Turchak and company

The New Times collected the arguments of cultural figures who agreed to take part in the Dovlatov Festival, organized by the government of the Pskov region

Alexey Bokov,
festival producer (

text from Facebook, to comment for NT declined ):

We greatly respect the choice of those who refused to travel to Pskov. But this is a festival about people and for people, and some of the participants are flying from abroad, which causes a lot of organizational difficulties. At the same time, the festival is an open platform, and no one has the right to limit participants in expressing their opinion, civil and political position. A writer, and even more so when it comes to Dovlatov, is always freedom and expression of opinion. Personally, I am against the transformation of literature into politics, but if this happens and questions arise that concern us all, then we are ready for a free dialogue.

(A little earlier, in an interview with the Pskov Guberniya newspaper, Bokov said: “This is a festival of Sergei Dovlatov, not the name of the participants in the skirmish on Facebook.)

Victor Erofeev,
curator of the literary program: I am a person from the Soviet Union and I understand that it is impossible to rent a clearing. If our opposition goes to hopeless elections, where they are given corpses, where they lose, and continues to exist, then why shouldn't Russian art and literature exist in such conditions? With our radical “no”, we would rather harm than do something for the future. My first book was published in the Writers' Union, which was headed by Stavsky, who practically signed Mandelstam's death warrant. And now the choice - either to print books, or to leave the country - everyone makes himself.

Pavel Kaplevich,
producer of theater and cinema, curator of the theater program: What do I have to do with it? I, Pavel Kaplevich, what do you have to do with it? I have been supervising the direction for three months, we have to show the performance, right? Dovlatov was a man offended by the authorities, who was not welcomed in Russia. Pushkin was the same. A festival dedicated to Dovlatov, Pushkin ... There is a trial - let them figure it out, what do I have to do with it?

Valery Pecheikin,
playwright, co-author of the play “Gorier”, created especially for the festival: Everyone has long understood that an official is just an official. He was hired to do the right thing. He swept the yard, repaired the roads, removed the cats from the tree. Even if the official made a mistake the day before, you still need to remove the cats from the trees. The Dovlatov Festival is the right thing for an official to do. We can, of course, turn around and run away, leaving the viewer sitting in the tree like a cat. And we can take it out.

Andrey Plakhov,
curator of the film program I'm not going as a guest, but as the curator of the film day, to which we invited the wonderful director Fridrik Fridriksson. I have no right to leave him to the mercy of fate and refuse to present his films. Events broke out when it was too late to turn his plane out of Toronto. I found out about them belatedly, because - I understand that this is a terrible sin - I was at the Venice Festival.

** Vera Polozkova,
poetess, curator of the poetry program to comment for text from Facebook, spelling and punctuation of the author preserved, refused The ecstasy with which now beautiful people, all the focus of morality and virtue, trample down those who still fly to the festival, sick and ashamed. I wrote a message to Oleg Kashin saying that I couldn’t help flying and letting people down, that this was a matter of my personal responsibility to the audience and the team, he replied “of course. Thank you". those who, on his behalf, are now trying to judge and pass verdicts - look at least idiotic. this is NOT a governor's festival, never has been. This is a festival in memory of Sergei Dovlatov.

Aidan Salahova,
artist, curator of the contemporary art exhibition program: I didn’t even know what was there (

with the case of Oleg Kashin. - NT ) happened. Refusing to go to the festival is not a very correct position. I am preparing an exhibition in 2016 at the Saatchi Gallery in London. Should I give up the sculptures and study the history of the Mayor of London? Of course, the actions of the governor of the Pskov region are of concern, but I don’t understand why the festival in honor of Dovlatov, whom I respect and love very much, should somehow correlate ... Governors change. And the festival is made for the audience. Due to the fact that we have such power, not to organize cultural exhibitions and festivals?

Leonid Fedorov,
leader of the rock group "Auktyon": To be honest, I just found out yesterday that I would go to this festival. I don't even know the name of the person who is allegedly accused. It wasn't the mayor who called me

apparently, hereinafter, the governor is meant. ). If he had called me, I would have said: "Fuck you if you are a bandit." But I don't go at the invitation of the mayors. Everywhere there are bandits and criminals, so what?

Recorded by Alexandrina Elagina, Daria Khlyakina