything go well for you right away? If possible, tell us when and how this happened...
- When I was young, I didn’t think about publications. I wrote exclusively for myself. Everything changed when I was eighteen. I became interested in Marquez. I read somewhere in his memoirs that he wanted at all costs to publish his first story at the age of nineteen. I wanted the same thing. I began sending out works, mostly fantasy and mystical stories, to magazines. For a long time I did not receive answers, but at the age of nineteen I managed to get published in a small, little-known publication. I was very happy, but after that I didn’t bother anyone with my manuscripts for a long time.
- How many literary awards have you already won? And what, in your opinion, was the main thing in the decision of the high judges when they awarded them to you? What's your secret? Do these rewards provide anything other than money?
- The two prizes that were most valuable to me were. This is “Kniguru” - for the story “Hello, my brother Bzou!” Thanks to this award, Vitaly Zyusko, director of the KompasGid publishing house, drew attention to the story. And the Anton Delvig Award “For Fidelity to the Word and the Fatherland” - for a travel diary written in India.
It is difficult to say what the judges were guided by when choosing my works. Unfortunately, I don't really like them. I love what I write - every line, every word, but until the last point is put. After that, I review with regret what I wrote and realize that I could have done everything better. This encourages you to continue working. Perhaps, having written my ideal piece, I will stop and do something else. I will do carpentry or make ceramic dishes. Why not? I just doubt that this will ever happen.
- How long does it take you to write each book? Do you write under inspiration or just know how to work? Is it easy for you to get along with publishers and deadlines?
- It’s too early for me to talk about “books”. I think in ten years this question will be more relevant. I'm just at the beginning of my journey. So far, for me, the creation of each new work is a new story with its own details. Something can take many years to mature, but something can flare up and spill out onto paper in just a few weeks. If inspiration is intoxication with an idea, intoxication with an image, then yes, it is difficult to work without it.
I never considered myself a workaholic. I can be lazy. This does not prevent you from working for months with virtually no rest. However, I don’t believe in “laziness.” It's better to talk about lack of motivation. Finding motivation can be difficult. The more relativism you have in your judgments, the more tolerant you become of the world around you, the more difficult it is to write. You begin to realize that words cannot express anything. You have to live with this. Besides, you look around and see the giants of literature standing behind you. You understand that you will hardly reach their heights. The desire to become myself is the best motivation for creativity for me.
There is one problem with publishing houses - they don’t always publish. There are no other problems.
- Do you write as you write, or do you stick to some given line? For example, a book for young people “should be such and such” and “should not contain such and such”?
- The line is set by the story itself, the logic of its narration. You won't go against her. And if you go, you will destroy everything. So I “write as I write,” only the first few pages. Then I become a hostage to the images that are born.
What makes a book for youth is its characters, their actions and thoughts, and not conventional frameworks. At least, this is how it should be in free literature. Otherwise, the reader will invariably be haunted by the smell of hypocrisy or the taste of artificiality.
-Which of your contemporary writers do you consider truly worthy of interest and worthy of reading?
- Unfortunately, I am not familiar with young contemporary authors. But, of course, any author is worthy of attention. Everyone has their own reader. The question is to find it. Even the ugliest nonsense can be read with pleasure by your grandmother or your parents. Why not? The book comes to life as soon as at least one person reads it. The fact that thousands read it will not make it more alive. But it will not be possible to measure the talent of a work with some kind of pattern. Unless you give it to Izpital. Ultimately, the popularity of a book is determined not by the “genius index”, but by the NCCT (the most likely number of readers of the text).
- What are you working on at the moment? When can we expect a new book?
- If everything goes well, my book “Where Kumutkan Goes” will be published.
- What are you reading now?
- If we talk about teenage literature, the other day I read “The City of Besties” by Isabel Allende - an interesting book about the adventures of an American boy in the South American jungle. And yesterday I started “The Green Circle” by Stefan Casta.

Friendship between man and dolphin... Dolphin and man... Not now, when even in megacities far from the sea aquariums are open and children can meet and play with a tame dolphin not only at a seaside resort. This story from the last century is about the friendship of a simple Abkhazian youth with a wild sea animal. And this friendship is all the more wonderful because it is surrounded by the harsh and sometimes primitive life of the Abkhaz village, whose inhabitants - peasants and fishermen - consider the dolphin a “stupid gray fish” and a thief, and the person who befriended him is at least an eccentric. The village of Ldzaa has lived its own measured life for many centuries: Abkhazians honor the behests of their ancestors, work on the land, go to sea for fish, grieve and rejoice. Schools of dolphins have also inhabited the sea since ancient times - they play and hunt, sometimes delighting, sometimes frightening people. The meeting place of two future friends is the shore. Spring morning, the promise of a miracle. But this miracle will not last long. Just one summer to get to know each other, learn to trust, make friends, become brothers... And in the fall - conscription into the army. The radiance of this friendship falls on the entire narrative - it highlights the characters, warms the harsh peasant hearts. Step by step, day by day, word by word, the summer of the growing hero passes. His gaze is increasingly focused on his native land, on his usual work, on his loving relatives... The reader does not expect a happy ending and general well-being in this story. On the contrary, he will face an eternal senseless and destructive force, whose name is war. And yet this is a bright book about goodness and peace.

What can be opposed to darkness? You can’t say it better than the Abkhaz peasant in the story: “Our business is peace! Live and rejoice! Give birth and raise. Receive guests and wash their feet! This is what we have been bequeathed to, this is what we will do!”

Evgeny Rudashevsky has worked with marine mammals for several years and knows first-hand about the life of dolphins. For the story “Hello, my brother Bzou!” Rudashevsky became a laureate of the literary competition “Kniguru” in 2013.

Illustrator Alexander...