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    • The Patriarchal Literary Prize is the center of attraction for great literature.

    17.02.2019

    May 24, 2018 in the Hall of Church Councils of the Cathedral Cathedral Church of Christ the Savior in Moscow His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' the eighth ceremony of electing and awarding laureates of the Patriarchal Saints Literary Prize Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius. After the presentation of the nominees, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church addressed the audience with a word.

    Your Eminences and Eminences! Dear members of the Board of Trustees of the Patriarchal Literary Prize named after Saints Cyril and Methodius Equal-to-the-Apostles! Dear participants and guests of our ceremony!

    I cordially greet you all. Today we have gathered for the eighth time to elect and award the laureates of the Patriarchal Literary Prize.

    This year, our ceremony takes place directly on the day of memory of the patron saints of the award. And this is very symbolic. Slavic alphabet celebrates this year significant date. 1155 years have passed since the famous Moravian mission of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius, who, together with their disciples, compiled the first translation of the Gospel into Slavonic. Thanks to the ascetic labors of the Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers and their followers, the Slavic peoples received the most important thing: the opportunity to read and hear the word of God in mother tongue. The precious treasures of Christian spiritual culture became available to them.

    Yes, scientists will tell us that the language of the translations was largely artificial and was an attempt to combine various Slavic dialects, creating a universal script based on them. However, the fact that this experience, these ingenious creative efforts had a huge impact on the entire subsequent development of the Slavic languages, is beyond doubt. And this experience of creating, in a sense, an artificial language pursued one specific goal: that all Slavic tribes could use the same alphabet, the same grammar, the same language.

    Of course, the Russian literary language still had a long way to go. But what would Russian literature be like if it were not fed from the life-giving source of the Church Slavonic language? What would be the path of the entire Russian culture if it were not based on the gospel values ​​and ideals instilled in it by the labors of the holy Thessalonica brothers?

    I am convinced that if such literature and culture had existed at all, if it had not been dissolved in the ocean of history, it would not have occupied such an outstanding and glorious place in world culture as Russian literature now deservedly occupies.

    When I say "Russian literature", I mean, of course, first of all the work of our great classics: Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov and other masters artistic word. But not only that.

    Let's not forget that the literary language, as the well-known Russian linguist Nikolai Sergeevich Trubetskoy wrote, "is an instrument of spiritual culture and is intended to develop and deepen not only fine literature in the proper sense of the word, but also scientific, philosophical and religious thought". Do we realize today, reading works of art, scientific works and journalism, that all these are branches of a wonderful tree that has grown from a seed sown many centuries ago by Saints Cyril and Methodius Equal-to-the-Apostles?

    The possibilities of language are revealed to a person and the possibilities for comprehending this world. For wisdom is known in the word(Sir. 4:28), as he tells us Holy Bible. The Russian language has amazing beauty and richness. expressive means, allowing to accurately, deeply and in the finest shades convey any human thought. No wonder Lomonosov, comparing Russian with other European languages, admired his splendor, liveliness and brevity, strong in images .

    Beautiful and competent speech produces not only a strong aesthetic effect, but also carries a powerful intellectual charge, sets a high cultural standard for the audience. And therefore the educational role of literature begins precisely with the language. Reading the classics, we admire not only the ideas and deep meanings inherent in the work, but also wonderful style, juiciness of language and beauty of images. All this together makes an impression on the reader.

    However, what do we observe today when we open the works of some contemporary authors? An abundance of jargon and vulgarisms, colloquial expressions, rough foreign borrowings and constructions and intonations not characteristic of the Russian language. And in oral speech, we hear phonetic intonations that are not characteristic of the Russian language, which, for unknown reasons, are used today by our youth even when communicating with each other. If you listen closely, these are not Russian, but English intonations. This, I think, should also be paid attention to, because it destroys the integrity of Russian speech.

    To speak in an understandable language means to penetrate into the essence of the life problems and spiritual quests of contemporaries. And real literature, seeing through these depths, is called upon to answer people's questions on the basis of the word of God, from the standpoint of the Gospel and the Christian attitude to reality.

    The Importance of Literature in national history has always been great. It would not be an exaggeration to say that all Russian culture is essentially literary-centric. For centuries, the writer and poet was perceived by our people not only as a master of words, but also in many ways as the conscience of the nation. It is no coincidence that in the Soviet years, when the Church was significantly limited in its pastoral possibilities, it was literature that conveyed eternal moral values ​​to people and raised important spiritual questions for contemporaries.

    Today, talk about the crisis of literature, the crisis of culture, including the culture of reading, has already become commonplace. One can think a lot about this and complain about the fact that people for the most part began to read less, that more and more often they choose to read not a serious classic, but an entertaining book. At the same time, it is no longer possible to turn a blind eye to the fact that the crisis has become a new reality, the features of which cannot be ignored.

    Modern people live at high speeds. They are crushed by the flow of information that falls on them from everywhere: from TV screens, from radios and the Internet. We cannot protect ourselves and others from this constant information impact. But we can help people by teaching them to distinguish noise from signals, fake and fake from the real and really valuable.

    Obviously, the reader's consciousness has changed significantly over recent decades. For unhurried and thoughtful reading, our compatriots sometimes have neither the time nor the opportunity. The modern reader, if we use the images of the famous novel by Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov, is more and more like a businesslike and impatient Stolz, passionate about the search for entertaining and interesting things, rather than like a complacent and unhurried Oblomov, ready to think for hours and think something over.

    I'll say now, maybe a few unexpected thing. The so-called "entertainment literature", which everyone used to scold, can also be useful. If you take it as a form of education. In our memory, there are already several successful examples of how works on Orthodox themes, written in the entertainment genre, became in demand by readers. They were read in the subway, these books were given to friends and acquaintances. Through these works, albeit in an entertaining form, contemporaries got acquainted with the Orthodox faith, with the life of the Church, learned about Christ and the Gospel.

    Of course, reading the same Dostoevsky, Leskov or Clive Lewis requires a certain cultural and intellectual preparation from a person. Is it possible to expect that people who do not have such training will be able to appreciate their works? Our compatriots, who have survived 70 years of an atheistic regime, sometimes lack elementary knowledge about God, about the spiritual and moral foundations of life, set forth in simple and accessible language. And those who it is necessary to teach the first principles of the word of God, milk is needed, not solid food(Heb. 5:12), the apostle Paul testifies.

    The task of a true writer is not only to evoke emotional reaction the reader at the level of "like - dislike". Modern literature, unfortunately, often does not go beyond such an emotional impact on a person. But still, it’s not the stylistic and plot “special effects” that make the work truly worthy. It is important to touch the secret in the soul of a person, to find a response in the heart, to awaken a thought.

    The emotional approach in evaluating the phenomena of reality is characteristic for the most part of the consumer society. But literature is not a product or service that you can “like” on a site and erase from your memory after some time. Literature is, first of all, the lessons of experience. Even if what you write about concerns historical events centuries ago. By passing the story through personal life, spiritual and intellectual experience, you tell the reader something very important. This message is not from the series "this also happens in life." This message is an invitation to think.

    For the eighth year now, we have been gathering in this hall to present the Patriarchal Literary Prize to authors who have not forgotten the lofty vocation of literature, the enormous moral responsibility of a writer.

    It is wonderful that thanks to the writers included in the list of nominees of this year and past years, our contemporaries have the opportunity to read for real good works corresponding to high ethical and aesthetic ideals.

    There are no easy times, as you know, and our literature will face new tasks, new problems will appear, about which we simply know nothing today. These challenges will come into the life of society, into the life of every person. And each time, writers will have to make a moral choice: whether to resist evil and darkness with the power of their word, whether to create for the sake of affirming eternal moral values, and not momentary glory and wealth? I hope that all of our nominees and laureates follow the right path.

    Remembering with gratitude the feat of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius, let us reverently preserve and increase the spiritual and cultural heritage left by them, use the opportunities and talents bestowed upon us for the sake of witness about the One Who is the True Way and Life(John 14:6).

    I would like to wish all of you God's help and further creative success. May the blessing of the Lord be upon you all.

    I sincerely thank you for your attention and propose to proceed with the solemn ceremony of election and awarding of laureates.

    Trubetskoy N.S. Common Slavic element in Russian culture // Trubetskoy N.S. To the problem of Russian self-knowledge. Paris, 1927.

    Lomonosov M.V. Dedication to "Russian Grammar" (1755).

    Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'

    On May 11, 2017, in the Hall of Church Councils of the Cathedral Church of Christ the Savior in Moscow, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' led the seventh ceremony of electing and awarding laureates of the Patriarchal Literary Prize named after Saints Cyril and Methodius Equal to the Apostles.

    The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church: the manager of the affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate; chairman of the Russian Orthodox Church; the first vicar of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' for the city of Moscow; ; viceroy; Chairman of the Publishing Council; ; Deputy Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate; Chief Editor ; deputy manager of affairs of the Moscow Patriarchate; employees Publishing Council, Publishers of the Moscow Patriarchy and other synodal institutions, clergy and monastics.

    The event was also attended by members of the Chamber of Trustees of the Patriarchal Literary Prize, Russian literary critics, journalists, representatives of state and public organizations, and cultural figures.

    Acceptance of applications for the competition of the Patriarchal Literary Prize on September 14, 2016. During the seventh premium season, 50 applications were received from various regions of Russia, as well as from Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Latvia. March 28 this year at a meeting of the Chamber of Trustees of the Patriarchal Literary Prize short list 2017 nominees, which included:

    • Irina Anatolyevna Bogdanova;
    • Dmitry Mikhailovich Volodikhin;
    • Vasily Vladimirovich Dvortsov;
    • Victor Ivanovich Likhonosov;
    • Boris Fedorovich Sporov;
    • Alexander Borisovich Tkachenko;
    • Archpriest Yaroslav Shipov.
    • Bishop Pavel of Molodechno and Stolbtsovsky, Chairman of the Publishing Council of the Belarusian Exarchate;
    • Yu.M. Loshchits, writer, publicist and literary critic, laureate of the Patriarchal Literary Prize;
    • K.P. Kovalev-Sluchevsky, professor at the Institute of Journalism and Literary Creativity, writer.

    Then the elections of the laureates of the Patriarchal Literary Prize took place: the members of the House of Trustees filled out the voting ballots. The ballots were handed over to the Counting Commission. The members of the Counting Commission counted the votes, filled out the protocol and handed it over to His Holiness the Patriarch.

    His Holiness the Patriarch presented the laureates with a diploma and badges of the Patriarchal Literary Prize.

    All the nominees of the 2017 award were also invited to the stage - I.A. Bogdanova, D.M. Volodikhin, V.V. Palaces, A.B. Tkachenko, to whom the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church presented honorary diplomas.

    IN musical accompaniment The ceremony was attended by the choir of the orphanage "Otrada" at the Nikolsky Chernoostrovsky Monastery in the city of Maloyaroslavets, Kaluga Region.

    The evening ended with a concert.

    Patriarchal literary prize established by the Holy Synod on December 25, 2009 () with the aim of encouraging writers who have made a significant contribution to the affirmation of spiritual and moral values ​​​​in the life of a modern person, family and society, who have created highly artistic works that have enriched Russian literature. This award has no analogues in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church and other Local Orthodox Churches.

    The first laureate of the Patriarchal Literary Prize in 2011 was the writer Vladimir Krupin. In the second premium season (2012), the winners are Olesya Nikolaeva and Viktor Nikolaev. In 2013, Alexey Varlamov, Yuri Loshchits and Stanislav Kunyaev were awarded. In the fourth premium season (2014), the laureates

    On March 28, 2017, in the Red Hall of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, a short list of candidates for the 2017 Patriarchal Literary Prize named after Saints Cyril and Methodius was approved. Today we briefly talk about each nominee.

    Prose of Priest Yaroslav Shipov

    Archpriest Yaroslav Shipov is a nominee for the 2017 Patriarchal Literary Prize.

    Yaroslav Alekseevich Shipov was born in 1947 to a family of journalists who went through the Great Patriotic War. He spent his childhood and youth in Moscow, where in 1974 he graduated from the creative seminar of S. Zalygin at the Literary Institute. A.M. Gorky. The lessons of the recognized master of prose, classes in the seminar together with I. Evseenko, G. Bazhenov, S. Rybas and other future famous writers helped Shipov find his own unique style of narration, which he honed over all subsequent years.

    In 1976, his first story, Journey to the Front Line, was published in the Rural Youth magazine. In 1981, the publishing house Molodaya Gvardiya, which actively printed young authors, published Shipov's first book with the same name (according to the first published story) title. For her, the young writer was awarded the honorary prize named after A.M. Gorky, awarded by the Central Committee of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League and the Writers' Union of the USSR.

    In 1983 he was admitted to the Writers' Union of the USSR. During these years, Shipov worked at the Sovremennik publishing house in the editorial office of modern Russian prose. His books “It was the third day” (1984), “Western outskirts” (1986), “County miracle worker” (1990) indicate that an interesting writer came to Russian literature, actively working in the genre of the story, faithful to realistic traditions, non-vainly and seriously peering into the modern day, solving spiritual and moral conflicts and collisions in an artistic form. Shipov heartfeltly, with lyrical enthusiasm, talks about the Russian province, about the difficult fate of his heroes, skillfully describes his native nature. The writer is actively published in the magazines "Our Contemporary", "Moscow", "Rise", "Russian House", "Literary Study", in the newspapers "Literaturnaya Gazeta" and " Literary Russia”, in book almanacs and collective collections.

    From his youth he was fond of fishing and hunting. For the convenience of hunting, I bought in the village of the Vologda region an old house. He came to faith in the late 1980s, and was baptized in 1987. Later, with the blessing of his spiritual father, he helped the villagers return a dilapidated church to the Russian Orthodox Church.

    In 1991, he became the rector of the transferred church - and then he was engaged in the restoration of three more parishes. At that time, he only wrote articles for the local newspaper about church holidays, saints, and Orthodox traditions.

    In 1995 he returned to Moscow for health reasons. In 2000, he published a collection of short stories “No Right to Refuse” - about the life of an Orthodox priest in the Russian outback. Then the collections appeared: “Length of Days” (2002), “Paradise Farms” (2007), “Forest Desert” (2009), “First Prayer” (2010), “Paradise Farms and Other Stories” (2012), Skysick (2013), Spring Dream (2016)

    Father Yaroslav considers his literary work as a continuation of the priestly sermon. His stories are written in a professional, entertaining, beautiful Russian language, with warm humor. Their heroes are our contemporaries, who are looking for the meaning of life, are affirmed in faith, and lead others to it.

    Missionary novels by Alexander Tkachenko

    Alexander Tkachenko is a nominee for the 2017 Patriarchal Literary Prize.

    Born in 1967 in the city of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky, Kyiv region. In 1992 he graduated from the Kaluga College of Culture. From 2009 to 2014 - editor of the section "Faith" in the journal "Foma", in which for more than ten years he has been publishing his apologetic works in almost every issue. Their peculiarity is that they are written in excellent Russian literary language, thanks to which they are very well perceived even by unchurched readers.

    Author of more than 300 publications in various media, including a series of articles on Russian literature and its connection with the Orthodox tradition. In 2010, he became a laureate of the IV Festival of Orthodox Media "Faith and Word".


    In 2014 he graduated from the Moscow Institute of Psychology and Pedagogy. At the moment he works as a literary editor in the publishing house of children's literature "Nastya and Nikita". Father of four children.

    Among the author's most significant books are: "Butterfly in the Palm", "Tears Flying to Heaven", "Corrector of Evil", "Saving the Hopeless", "What to ask God for". These books are not strictly fiction, but rather apologetic and missionary novels. Nevertheless, the success of the books with readers is due, not least, to the unique literary style of the author, which made the story of Christian doctrine accessible and interesting even for people far from the Church.

    Also, the author has been writing books for children for many years. Apart from own works, he, almost from the day of his foundation, has been the literary editor of the series of children's literature "Nastya and Nikita", in which about two hundred original books written by various authors have already been published. Books in this series are known to parents, teachers and librarians in various parts of our country, since the series was for several years an appendix to the Orthodox magazine "Foma" and was distributed by subscription.

    The success of "Nastya and Nikita" with readers was possible, among other things, thanks to the many years of work of its literary editor. In addition to the usual editorial work with texts, the proposed nominee for the award made available to children the unique stories of Fr. Fyodor Konyukhov, turning them into four exciting children's books.

    Separately, I would like to note the work of the nominee at the Nikea publishing house on the children's series Lives of the Saints Arranged for Children. Alexander Tkachenko wrote for her more than half of all published books, and, in fact, is the creator of the literary style of this series, which tells children about the life of the saint. The Christian feat of the saints of our Church is revealed in a form understandable to the child, with elements artistic narrative. Each of the books is written in such a way that the example of the saints helps children to form in themselves the important spiritual qualities necessary for a Christian. For five years of its existence, the series has been a constant success with readers.

    About the books of prose writer Boris Sporov

    Boris Sporov is a nominee for the 2017 Patriarchal Literary Prize.

    Born October 8, 1934 in the city of Aktobe, with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War I went to school, finished 4th grade and then immediately started working at a defense plant. In 1945, after his father returned from the front, he moved to central Russia, to his homeland, to Nizhny Novgorod (then Gorky), then to the village of Lyskovo. From 1948-1957 worked at the construction of the Gorkovskaya hydroelectric power station as a carpenter, electric welder, fitter, assembler.


    In 1957, he was arrested and sentenced to four years under the political article "propaganda and agitation against the Soviet regime", for speaking at a Komsomol conference with a proposal to dissolve the Komsomol as a political and unnecessary organization. In the camp where he was serving his sentence, he completed the course high school by receiving a certificate. After his release, he successfully graduated from the Literary Institute. A.M. Gorky.

    After graduating from the institute, he worked as a teacher of labor in a boarding school. A year later, he worked as a teacher of Russian language and literature in a village school. After the closing of the school, he switched to educational work in a boarding school in the city of Vladimir. He was soon rehabilitated.

    He worked as a journalist in newspapers, Moscow magazines "Our Contemporary", "Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate", publishing houses "Sovremennik", " Father's house". He published his first book in 1984. In 1987 he was admitted to the Writers' Union of the USSR.

    He is a laureate of a number of awards: the Orthodox Literary Prize named after the Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky for the book "Heirs" in 2006; Prize of the Union of Writers of Russia. E. Volodin "Imperial Culture" for the book "Cuckoo's Tears" in 2007; medal to them. A.P. Chekhov from the Writers' Union of Russia. Diploma winner of the competition "Enlightenment through the book" held by the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church for the book "The Siege", 2009.

    He is the author of the following works: "The Warrior of Christ: Saint Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky)" (Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate), "Father and Father" (Publishing House of the Moscow Patriarchate), "Exit", "Seven Kasyanov", "Antonov Fire", "After the War ”,“ Heirs ”,“ On the way to faith ”,“ Fedor ”. Published many articles about Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov and authors Soviet period. Published in the magazines: "Moscow", "Roman-magazine 21st century", "Native Ladoga".

    Boris Sporov masterfully intertwines social and spiritual problems in his works: the characters think about death, eternity, strive to unravel the mystery of being, to understand what family happiness is, what is more important, career, success or children, loved ones. Answers are born the most different. Some heroes never overcome their selfishness, cruel attitude to relatives; demonstrate the inability of the "littered" mind to understand the main thing, the inability to perform a good, worthy deed. Others strive and know how to truly live: to love, to learn, to share knowledge, to wait, to lose, but to regain hope and be true to themselves. The complex collisions that arise in the fate of the heroes and characters of the book help to look closely at the circumstances of the spiritual life of the recent past and present, as well as to suggest ways of its development in the future. The writer's works are distinguished by their action-packed nature, depth of penetration into the theme, and pictorial language.

    Talented storyteller Viktor Likhonosov

    Viktor Likhonosov is a nominee for the 2017 Patriarchal Literary Prize.

    Viktor Ivanovich Likhonosov was born on April 30, 1936 at the Topki station (now the Kemerovo region). Baby and youth spent in Novosibirsk. In 1943, his father died at the front, and the seven-year-old boy experienced all the hardships of fatherlessness. A native of Siberia, fate throws him south, to the Kuban, where from 1956 to 1961 the future author studied at the Faculty of History and Philology of the Krasnodar Pedagogical Institute. According to Viktor Ivanovich, his favorite pastime in student years was reading, "in the evenings I sat in the tiny reading room of the hostel." It has also become one of the favorite places for reading for the future writer. reading room regional library. A. S. Pushkin. He enthusiastically reads works of Russian and foreign classical literature, literary magazines "New World", "Our Contemporary", "Moscow", "Questions of Literature" and others, "Literary Newspaper.

    Immediately after graduation, he worked as a teacher in special boarding schools in Krasnodar Territory: Art. Varenikovskaya Crimean region and the village. Vinogradny, Anapa region. From that time began his "first literary trials."

    His first story "Bryansk", sent to the "New World" by A. T. Tvardovsky, was published in 1963 in the eleventh issue of this magazine, immediately making the young writer famous throughout the country. In 2003, the story "Bryansk" was included in the collection "Masterpieces of Russian literature of the twentieth century."


    The entry into great literature of Viktor Likhonosov was swift. One after another in Moscow, Novosibirsk, Krasnodar, his books of novels, stories, essays are published: “Evenings”, “Something will happen”, “Voices in silence”, “Happy moments”, “Autumn in Taman”, “Clean eyes” , "Relatives", "Elegy". In 1966 he was admitted to the Writers' Union of the USSR.

    Very early they started talking about Viktor Likhonosov notable critics, who noted his ability to skillfully merge word and music, sadness and delight, pride and sorrow, burning modernity and irrelevant historical material. Yu. Seleznev, O. Mikhailov, V. Chalmaev, A. Nuikin, O. Kuchkina, N. Mashovets gave the highest rating to his work. Tvardovsky wrote that "Likhonosov's prose shines like Bunin's."

    Since 1978, Likhonosov has been silent for ten whole years, working on his main novel about the fate of the Russian Cossacks, Unwritten Memoirs. Our little Paris" (1986). This lyric-epic canvas, connecting the present with the past, has become literary monument Ekaterinodar.

    Likhonosov's literary work has state awards: the Order of the Badge of Honor (1984) and the Order of Friendship (1996). In 2006, the writer was awarded one of the highest awards of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Order Reverend Sergius Radonezh 3rd degree.

    Viktor Ivanovich is an honorary citizen of the city of Krasnodar, has the title of "Hero of Labor of the Kuban", laureate of the regional literary awards. Ya. G. Kukharenko (1993) and them. K. V. Rossinsky (1996). His name in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979) and the Great Encyclopedic Dictionary of Russia (2003) and numerous literary encyclopedias. The works of V. I. Likhonosov have been translated into European languages: English, French, German, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Bulgarian and others.

    Vasily Dvortsov - prose writer, poet, publicist

    Vasily Dvortsov is a nominee for the 2017 Patriarchal Literary Prize.

    Born on February 15, 1960 in the city of Tomsk. Since 1983 he has been working as an artist-restorer. In addition to team work on the restoration of churches, he personally painted two churches in Siberia. Painted and restored several hundred icons throughout Russia. He entered professional literature at the age of forty. Today Dvortsov is the author of epic prose and poetry who had a significant impact on the national literary process.


    The work of the prose writer, poet and publicist Vasily Dvortsov is an example of the arrival and establishment of new Russian literature - church-bound literature. Responding to all the challenges of the time, responding to all the pains and joys of his people and Fatherland, not shying away from the most acute topics and complex tasks, Vasily Dvortsov expands the Orthodox cultural space investing the talent given to him from above in the cause of enlightenment, in preaching Christian ideals means of beauty and power of the Russian word. The heroes of Dvortsov's works are always effectively moral, and through their purposeful truth-seeking, without unnecessary didactics and without leaving the genre framework of secular literature, the author leads the reader to the highest motivations, to an understanding of the priceless gift of God - human life.

    In addition to his personal writing, Vasily Dvortsov devotes a lot of his spiritual energy to working with young prose writers and poets: he is the president of the All-Russian festival-competition "Poetry of the Russian Word" (Anapa), the organizer and leader of the All-Russian Nekrasov seminars for novice writers (N. Novgorod), the organizer and chairman of the jury of the All-Russian festival-competition "Crystal Spring" (Orel), chairman of the jury of the international festival of Slavic poetry "Shores of Friendship" (Taganrog), head of Krasnodar and other regional seminars, festivals and competitions for young writers. He constantly speaks on the problems of preserving traditions and developing the Russian language, literature and Russian culture.

    He is the author of works (main): "Az Buki knew ..." - a novel-judgment about the political passions of the early 90s; the novel "Knee of Cain" - research contemporary theater and fatality of soulless hypocrisy; the novel-encyclopedia "Terra Obdoria" - a book from a tetralogy about the fate of the last Soviet generation, which fell to the lot of changes and fractures in the political and social system; the story “Life and joy reigned all around” a reflection on the spiritual searches of modern youth, on the eternal complexity of the relationship between fathers and children; “Then, when it happens” - a story about recent events in Chechnya, about a military feat of self-sacrifice; romantic story"Angel Angelina" - about church restoration in the USSR. "Endless Patericon" ("Manefa") - stories about the uniqueness of the ways of gaining faith and becoming a monk by the author's acquaintances and friends. The collection "Sunday Theater Plays" is an example of the possibility of modern moral dramaturgy. The poem "Right World" glorifies the feat of the writer's grandfather, Kuban Cossack, a cavalry officer who went through the entire Patriotic War.

    The works of Vasily Dvortsov have been awarded with many all-Russian and international literary prizes, including those of the Holy Right-Believing Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky. His novels and stories were repeatedly reprinted, his poems were included in the anthologies Russian Poetry. XXI century” and “Prayers of Russian poets. XX-XXI". Based on the poem "Ermak", an opera of the same name was written.

    Historian and writer Dmitry Volodikhin

    Dmitry Volodikhin is a nominee for the 2017 Patriarchal Literary Prize.

    Born in the family of an officer of the border troops of the USSR and a teacher in Moscow. In 1986 he graduated from school number 39 in Moscow. In 1987-1989 he served as a private in the Air Defense Forces of the Group Soviet troops in Germany.

    In 1986-1993 he was a student at the Faculty of History of the Moscow state university named after M.V. Lomonosov and, later, a graduate student of Moscow State University.

    Specializes in the history of medieval Rus', archival science, paleography. Since 1991 he has been working at the Department of Source Studies and Historiography of Moscow State University. Since 1994, he has been a member of the editorial and publishing board of the Institute of Special historical disciplines Russian Academy natural sciences. Since 1995 - candidate of historical sciences. He defended his dissertation based on materials from the archive of the Moscow Patriarchal House. Since 2011 - Doctor of Historical Sciences. He defended his dissertation "The social composition of the high command of the armed forces of Russia in the 1530-1570s." In 2014 he was approved as a professor.


    Lives in Moscow. Has been married since 2000. In 2001 he received the Holy Sacrament of Baptism. He defines his socio-political views as statist and imperial. According to Dmitry Volodikhin, "Patriotism is the main refuge of decent people." He is one of the modern theorists of the civilizational approach in Russian historical science.

    In 1995-2001 taught a number of training courses at the University of the Russian Academy of Education. In 1995, he received the 1st prize at the Competition for Young Scientists of Moscow State University for the book "The Struggle for Polotsk between Lithuania and Russia in the 12th-16th centuries", written jointly with D.N. Alexandrov.

    In 1993-2007 - editor, deputy editor-in-chief, executive director of the Avanta + publishing house. Head of the Anthology of World Children's Literature and Anthology of World Fiction projects. He worked as an editor in the publishing house "Planeta". In 2007-2008 - Editor of the culture department in the socio-political publication "Political Journal". From 1997 to 2009 he headed his own publishing house "Manufactura". Founder and editor-in-chief (1997-2001) of the magazine "Russian Middle Ages". From 2008 to 2012 - Deputy editor-in-chief in the historical and cultural journal "Own" Nikita Mikhalkov.

    In 2013, he was awarded the Russian Academic Prize named after Metropolitan Makariy (Bulgakov) of Moscow and Kolomna for his monograph Pozharsky.

    D.M. Volodikhin created scientific and artistic "portraits" of St. Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow, St. Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow, the holy noble princes Peter and Fevronia of Murom, the leaders of the zemstvo liberation movement of 1612, Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky and Prince Dmitry Timofeevich Trubetskoy, Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich, the commander of the prince Ivan Petrovich Shuisky and other major personalities of Moscow Russia.

    From a literary point of view, these essays are written with high quality, and from the point of view of morality they give our contemporaries a good example of serving God and the fatherland. In all these essays, the position of the author is clearly expressed. Orthodox person and patriot. Through the images of the great historical figures who lived according to the Gospel Commandments, the author seeks to strengthen the Christian ethical ideal in the minds of our contemporaries.

    About the work of Irina Bogdanova

    Irina Bogdanova is a nominee for the 2017 Patriarchal Literary Prize.

    She was born on October 5, 1957 in the family of an officer of the Soviet Army and a teacher of Russian language and literature - the granddaughter of the New Martyr. After school, she graduated from the Leningrad Higher Pedagogical School No. 4 (full-time department, 1976) and worked as a teacher in a kindergarten. It was the work of a teacher that pushed Irina Anatolyevna to literary activity. Not finding a single book that would tell children about Russian folk art in an accessible way, she decided to write it herself. To date, the writer has already created several wonderful books that help children get acquainted with native Russian culture.

    Then, for family reasons, she went to work at GUPTEK as a gas boiler operator, but then returned to the kindergarten, from where she retired.


    Books by Irina Bogdanova are popular: both children and adults read them willingly. Reflecting on life, the author talks about love and kindness, courage and nobility. Some of the author's works have been published more than once: young readers love magical adventures. There are many such adventures on the pages of books, including “The Big Russian Tale of How Olya and Kolya Saved the Thirtieth Kingdom”, “The Tale of the Zernovushka Doll and Magic Toys”, “The Tale of Merry Miracles and Their Little Mistress”, “Stories from Kotofeysk". To this day, she continues to compose her amazingly kind and magical works for young readers. However, in her creative arsenal there are not only fairy tales, but also journalism and novels: “Life at a glance”, “Three Annas”, “A dream that lasts a summer” and others. Two of them, "Measure of Existence" and "A House Where They Wait for You", were awarded at the competition "Enlightenment through a book". One of the author's books - "Fabulous ABC" - was included in the federal target program "Culture of Russia".

    In the Moscow studio of our TV channel, Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk answers questions from viewers.

    - Theme of our today's broadcast"Patriarchal Literary Award". Who and how was it founded?

    His Holiness Patriarch Kirill took the initiative to establish such an award in 2009, at a meeting in the Publishing Council he said: “We need to find forms to encourage modern authors who write on moral topics and on topics that lead people to God, promote goodness in the life of our society. , love, harmony, peace. We conferred, then took the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch in order to develop a program for presenting the Patriarchal Prize. In December 2009, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church established this award, and this year we will be presenting it for the sixth time.

    - What is the main objective of this award? What are the goals other than promotion?

    The main goal is to encourage writers not only financially (the award also has a material component), but also to support them in their creative work. Now in our country the market system dominates - not only in everyday life, but also in the world of creativity. Mostly books are sold that make a profit, and in them there is a dominance of debauchery, licentiousness, and violence. Books about kindness, our culture, about the spiritual values ​​of our people are published in smaller editions, and the writers who create these works are not in such demand. Our task, on behalf of believers, is to thank the authors who write on good topics.

    It is impossible for modern man to live without fiction. In the old days, in the XIV - XVII centuries, there was no fiction, people read the lives of the saints, the Psalter, the Ladder, stories about ascetics, epics. And only since the time of Peter I did fiction appear. Now she is playing big role in human life and society. It is impossible to imagine a cultured and developed person without a book, therefore, the Patriarchal Literary Prize is called upon to support those creators of the pen who write on good topics.

    - In the main provisions of the award it is said that its material part is allocated from the church budget.

    That's right, no special projects or sponsors supporting this award. The church lives on voluntary donations, is the contribution of many people. The award rewards those who contribute spiritual development our society. A work of art has a great influence on the consciousness of people. Let us recall the recent Soviet past: many of the intelligentsia came to faith by reading F.M. Dostoevsky, A.S. Pushkin. Not only in the 19th century, but also in the 20th century, many writers associated their work with the Church. In Soviet times they did not write directly about God and the Church, but spoke about goodness and gospel truths. Through this, people developed love for their culture, came to the Church.

    - How are the winners of the Patriarchal Prize determined?

    There is a certain procedure for submitting documents. Heads of Local Orthodox Churches, dioceses, self-governing Churches that are part of the Russian Orthodox Church, literary communities, magazines, heads of regions can recommend for the award. On their initiative, a list is formed, and then the Board of Trustees selects the Board of Experts, which is updated every year. They process the submitted applications, get acquainted with the works. Most of the candidates are well-known writers, but there are also new names that are not very well known in Moscow.

    The Council of Experts is working on the entire list of nominees. This year there were fifty-four entries. The Council of Experts recommended eight writers who are shortlisted (shortlisted). This is done by the Chamber of Trustees, which is headed by the Patriarch. Several meetings are held: at the first meeting, the common list, the Council of Experts is approved, at the second meeting - a short list, the third meeting will be held in the Hall of Church Councils, where the selection and presentation of signs to the laureates of the Patriarchal Prize will take place. Voting takes place openly, without booths, everyone receives a ballot, marks their choice. The counting commission sits right there, which enters the result into the protocol, which is transmitted to the Patriarch. He announces the names of the winners.

    - Do you have favorites this year?

    It is very difficult to say who will be the winner, because all the people are interesting.

    - Can you name the experts?

    The expert jury this year is headed by Yuri Mikhailovich Loshchits, a poet, prose writer, publicist. The jury includes: hegumen Evfimy (Moiseev), rector of the Kazan Theological Seminary; Archpriest Nikolai Agafonov, writer, laureate of the Patriarchal Literary Prize; Alexei Nikolaevich Varlamov, writer, member of the Writers' Union of Russia, Dmitry Mikhailovich Volodikhin, Russian historian, writer, literary critic, Doctor of Historical Sciences; Maria Alexandrovna Gorodova, Orthodox writer, correspondent, columnist for Rossiyskaya Gazeta; Victor Miroslavovich Guminsky, doctor philological sciences; Vladimir Alekseevich Kotelnikov, Doctor of Philology; Olesya Alexandrovna Nikolaeva, poetess, writer, laureate of the Patriarchal Prize; Alexander Yuryevich Segen, famous writer, laureate of the Patriarchal Prize.

    - There are priests among the nominees, for example Andrey Tkachev. Are there any other clergy?

    This year there are two priests on the list of nominees: Father Andrei Tkachev, writer, preacher, missionary and Father Nikolai Blokhin. An interesting personality, came to the Church at an age; with the blessing of Metropolitan Pitirim and Father John Krestyankin, he was engaged in the publication of Orthodox literature and its distribution. For this he was sentenced to more than four years. He himself says that if he had not been convicted, he would not have become a writer. While in prison, he began to write. The goal of all works of art Father Nikolai - to bring a person to God, to show that life is not accidental, to point out the responsibility of a person for his salvation.

    I have in my hands the journal Orthodox Book Review, which came out today. There is wonderful story Father Nicholas "Parishioner". He describes an ordinary life story, there are many of them in Rus'. The priest arrived at the temple, at the first service there were only two people - two women. The priest began to talk with them, asked them to come to the next service with their husbands. One says that she has no husband, and the other says that she has the best husband. As a result, it turned out that the priest was from the same village where this woman lives. He remembered her and her husband. It turns out that he drank, often beat his wife, but this woman is ready to endure and believes that she must save him. “This is my cross, I have to carry it,” she says. The policeman offers to put him in jail, the neighbors advise to get a divorce, to leave him, but she is afraid that he will die. The woman believes that he was given to her because of her sins and she must carry her cross. What a hot topic! After all, we grumble when we carry the burdens of a neighbor ...

    Other nominees include nun Evfimia (Pashchenko), a well-known writer and physician. Writes interesting essays, notes. I remember a very interesting work about God's world. A bird sang beautifully in the park. A man sat and thought: “What a creation of God! Why is she singing? It probably makes me happy." Another person reasoned, “What is this bird? Sparrow? Definitely not a nightingale. He sings better! The third person heard the singing and thought: “What kind of crow has brought us? Incomprehensible singing! The author reflects on who is right and how people evaluate differently the world. The world was created by God for man. Matushka Euphemia writes about how we should perceive the world around us.

    If you think about it, you can see that everything in the world is focused on a person. The sun shines, rivers, water - everything for a person. St. Macarius of Egypt beautifully said in the 4th century: “The sun, the stars, the moon, the forest, the rivers, the seas, the whole animal world The earth was created for man to live. And man was created in order for God to live in him. Matushka Euphemia wants to convey this to her reader. People of the Church write on topics that are so important for modern man, because most people do not know the Bible, and through such works they learn who the Creator is, where everything comes from.

    I also want to name the names of Alexander Gromov, Boris Ekimov, Alexei Karpov. Alexei Karpov has a large series of historical books, he published Life wonderful people". This is Boris Tarasov, a wonderful person who did a lot for the development of literature, a teacher at the Literary Institute, was its rector; Valery Sergeev, who wrote about the early Russian Middle Ages, is the author of a book about the life of St. Andrei Rublev, published in the Life of Remarkable People series. This interesting people which convey to the modern Russian the concept of God, goodness, show the traditions, the historical path of our people, the Orthodox Church.

    - Secular writers - nominees for the Patriarchal Prize- believing people?

    They are all Orthodox.

    The regulation states that the award was established for writers who have made a significant contribution to the affirmation of spiritual and moral values ​​in the life of a modern person, family and society. But morality exists not only in the Orthodox faith...

    So far, we have not had non-Orthodox writers, although this is possible. If the author does not want to unite himself with the Church, faith, the question arises: without knowing and understanding the Gospel, is it possible to understand Russian culture? Is it possible to make a positive contribution to its development? The peculiarity is that Russian culture is Orthodox by nature, it originated with the adoption of Christianity. Prince Vladimir brought faith, language and culture to our land. This year we celebrate the millennium of the Russian presence on Mount Athos, which had a profound impact on the spiritual state of Russia, spiritual development our country, monasteries that have been centers of education and culture for many centuries. It is very difficult to separate our culture from Orthodoxy.

    - How about Soviet writers? You said they wrote about morality.

    Quite right. They were believers in their hearts, they grew up in Orthodox families, V Orthodox culture, their parents were Orthodox, they were all baptized. But they could not write about God. Now we will learn a lot. Marshal K. Zhukov is a Soviet commander, and he had an icon of the Kazan Mother of God. In his heart he was a believer, but he could not declare it. Take M. Sholokhov: you can see many Orthodox elements in his work. The Foundation for the Unity of Orthodox Peoples published a series of books “A.S. Pushkin and Orthodoxy”, “F.M. Dostoevsky and Orthodoxy”, including “S. Yesenin and Orthodoxy”, “M. Sholokhov and Orthodoxy. Mikhail Sholokhov describes Orthodox traditions, moreover, the Christian commandments, although he could not openly write about God.

    - Are the books of Orthodox writers published by the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church?

    The publishing council is not engaged in publishing activity, we only regulate it. They are issued by publishing houses, including the publishing houses of the Moscow Patriarchate, Sretensky Monastery, "Nicaea". Our task is to assign a stamp. This is not censorship. We authorize this publisher to distribute books through the church network. Our duty is to protect the parishioner from bad literature. If there is no neck, you need to think about whether this book is worth reading. The stamp is assigned not only to theological and catechetical books, historical, spiritual, but also artistic. There are a lot of books going through us that I would recommend reading.

    Recently I read from Father Nikolai Agafonov how a young man was moving towards faith. He served in the army, and he did not have any spiritual books, but only anti-religious literature, from which he learned about God, discarding the husk of propaganda. Viewer question: “I am 85 years old, I can’t hear anything, I pray to the Lord two hundred times and Mother of God as many. Am I doing the right thing?"

    Praying is right, but I advise you to go to church; if you can’t walk, ask a priest to come, who can give you unction and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, and explain how to pray. If you can read, he will give a prayer book and the Gospel. Be sure to contact the priest.

    - Where can I buy the works of the nominees of the Patriarchal Prize? Only in the church shop?

    No, something is published and sold on the church network. But for the most part - in secular stores. We always contribute to the publication of the works of the laureates of the Patriarchal Literary Prize. We have books by Father Nikolai Agafonov, Viktor Nikolaev, Olesya Nikolaeva. We cannot force the publication of certain books on the publisher, we recommend it. Everything depends on the work. Publishing houses work on a commercial basis, even church ones. If it is unprofitable, they cannot publish. We recommend those authors who are worthy of the Patriarchal Literary Prize, or those books that have received awards from the Enlightenment through the Book competition. In addition to the Patriarchal Prize, we support writers and publishers in this competition. There are twelve nominations, including "Fiction", " historical literature", "Children's literature". These books are also present in the church network.

    Question from a TV viewer from Moscow: “I visit the Kaluga region, there, especially in the villages, there are a lot of Old Believers, they have house churches, but I don’t go there. Will Orthodox chapels be built?

    Yes, there will be a recovery soon big temple. Now Kirov has its own diocese - Pesochnya (this is the old name of the city). I will pass on your request to Bishop Maximilian of Pesochensky and Yukhnovsky. There is a project to make at least a small chapel in every village.

    - Sometimes you go to a bookstore - a variety of literature. And you don't see what you need.

    It is almost impossible to find Orthodox literature in secular shops. In Moscow, we spoke with representatives of a number of stores so that they would separate Orthodox literature from other literature. Previously, there was a section of religious literature, there were Orthodox authors and some dubious philosophical, occult teachings. A number of book chains have set aside a department for Orthodox literature, but there is a problem: what is quickly bought is put in a prominent place. Naturally, people have a stereotype that you can only buy Orthodox literature in a church. And in secular shops they buy technical or entertaining literature. No one goes to the bookstore on the Arbat to get the Bible, so they don't pay so much attention to it.

    We propose to the Patriarch to expand the network of Orthodox bookstores. Not only in Moscow, but also in major cities regions should have large Orthodox bookstores. Orthodox souvenirs can also be sold there, because opening a store is quite expensive. You can distribute both e-books and videos. We are trying to implement this project.

    - In some church shops you can also find classical literature.

    Yes, this is both the "golden" and "silver" centuries of Russian literature, and modern authors, laureates of the Patriarchal Literary Prize. Here is another question: not all churches, cities and parishes are equally supplied with literature. It depends on the parish and diocese. The publishing council can do nothing here. With the blessing of the Patriarch, we have prepared a list of literature that should be present in every Moscow church, it is about two hundred to four hundred titles, including fiction. I think this will contribute to the development of the book business. People will know that in the temple, in addition to several prayer books and akathists, there will be a good set of books that you can buy for yourself or give as a gift. This is a good gift. If we give a book to a young person, he will definitely read it. Through reading learns about God and the truth.

    - Now the book is a rare gift. It is more convenient to download a book and read it on the device monitor.

    Yes, but absolutely different perception books - electronic and printed. You take a small magazine and perceive the text in a completely different way, every word, you understand the topic more deeply, you become a participant in the events described. Electronics is a completely different perception.

    One of the victories Soviet state- victory over illiteracy. The Soviet Union was one of the most reading countries. Now the picture is depressing. Russia is lower in this ranking. Reading is becoming less popular. The problem lies in our schools, as Patriarch Kirill noted at a meeting of the trustees of the Patriarchal Literary Prize. He noted that at school they cease to understand literature, to read. I noticed that the teaching of literature there is coming to naught. How do you seek to solve this problem within the framework of the work of the Publishing Council?

    Why did Russia lose its primacy in the list of the most reading countries? Development e-books, the advent of the Internet attracted a part of the reading people. But it is not main reason. Readers in Soviet times were mostly people between the ages of eighteen and thirty and schoolchildren.

    We are currently experiencing a demographic crisis. Since the beginning of the 1990s, there have been half as many children born in Russia as in Soviet times. We have lost people of reading age, the country has grown old, this also affects. The development of technology has also affected reading.

    But this is a crisis not only of the school, but also of the family. Now the family does not read much. A common situation in a Moscow family: everyone came home and everyone went to their “gadget”. Who is on the TV, who is on the tablet, who is on the phone - parents in the first place. Children do not see their parents reading, they do not see books in their hands - only TV, the Internet. The child, while still small, leafs through the book, and then demands a phone, smartphone, tablet, etc. His parents give him this. They pay off the child. loving parent after dinner, he will gather the children, take a book, read the Gospel, the life of a saint, a fairy tale, and talk. A child grows up - he will take the "Captain's Daughter", read it again and talk. They go to the service with the whole family, it will not be a punishment for the child to go to church while dad is watching TV.

    Today I see that children do not know what saint they are named after. Why not tell the child about his patrons? Grandma's or Grandpa's Angel Day - let's read about patron saints. Children do not see an example! Trying for twenty-five years to reform the school system, we have lost the main thing - Russian literature. I was shown a textbook about five or six years ago: to study A.S. Pushkin allotted a page and a half! Thirteen pages of modern prose, the work of a former drug addict author, with all the appropriate jargon and appropriate descriptions. What is this for? This is not an introduction to life. The school is designed to teach: you need to read A.S. Pushkin, classic XIX- XX centuries, contemporary authors. Take the works of Nikolai Agafonov, read! Children do not see this example at home. And the school doesn't. It is necessary to increase the hours for studying literature. This is the foundation.

    Literature of the 19th - 20th centuries is an example of the Russian word. We must teach to love the great Russian word. Everywhere our writers are valued, they are known, and our youth practically does not get acquainted with the work of F.M. Dostoevsky, but Western writers are popular among her. This is a mistake in reforming the school system. The President of Russia ordered the creation of a Literature Committee, and Patriarch Kirill headed it. The school should increase the amount of study of literature and history.

    - I would like to hear instructions from you, what would you advise to read?

    I want God's help. Tomorrow we will celebrate the writers who have worked for the benefit and development of our national culture, so I want to read more. Remember: the main book of our life is the Gospel. We must learn to read the Gospel every day, this is the word of God, it was read by the great classics. In Kaluga we held an action “The Gospel is a book of life. Let's read together during Lent. Let's turn to this eternal book. My teacher called the gospel "the oxygen of eternity." Let us breathe it in order to gain eternal life.

    Christ is Risen!

    Host Sergey Platonov
    Recorded by Yaroslav Truntsev

    In September, the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church opens the seventh season of the Patriarchal Literary Prize. Applications for this award will be accepted until February 2017. About how the spiritual state of a person is reflected in modern literature, about the connection different eras reflects the Metropolitan of Kaluga and Borovsk Kliment, Chairman of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church. His article is devoted to the work of the laureates of this year's Patriarchal Literary Prize - Priest Nikolai Blokhin, prose writer Boris Ekimov, literary critic Boris Tarasov.

    There are different periods in history. One is called gold, the other, for example, silver or bronze. The secular culture of Russia knows two special eras of its heyday, called golden and silver age. Obviously, both periods are associated with the desire of society to comprehend the surrounding reality and its tragic experience (whether it be the war with Napoleon or the Russian revolutions of the early twentieth century), referring to the spiritual potential of the Russian people, to those most important values ​​that were once the basis and still determine the originality of the civilizational development of Russia. This is reflected in the development philosophical thought, and in various forms of art, especially in domestic literature.

    In the current post-Soviet time, the need for self-identification is also acutely felt, which, in particular, is reflected in the search for a national idea, a unifying principle for the modern Russian society. Russian Orthodox Church, which has preserved the most important values ​​of Russian civilization for centuries, supports that modern Russian literature that helps to find answers to these burning questions. In this regard, let's try to reflect on the difference between the modern period in the history of Russian literature, considering the work of the latest nominees for the Patriarchal Literary Prize named after Saints Cyril and Methodius Equal to the Apostles.

    Prose writers became its new laureates this year Boris Nikolaevich Tarasov, Boris Petrovich Ekimov And Priest Nikolai Blokhin. These are the people different fate, but in their work there is a tangible common component. With a variety of topics and genres of works, all three authors broadcast modern reader the eternal norms of Christian ethics, as an active, practical part of the worldview that our people have adopted since the time of the Baptism of Rus' by the saints prince equal to the apostles Vladimir. And another unifying principle is the fact that they all survived Soviet era when a direct and frank statement religious views and even good word against the Church was persecuted by the atheistic state.

    Priest Nikolai Blokhin in the Soviet years, while still not a priest, he was arrested and spent several years in prisons and camps for illegally publishing and distributing Orthodox literature. It was then, in prison, that he wrote his first story, Grandma's Glasses. He even jokes - the prison made him a writer. Today he is the author of many books that are well known to Orthodox readers: "Deep-bog", "Give me a brother", "The Chosen One", "Paul", "Frontier", "Christmas Tale", "Vladimirskaya".

    The perception of any sorrows as a source of a person's rebirth, as an inciting beginning to his inner change, runs through all the author's work. This leitmotif is internally gained through suffering, understood by the priest Nikolai Blokhin on personal life experience. It is no coincidence that he said exactly this in his response at the ceremony of awarding the laureates of the Patriarchal Literary Prize.

    The theme of the Christian faith, finding it, Baptism as the greatest sacrament and the main event in a person's life, the choice between faith and its denial, between concession to sin and the fight against it, occupies a central place in the work of priest Nikolai Blokhin. It is she who is the main core around which other themes, ideas, characters are located. It is to her that everything in the story is subordinated. For example, in the stories “Grandmother’s Glass”, “The Chosen One”, the author depicts how deeply people have changed, including the youngest, just children, when they believed and accepted Baptism, how differently they began to look at the world, at themselves, at those around them. The reader gets the impression that adult characters are divided primarily on the basis of faith or unbelief, that this is precisely their defining feature. That is why coming to faith radically changes adult heroes as well.

    I have heard that Blokhin's heroes lack psychologism, which is why they are somewhat schematic and even unreliable. But, in my opinion, most of them are not without the main thing - internal change as a result of spiritual choice. The absence of the subtleties of emotional experiences in the narrative can be explained by the fact that the writer, creating his characters, sought to focus the reader's attention on the main thing - to show the responsibility of the person himself for his own choice.

    This choice is always alternative: either acceptance of the Savior, the desire to follow Christ, read the Gospel, the lives of the saints, try to follow their example, or unbelief, or even a willingness to communicate with dark forces ... According to the author's intention, this choice, as the focus of spiritual life every person at every age stands at the center of the story. He is the main thing that the author wants to tell the reader about, and everything else is secondary, less important. That is why here both some "schematism" and the absence of "psychologism" in individual images are possible.

    In the books of the priest Nikolai Blokhin there is an element of fantasy. It is intertwined with reality, and in the living fabric of his works it is impossible to separate them.

    Often only children with their immediacy better than anyone else capture the essence of what is happening and can express it. In my opinion, the most striking example of this is Alyosha from the story "Give me back my brother." The child, not understanding what adults intend to do, not knowing at all that what adults have planned (termination of pregnancy) is possible, intuitively feels trouble. Fearing that something threatens his future brother, he turns to adults (parents and hospital doctors) with the most important request for him: “Give me back my brother!” And these words of the child “wake up” the elderly doctor, who thought that during the years of work in such a hospital he got used to everything. Then he confesses that “he didn’t run away from the war like that” when he found and caught up with Alyosha to report that his brother was alive, that he had not been killed ...

    The theme of suffering for the faith and readiness for these sufferings, the determination to endure them with God's help, but not to retreat, occupies a significant place in the work of Priest Nikolai Blokhin. Here we can recall the teacher Julia, Zoya and Seva-Sevastyan from the story "The Chosen One".

    Of the works of the priest Nikolai Blokhin, the most artistically strong, in my opinion, is the story "The Depth-Swamp", which tells about the events of the Civil War. The reality in it is intertwined with elements of fantasy, each character has his own story, and it is not immediately and not always clear to the reader why this particular hero suddenly sees a mysterious monastery, a place of salvation for many, when other people do not see him. One of the most important thoughts in this story is the hope for the possibility of repentance, which remains with a person even when it is obvious that he has committed terrible atrocities, and by earthly standards this cannot be forgiven. In this regard, first of all, I remember the commander of the Red Army Vzvoev, who also suddenly saw that monastery and even ended up in it.

    The writer conveys to the reader the idea of ​​the importance of preserving Orthodoxy by every living generation, despite the obstacles inherent in his time. This is very important not only for us living today, but also for our descendants. Spiritual succession is the essence of the history of our people as a whole and of its individual families, which, like a relay race, pass on the Orthodox faith and virtuous life from one generation to another.

    The writer who became the winner of the Patriarchal Prize this year Boris Petrovich Ekimov- one of the best prose writers not only of our time, but, as it seems to me, of all Russian literature. His works are written at the highest artistic level. This is exemplary (so to speak) prose, created in the best traditions of Russian literature. I remember how many years ago I first read the stories of Boris Petrovich, and they made a very special, unforgettable impression on me.

    Each period of the country's history is reflected in its secular culture in its own way. Various works of art: painting, musical and literary compositions, and the like, are the most valuable and detailed evidence of the era in which they are created. To a large extent, it is from them that descendants can judge the period as a whole, the development of culture and society, and what worried the people who lived then. Someday our descendants will judge our time by the cultural heritage of our era, including the literary works of our contemporary authors. I think that the books of Boris Petrovich Ekimov will remain among the best, worthy prose works in history.

    Most of his works on the subject can be attributed to village prose . But all of them tell not only about the inhabitants of the village, they are about all people. Love to small homeland, the beauty of native nature, the habit and craving for rural work, for one's own land, joys, sorrows, worries, relationships between relatives and fellow villagers - all this is in the works of B.P. Ekimov. One of his collections ("Return") has a subtitle "Stories of Living Life". This is the most accurate definition of the essence of the entire prose of the writer.

    There are many themes in his works, they are intertwined with each other into a complex artistic whole, they cannot be divided into components, separated from each other. To the question of what, for example, one of the best stories in all Russian literature, The Shepherd's Star, cannot be given a monosyllabic answer. Better to read it.

    The novels and stories of Boris Ekimov are imbued with a Christian spirit, including those in which there is no direct mention of Christian realities. Let me again recall The Shepherd's Star and its protagonist Timothy, for whom the moral principle "do not steal" is so natural that it does not even occur to him that you can appropriate other people's sheep. At first, he cannot even think that this is exactly what the owner, who hired him as a shepherd, intended. Timothy himself does not take someone else's.

    “I don’t need someone else’s spirit, - he removed the money. - How many a pass, thank God, was not flattered. But what about ... People are crying somewhere, and we will crow with happiness, - he said, weakly, but still hoping to convince . “You won’t flourish on other people’s tears.”

    The whole image of the village simpleton, in which the greatness of the Russian spirit is focused, appears before the reader in the same lively, unimagined, whole way. Timothy is truly responsible for his work, he remembers the advice of the old shepherd, from whom he himself once studied. He lives in full force only in his small homeland, near his native farm, where he is surrounded by nature close to his heart, so familiar and at the same time the most beautiful nature.

    But for all his simplicity, Timothy has wisdom. He does not take offense at the master's son of a teenager, who at first behaves somewhat arrogantly. Over time, Timofey becomes a truly close person for this boy. Unobtrusively, he convinces the teenager that it is impossible to spoil the growing bread. You can’t let a herd into the field, because even if the authorities are ready to turn a blind eye to this, a person should not act against conscience:

    “You don’t drive into bread. To poison bread is a great sin.”

    The story "The Mistress" vividly illustrates how a concession to one sin pulls a whole chain of subsequent ones. main character Olga is a widow and wants to find her happiness with Mikhail, a childhood friend who has a wife and children for a long time. Dreaming about the destruction of someone else's family and about living together with someone else's husband, Olga goes further and further along the path of untruth, hardening her heart. She puts the mother of her dead husband out of the house in which she lived all her life, despite the fact that her mother-in-law always helped her raise her daughters, took on the hardest work. Olga forces her to move to another village with her daughter, where she is not too welcome, and then refuses to accept her back. When the old woman asks with tears to let her spend the last earthly years in this house, Olga emphasizes that now they are strangers. All the injustice, the soullessness of Olga's stubborn desire to remain the only mistress in the house is exposed by her relationship with her own daughter Rosa, who insists that grandmother Akulina ("Baba Kulya") live with them. After all, for her, the “babanechka” is the dearest and most beloved person.

    The story "Speak, mother, speak ..." about complete mutual understanding and true love between long ago adult daughter and mother. Both at a distance are able to feel what is especially important close person, and give him just that. Both know, remember and take care of what a loved one loves and appreciates.

    Although these works do not directly speak about Christianity, such was the era, but moral values ​​are written everywhere in them.

    The 2016 Patriarchal Prize winners included Boris Nikolaevich Tarasov- Writer, philosopher, literary critic, Doctor of Philology, Professor of the M. Gorky Literary Institute, who for many years headed it as rector, Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation.

    Boris Nikolayevich Tarasov published two books in the Life of Remarkable People series. This artistic biographies Christian thinkers Pascal and Chaadaev. I believe that most readers appreciate this, probably the oldest book series, which appeared back in 1890. It was from that time that the publishing house F.F. Pavlenkov began to publish biographical and artistic-biographical books under the general title. Later, in the 30s of the XX century, the series was resumed by Maxim Gorky.

    Both books by Boris Tarasov are in demand by readers and have been repeatedly reprinted. The general readership, in my opinion, knows both thinkers somewhat “one-sidedly”: one as a scientist, the other as a contemporary of Pushkin, the addressee of his lines, a man whom the government declared crazy for his writings. Other aspects of their activities seem to remain in the shadows. Meanwhile, Chaadaev himself considered himself a Christian thinker. In the books of B.N. Tarasova B. Pascal and P.Ya. Chaadaev are revealed as versatile, deep personalities. Boris Nikolaevich has done a great job. He studied and analyzed many sources, as a result of which his books turned out to be very informative and fascinating.

    In addition to these biographical works, Boris Tarasov published a number of educational books (“In the world of man”, “Where history is heading”, “The historiosophy of F.I. Tyutchev in the modern context”, “Man and history in Russian religious philosophy and classical literature”, “The Secret of Man” and the Secret of History (Unread Chaadaev, Unheard Dostoevsky, Unidentified Tyutchev)”, “Dostoevsky and the Modern World”, etc. He also prepared the two-volume “Nicholas the First and His Time” and the one-volume “Knight of Autocracy”), titles which testify to the author's constant interest in the history of Russian literature, its connections with religious philosophy.

    I would like to dwell in particular on the book by B.N. Tarasova "Where history is moving (Metamorphoses of people and ideas in the light of Christian tradition)". In it, the author consistently pursues a relevant thought: when they try to put some other values ​​in place of Christian values, even the most seemingly good, humane, humane ones, nothing really good and bright comes out as a result. All attempts to replace Christian values, Christian norms, Christian views with some other, supposedly aimed at the good individual people and of all mankind, which have been undertaken more than once in history and are being undertaken in our time, do not lead to anything good. If the Christian hierarchy of values ​​is not laid at the foundation, if these values ​​are distorted, then everything done on such a foundation most often turns into evil for a person and the surrounding world, although, as it seemed, those who tried to build on such a support pursued good goals.

    In the book of B.N. Tarasova "Where history is moving" we are talking about famous domestic writers, philosophers and politicians of the 19th century (emperors Alexander I and Nicholas I, Westernizers, Slavophiles, soil activists, F.I. Tyutchev, A.S. Pushkin, P.Ya. Chaadaev, K.N. Leontiev, L.N. Tolstoy ) and their contemporaries. Exploring their heritage in various aspects: cultural, literary, philosophical, social, the author analyzes the problems they faced and ways to solve them in the complex context of Russian and world history.

    At first glance, it may seem that the 19th century is fairly well studied and largely known to most people. The domestic and world history of this century, as well as the classics of Russian literature in our country, are studied at the school desk. This period of history is widely represented in research, popular science and fiction. But it should be noted that the ideas about it in our society, as a rule, are superficial, insufficient and, importantly, contain a significant number of clichés.

    The special value of the works of B.N. Tarasov is that he consistently, on a strictly scientific basis, destroys many patterns. One of the most striking examples is the attitude towards Emperor Nicholas I, an assessment of his personality and the period of his reign. From the school history course, most students learn that it was an era of reaction, stagnation in all areas of life, and the emperor himself is perceived by them as a strangler of all freedom, an "offender" of the best poets, writers and in general thinking people- as "Nikolai Palkin". Opposing this cliche, Boris Nikolaevich Tarasov convincingly shows that the figure of the emperor was not so unequivocally gloomy, and the years of his reign cannot be characterized only as a time of complete darkness in all spheres of life. The researcher gives many examples from the life and work of the emperor, which convince the reader that Nicholas I had many positive qualities that are important and necessary for governing the state, and his deeds for the good of the country are numerous and undeservedly forgotten.

    I consider it very valuable that B.N. Tarasov does not go to the other extreme, maintaining a critical assessment of historical figures. It happens that authors who write about someone undeservedly forgotten or who received an undeserved “dark halo” in history get too carried away with apologetics and create in their writings an unrealistically positive, to some extent “inanimate” image. In the studies of B.N. Tarasov, the historical truth is preserved, the heroes remain real people having both advantages and disadvantages. The author does not idealize the actions of the heroes of his books, does not present them in a "favorable" light, does not pick up justifications for any of their actions. He recognizes as true far from all the thoughts and actions of those about whom he writes.

    Thanks to the works of B.N. Tarasov, the reader is presented with a much more real, versatile XIX century with all its contradictions, with many interesting and important people who lived at that time. The author does not just list the facts and writes about emperors, writers, philosophers, he gives the reader the opportunity to comprehend the historical and cultural patterns and the significance of Christian values, norms, traditions in history.

    In conclusion, it should be noted that the laureates of this year's Patriarchal Literary Prize in their own way reflect the diversity of contemporary literature rooted in the Orthodox worldview. Years of atheistic censorship in national culture did not weaken the creative potential of writers who broadcast Orthodox moral principles and beliefs. And today we need more such writers. I do not know what the contemporary period of Russian literature will be called. But its distinguishing feature, in my opinion, is the interest of many talented authors in the spiritual laws of being and their manifestation in the realities of our time.



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