In society

To the 200th anniversary of Lermontov

October 17, 2014 Nikolai Svanidze

The two hundredth anniversary of Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov was extremely restrained in order not to say modestly. Concert in Bolshoi, events in Pyatigorsk and Tarkhany (the latter with the highest participation), a number of television programs on the central channels. In general, 300 million rubles were mastered for the indicated needs, according to the Ministry of Culture.

Well, let's say this: without a pump. With the 200th anniversary of Pushkin in 1999, cannot be compared. Then there was really a large national holiday, which in a scope gave way to a grandiose joyful jubilance about the centenary of the death of the poet in 1937.

Lermontov was always the second, he has such a plan. He was always half a step behind Pushkin, always at least a little, but in his shadow - at the same time, of course, that the sun has no shadow.

Lermontov is not just a younger contemporary of Pushkin. 15 years of age difference between them made up an era.

Pushkin grew up under Alexander. Friends are the heroes of the Patriotic War. “All of them are handsome, all of them are talents, all of them are poets,” and cops are thrown away, and talking about the fate of the homeland until the morning, and the romance of involvement in the great and proud history falls, and champagne freedom foams in blue blood.

Whether the matter is Nikolai. "Boredom, cold and granite." Pushkin died. And Lermontov immediately, from a low start, gives out a cast, minted verse.

"To the death of the poet."

In the Soviet textbooks of literature, we must pay tribute to them, there was an accurate, exhaustive expression - “free -loving lyrics”. Lermontov is 22 years old. For the remaining four years of his life, he will write everything else - a complete academic collection of his works. In verses and prose. Will create a whole world in which you can live. And you can go crazy. Vrubel will rewrite and rewrite his own, that is, the Lermontov demon, to complete madness.

According to the worldview, like any Russian nobleman and officer, Lermontov, of course, to the brain of the bones of the Patriot. And it is difficult to say which of his famous verses is more patriotic - “Borodino” with his pride or “goodbye, unwashed Russia” with his bitterness.

By the scale of talent, by tremendous power of talent, he is comparable to Pushkin - that is, the World Class Genius.

His verse is just as honed, perfect and as deep as the reference Pushkin. Perhaps it is slightly inferior in flying, divine lightness, but it has more astringency, passion and some kind of material volume.

Lermontov creates in 3D format.

"At half -day heat in the Dagestan Valley."

"A lonely sail in the fog is white."

"The angel flew in the sky of midnight, and he sang a quiet song."

These are Lermontov. Only he. No one else wrote so and will never write.

Pushkin is a bright angel of Russian literature. Lermontov is her forever young demon.

One is transparent like air. The other is irresistibly mysterious.

But we have a vertical country. The river is the Volga. The poet is Pushkin. We do not need anymore. We can’t remember anymore, not to say that not to read. And Pushkin is not particularly needed, only to look at the physiognomy, but they got used to it, they have been injured somehow. And we will not pull another genius.

Not a single era in our centuries -old history is so reminiscent of the present as Nikolaev. Now, however, instead of granite, a plastic fake. And do not find such a pair that one is so died, and the other wrote so on his death.


Photo: Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS