“The split occurred. And he is obvious "

Dear colleagues.

I decided to get out of the foam. This decision, I admit, has been ripe for a long time. But for a long time I did not dare to take this step.

I have become a member of this organization for a long time, since the beginning of the 1990s. And these were completely different times, a completely different socio-political climate. And the organization itself, and the principles declared by it, and its various specific steps were quite compatible with my basic ideas about, so to speak, good and evil.

For many years, I joyfully felt my belonging to that friendly and mutually interested circle, which I used to perceive this club. I readily put my signature under various documents and appeals aimed at protecting all those who were subjected to repressions for words, letters and images. I was happy to come for the holidays. With no less pleasure, I just ran into a “cup of tea” into the Penovsky office, where I always met cordiality and hospitality.

All these warm memories and the friends who have been ensued over many years or just acquaintances significantly inhibited the adoption of such a decision.

But not only. Until the last moment, I was not left by the weakening hope that I myself can change something in the direction that seemed to me and seems more correct and natural in the context of the reality in which we all ended up.

The last straw was the news of the exclusion of foam or other repressive measures against several of my colleagues. And not just colleagues, but frankly - friends. And not just like that, but with completely unacceptable formulations and assessments of their personal qualities.

I can’t “swallow” this. And I express my decisive protest as I can, and as I consider necessary.

The next paragraph is addressed directly to the new President of Pen-Center Evgeny Popov.

Zhenya. We are familiar with you, God knows how many years. This is the experience of friendship, which do not rush just like that. And I am painful, it is impossible for me to read or hear how one of my long -standing comrade says insulting and unfair things about my other long comrade. I hope you understand me. I remember that you wrote one of the recommendations necessary for my joined Pen. And I am grateful to you for that. But it so happened that by the will of circumstances I ended up among those whom you have an elegantly called “destructive forces” there in the executive committee. With my way out of foam, I, Zhenya, want to free you from this moral and psychological ambiguity. I hope you appreciate my friendly gesture.

This, so to speak, rather external causes, or rather, even reasons for my decision. Although, in my opinion, there are enough of them.

But there is something else, no less important and significant for me.

The leadership of the foam proudly reports that, contrary to the "destructive work of various destructive forces", it was supposed to "avoid a split." No, failed. It was not at all, alas.

The Pen-Center by definition is a writer's organization, that is, consisting, as it were, from writers. And it is known that no one like a writer (if he is a writer) is so sensitive to language and style issues, which is always guessed by genuine essence, genuine content (or complete lack of self -hold) of any statement.

So the split, unfortunately, occurred. And he is obvious. And not so much this split went along the surface of ideological or political beliefs - which everyone can have different, and this is normal - how many essential stylistic incompatibility revealed. These same “stylistic discrepancies”, which once, although for a slightly different reason, were brilliantly formulated by Andrei Sinyavsky, in another historical round and in other socio-cultural circumstances, at least for me-the inappropriateness and painful ambiguity of my belonging to the organization, whose leadership is expressed-in my behalf-in such a language.

The split occurred. And, unfortunately, it will go deeper. And he will deepen not so much due to the obvious ideological and moral differences and the fundamental difference between views on the current social state of the country and the world, to the boundaries of the compromise, to those boundaries, by crossing the human rights organization, the role of the writer and the artist in society itself. This is itself, but this is not the main thing. You can argue, talk and negotiate about all this. But only on condition that the conversation takes place in a general language. But he is not.

Without the temperament that is necessary for the “internal struggle”, I do not find anything more appropriate than just to leave this organization, just say goodbye to it, no matter how difficult and painful for me it may be, no matter what kind of good memories I have about many colleagues and employees.

I ask the organization’s management to consider this text by an official statement about my withdrawal from the Russian Pen-Center.

Leo Rubinstein