Alfred van Vogt - Ischer gun shops. Alfred van vogt - Awakening

A Bogatyr was born in a certain country. Baba Yaga gave birth to him and raised him. He grew tall and formidable. His mother went to rest, and he received an unprecedented freedom.

Not knowing what to spend his energy on, he went into the forest. He began to torture his strength there, tear up trees by the roots, and when he got tired, he climbed into a huge hollow and fell asleep. From his rolling snoring for a long time the earth trembled. People and animals were afraid of his sleepy.

The fame of him reached foreign lands, where they were surprised at his power and feared, believing that he went to bed for a reason, apparently, he was gaining strength. At home, they were proud of him and laid big hopes talking in whispers, tiptoeing around.

He slept for a hundred, two hundred, and a whole thousand years. At first, the enemies thought that the country was strong, in which they are afraid of the hero only because he sleeps in a hollow, but gradually they began to remember that more than once trouble came, but the strong man did not wake up and did not provide help. There were droughts and famines, fights, diseases and natural disasters, impoverishment, but Sonya didn’t care, he didn’t open his eyes and didn’t move his ear.

Patient and long-suffering was the fate of his homeland, the people believed in their protector and waited, hoping that in last moment he will wake up.

Meanwhile, the enemies began to lose fear, and went to war against Bogatyr. Cautiously approached, but having felt a stinking smell, they staged a cruel reprisal. Everything was destroyed in its path. Last time the people called out to the brave man. Not hearing his snores, Ivan the Fool split the hollow with his fist, and it became clear that the vipers had eaten the Bogatyr's entire body up to the neck.

Russia is seen in the image of a patient and long-suffering country, where it is typical for the people to rely on Strong Personality, a king or a hero who will come and restore order. Each time, in their vain expectation, the people were deceived. Saltykov-Shchedrin ridicules the unjustified fear of the hero himself, who, possessing invincible strength, squandered it on sleep and stupidity, remaining deaf and blind to the needs of his compatriots. The author raises the topic of civic duty and responsibility of each person for their homeland, destiny and well-being.

Picture or drawing Bogatyr

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Such a genre as a fairy tale is familiar to everyone since childhood. As we grow older, we begin to understand that many moments in these magic stories may turn out to be not at all as unambiguous as it seemed to us in early years. A number of fairy tales, especially author's, and not folk, have a clear deep subtext. Writers often refer to this genre in order to be able to convey in an allegorical form to the audience those thoughts and ideas that, being directly expressed, might seem seditious. An example of one of these works is Saltykov-Shchedrin's fairy tale "Bogatyr", written in 1886. Like his other works, this one is addressed to children of a "fair age" - in other words, adults will reach the essence of the story. Even a superficial analysis of the Saltykov-Shchedrin fairy tale makes it possible to understand that under the upper “popular-folk” layer there is a deeper and more exciting meaning for the author. The writer in a special manner, quite caustically and cleverly, ridiculed the vices of the then society and its shortcomings.

Before analyzing the tale of Saltykov-Shchedrin, it is worth recalling that the author lived and worked in Russia XIX century, came from a noble noble family. Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov - Shchedrin (1826-1889) for a long time combined writing with working as an official. Later, he was a renowned editor and publicist for various publications.

The work "Bogatyr" itself is small in volume. Therefore, it may seem that the analysis of the fairy tale by Saltykov-Shchedrin will be a simple task. But, like other works of the author, this one is not at all easy. Outwardly, this is a story about a strong man who slept all his life in a hollow, instead of protecting his people from the cruel raids of strangers. But under the guise of the Bogatyr, who frightened everyone in the district with one of his snores, another idea invested by the writer is visible. Here is the lack of foresight ruling class, discrepancy between the actions of the top and the expectations and needs of ordinary people.

Having begun to analyze the tale of Saltykov-Shchedrin, the reader first of all notices that its outward resemblance to the epics composed by the people is quite large. Here we will meet friends fairytale heroes- Babu Yaga and her son - the Bogatyr, the owner of the noble strength, the oak forest of the forest crusher. Recognizing the famous folk motives, spirit and speech of old Russian. The thoughts and actions of “their own” are also recognizable, who are afraid even of the heroic snoring, but rely only on his protection. The “adversaries” are also understandable, who were frightened by the booming sounds, but did not dare to rob their neighbors for a thousand years while the defender was sleeping. In the country of a fairy tale, while the Bogatyr was sleeping, “our own” themselves tormented each other so much that “strangers” would never have dreamed of. When the enemy forces attacked the country where the strong man was resting in a hollow, it turned out that he had died a long time ago, and the snakes ate his body in the hollow where he slept. The hopes of the people for the unknown hero will not come true. No one will save simple people from invaders, as you do not rely on fabulous defenders.

So, even a superficial analysis of Saltykov-Shchedrin's fairy tale "Bogatyr" shows the author's attitude to the situation in Russia at that time. The situation described allegorically reveals the idea: relying on the loud promises of high-ranking intercessors, the people deceive themselves. Not protection, but only plunder brings ordinary people the top of society. Yes, and it is rotten, at its root. And we must not forget about this, so that in the days of disaster we would not be unprepared or weakened by our own rulers.

In the days of brutal censorship, through which any work then had to go through in order to be published, such tales seem bolder than the most outspoken statements of modern journalists who criticize the current authorities. Besides, wondering whether the relevance of Saltykov-Shchedrin's works has been lost today, can we give a positive answer without prevarication?

In a certain kingdom, the Bogatyr was born. Baba Yaga gave birth to him, brought him to drink, nursed him, groomed him, and when he Kolomna verst grew up, she herself went to rest in the desert, and let him go on all four sides: "Go, Bogatyr, perform feats!"

Of course, first of all, the Bogatyr hit the forest; he sees one oak stands - he uprooted it; he sees another standing - he broke him in half with his fist; sees the third one standing and there is a hollow in it - the Bogatyr climbed into the hollow and fell asleep.

The green oak-tree mother groaned from his rolling snores; fierce beasts fled from the forest, feathered birds flew; the goblin himself was so frightened that he took a lesha with leshas in his armful - and he was like that.

The fame of the Bogatyr spread throughout the earth. And his own, and strangers, and friends, and adversaries will not be surprised at him: they are afraid of their own in general because if not to be afraid, then how to live? And, moreover, there is hope: without fail, the Bogatyr lay down in a hollow for that, in order to gain even more strength in a dream: "Our Bogatyr will wake up and glorify us before the whole world." Strangers, in turn, are afraid: "Listen, they say, what a groan went through the earth - no way, in" that "land the Bogatyr was born! How would he not ask us a ringing when he wakes up!"

And everyone walks around on tiptoe and repeats in a whisper: "Sleep, Bogatyr, sleep!"

And then a hundred years passed, then two hundred, three hundred, and suddenly a whole thousand. Julitta rode and rode, and finally arrived. The tit boasted, boasted, and indeed did not set the sea on fire. They boiled and boiled the peasant until all the dampness was boiled out of him: ay, man! They fixed everything, finished everything off, robbed each other completely - a coven! And the Bogatyr is still sleeping, with blind eyes from the hollow of the tree he looks directly at the sun and lets out rolling snores around a hundred miles.

The adversaries looked for a long time, thought for a long time: “Mighty must be that country, in which they are afraid of the Bogatyr just because he sleeps in a hollow!”

However, they began to gradually scatter the mind-reason; they began to remember how many times cruel misfortunes were sent to this country, and not once did the Bogatyr come to the rescue of the little people. In such and such a year, the little people themselves quarreled among themselves with bestial custom and killed a lot of people in vain. The old people grieved bitterly at that time, bitterly crying out: "Come, Bogatyr, judge our timelessness!" And he, instead, slept in a hollow. In such and such a year, all the fields were burned out by the sun and knocked out by hail: they thought the Bogatyr would come, feed the worldly people, but he, instead, sat in a hollow. In such and such a year, both cities and villages were burned by fire, the little people had no shelter, no clothes, no hedgehog; they thought: "Here the Bogatyr will come and correct worldly needs" - and here he overslept in a hollow.

In a word, for a whole thousand years this country has been ill with all the pains, and not once did the Bogatyr either move his ear or move his eye to find out why the earth was groaning all around.

What kind of Bogatyr is this?

This country was long-suffering and long-suffering and had a great and unrelenting faith. Cried - and believed; sighed and believed. She believed that when the source of tears and sighs dries up, the Bogatyr will seize the moment and save her. And now the minute has come, but not the one that the townsfolk were waiting for. The adversaries rose and surrounded the country in which the Bogatyr slept in a hollow. And everyone went straight to Bogatyr. At first, one cautiously stepped up to the hollow - it stinks; another came up - it also stinks. "But the Bogatyr is rotten!" - said the adversaries and rushed to the country.

The adversaries were cruel and inexorable. They burned and chopped everything that came their way, taking revenge for that ridiculous age-old fear that the Bogatyr inspired in them. People rushed about, seeing the dashing timelessness, rushed towards the adversary - they look, there is nothing to go with. And then they remembered the Bogatyr, and with one voice they cried out: "Hurry, Bogatyr, hurry!"

Then a miracle happened: the Bogatyr did not move. Like a thousand years ago, his head stared motionless with blind eyes at the sun, but no longer emitted those mighty snores that had once trembled mother green oak.

At that time, the fool Ivanushka came up to the Bogatyr, broke the hollow with his fist - he looks, but the Viper’s torso was eaten away from the Bogatyr right up to the very neck.

Sleep, hero, sleep!

The creative path of A. E. Van Vogt ( full name- Alfred Elton Van Vogt / Alfred Elton Van Vogt) evolved far from simple. Born in 1912 in Canada in a family of naturalized Dutch (he finally settled in the USA only in 1944), A. E. Van Vogt tried many professions in his youth, until he decided to connect his life with literature at the age of twenty. But to artistic science fiction He went on for another seven long years, honing his pen with a literary chore in the form of love stories, commercial articles and scripts for radio. But even then he was an ardent reader of specialized "science fiction" magazines that were beginning to come into fashion.

The milestone year for him is 1939. Firstly, he starts a family (moreover, his wife, Edna M. Hall (1905 - 1975), is also a science fiction writer, in collaboration with whom some of his early works were written). Secondly, A. E. Van Vogt makes his debut in the most prestigious science fiction magazine - "Astounding" - with the story "Black Destroyer" (variant titles "Black Predator", "Black Assassin") (to be fair, we note that he was the first to write The Crypt of the Beast, which the editor, however, wrapped up for revision).

Success came immediately, but was fixed - and already forever - after the publication of the novel "Slan". Even this term itself, as a synonym for talent driven by the ordinary, was then fixed in spoken language, just as it happened with the word "robot", introduced at one time into circulation by K. Chapek. A.E. Van Vogt, together with R. Heinlein, T. Sturgeon, K. Simak, E. F. Russell, A. Asimov, Lee Brackett, A. Bester and other masters of the highest class, laid the foundations for that glorious period of American science fiction, which is rightfully called "golden age". It was in the 40s that the peak of his work fell - 17 novels. In 1947, according to a reader poll, he was recognized as the "most popular" science fiction writer in the United States.

"Religious in the very deep sense this word (according to famous critic S. Moskovets), A.E. Van Vogt has been looking for a positive beginning in Man all his life, starting with himself. The leitmotif of all his works: a person is able to achieve everything if he really makes an effort. This inescapable longing for the ideal and faith constantly pushes him to search for new doctrines and teachings for him, including in the field of pseudosciences and exotic knowledge. Ultimately, this turned out to be a creative breakdown for A. E. Van Vogt: having been carried away by Ron Hubbard's "Dianetics", he practically abandoned writing, limiting himself to rewriting old stories. It is noteworthy that this is generally one of the features of his work: for example, from his first published story "The Black Destroyer" he subsequently built one of his best novels - "The Journey of the Space Beagle" (option - "The Journey of the Space Hound") (1950 ), from the story "Lost: Fifty Suns" (1952) turned out "Mission to the Stars", and "The Barbarian" (1947) was reworked into the dilogy "Empire of the Atom" ("Atomic Gods") and "Sorcerer Lynn" ("Lynn's Wizard "). What's more, some of the novels came out under different titles!

New explosion creative activity came in the early 60s. From 1970 to 1973 for example, he publishes six novels at once. In total, A. E. Van Vogt wrote about fifty works.

It is difficult to find a topic that this classic of American science fiction would not touch on in one way or another in his work: other forms of life, labyrinths of time, dizzying adventures in interstellar distances, "superman" and "superknowledge", fast paced life Intergalactic Empire, God as the hero of the story, the most interesting interpretation of many problems of the universe, the evolution of society, certain specific sciences or systems of knowledge of the world. As an artist, he is very good at technology. writing skills, large and small, always focused on the action, and not on the description of the environment or emotional experiences actors. But for a specific, logical mindset, his phrases are sometimes not specific enough, understatement is felt, and the possibility of a non-one-dimensional understanding of the expressed thoughts is created. His personal literary taste - fairy tales and the work of Thomas Wolfe.

This is how he appears before us, this unique, always a little mysterious, but attractive A. E. Van Vogt. And apparently, one of the anthologies of the 70s is right: “Van Vogt remains the smartest and most compact American writer. Through the undeniable scientific culture he managed to express not only bold, but also purely personal ideas.

Van Vogt is difficult to translate into Russian, firstly, because the tradition of his translation has not yet developed (as in the case of Asimov, Sheckley, Clark), and, secondly, due to specific feature his prose. Quite often, he writes in the dynamic style of a newspaper report, in short, chopped phrases, omitting descriptions. environment characterization of the characters, without going into any explanations about the social and technical specifics of the environment in which the characters live. His characters act - and their actions over time will give the reader all the necessary information, explain incomprehensible terms and situations, reveal mysteries ... but, perhaps, not completely. Something Van Vogt seems to be saving for himself, remembering that a story can develop into a novel, and a novel may require continuation.

Due to the above features, the translator working with Van Vogt's text is tempted to "finish" it, fill in the gaps with his own explanations and state the thing in Russian "smoothly". But it won't be Van Vogt anymore; such a loose retelling will inevitably seem sluggish compared to original text. Unfortunately, such an attempt to transcribe Van Vogt's text into Russian in his own words has already been made - meaning the story "Ultimatum" ("Lost: Fifty Suns"), published in 1990 in a collection with the same name. And as already mentioned, the translation turned out to be rather sluggish and drawn out. There are no such additions in the translation of M. Nachmanson in the collection “When Time Has Gone Crazy”, published by the publishing house “Polytechnic” in 1992.

What titles were not assigned to him by captious criticism and no less picky readers: “Balzac fantasy literature»; inventor of many phantasmagoric space monsters, a kind of "monster"; “master of paradox”, “playfully manipulating Space and Time”, studying “the behavior of Matter, as if it were a human being”, etc.

And at the same time, A. E. Van Vogt is a science fiction writer, around whose work there are endless disputes. For its opponents, it is "rationalized madness." For supporters - a "sample" of the genre. He gets it for "far from best style"(And the latter, as J. Buffon argued, is" this is the man himself "), for the" substitution of scientific concepts "by an outrageous game of a bizarre mind, often leading him into" incomprehensibility "and" contradictions ". So, the publication in 1945 of his novel “ World Null-A"caused such a stream of perplexed questions from readers who demanded clarification," what is this novel all about?

These assertions are not without foundation. He is undoubtedly a complex writer, both in content and form.

But maybe that's why he is loved by his numerous admirers, who proudly call themselves "Vogists"? Is it not this looseness of mind, the pulsation of desperately bold, "crazy" (in the understanding of Niels Bohr) ideas that give charm to his works? And he explains the thematic confusion himself, and in a rather peculiar way: “When I start work, my initial ideas are sometimes so vague that it seems simply unbelievable that such a frail initial phantom ultimately turns out to be a finished work ... I have developed a habit to include in the story that I'm working on, all the roaming in my head in this moment thoughts. It often happened that they seemed out of place, but, on reflection, I always found the angle under which they could be used ... "because "the human brain resists the negative process of putting fresh thoughts in reserve."

A. E. Van Vogt: “You are entering into fairyland countless miracles. To the right is a vast and deep ocean of fiction, the mirror of which is dotted with numerous islands of bizarre pleasures. On the left - a jungle of so ingeniously woven conspiracy and intrigue, what last years no one has really been able to get through them. It is hardly worth it to make your own way through this thicket or, having raised the sails, without an experienced pilot, set sail through the treacherous waters. brave people well paid to get them gems hidden in the deserts. Be patient. The treasures you find will certainly appear on the book market, sparkling with an attractive cover, and will cost you much less than organizing a trip for them yourself.
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