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photo: Natalia Muslinkina

Read excitedly. On the first page Shine four lines: «All the noble dreams of a bright future of our great and powerful Motherland is dedicated.» The author guides the dream into the past and resurrects his will and allows new ways to see and the battle of Kulikovo, and the brutal invasion of Tokhtamysh. The population of the second novel — the «extra» people who are homeless, graze in garbage dumps, suffer from colds and desperately seek assistance in nursing homes, where they drive in the neck at the rain and frost. They have no passport or other document. They are not empty-headed drunkard. Come here, in the dregs of humanity, and talented people. And speak, separat once, and hear them, and ascorbic, and separatively.

Weller strong talent and offensive logic of thinking. This is a truly classic Russian literature: the perfected speech, the winged language. And above all — compassion and compassion for people.

Our Prince and Khan

New book by Weller lyric has a key — line of Alexander Blok «On my Russ! My wife! To the pain/We clear the air.» the Concluding stanza of the perceived dramatic revelation in despair:

I and with old longing,

As the wolf under the moon waning,

Don’t know what to do with myself

Where do I go after you.

Romantic Weller, you dare to dive into a resurrection of long ago.

— This is not an academic form of presentation. A scattered collection of facts becomes meaningful only when it becomes a system. My book is the systematization of previously known facts. When you start to logically map the known facts and figures suggests a completely different picture than the one they taught us in school, and even based on the texts of academic publications of the last official scientific review.

— But where do you get information for the implementation of your plan?

— There is only publicly available sources: the Chronicles, tales, books of historians.

But your analytical mind suddenly established some overlap or inconsistency in the approach generally known facts?

— It is inevitable. You read: «the battle of Kulikovo took place on 8 September 1380-th year from the birth of Christ». But! Tokhtamysh became the Khan of the Golden Horde almost six months earlier, on 4 April he was back in the capital, the Saray-Berke. The Horde was torn by strife. Mamai by Khan of the Golden Horde was never, and could not: he was not a Chingizid, not Khan’s blood. He was beklarbegi — managing Director, Regent. In September 1380 on, he is the Governor «Mamay Horde» with the centre in Crimea was legitimate the worst enemy of the Golden Horde. And the first task of the legitimate Khan Tokhtamysh was to destroy Mamaia – the usurper and troublemaker! And Kulikovo the Russians (or rather the Muscovites, the people of Rus ulus of the Golden Horde) could only be at the same time with the Mongolian cavalry Horde against the rebel Mamaia.

—We have not heard of any school or University.

Shocking detail. From Tokhtamysh did not suffer any Principality, but one of the Great Principality of Vladimir and Moscow. The story was complex – the beginning of the absolutism in Russia. Muscovites rebelled and was cast out of Dmitry Donskoy, who brazenly harassed the Church, abolished tysiatskiis («first Ministers»), clamped taxes and robbing merchants smartly. Muscovy and decided to go to Lithuania.

The «Lithuania» actually — this Great Western country of the Slavs: the Grand Duchy of Rus, Lithuania, Samogitia and others. Kiev, Chernigov, Polotsk, Kursk – were all there.

Expelled Dmitry appealed to the Supreme boss, the Khan Tokhtamysh: rebellion, need urgent help, otherwise this rich district will move away from the Horde, and Lithuania was very strong.

The information is extremely interesting! And a copy of «Our Khan and the Prince» worthy of a doctoral dissertation.

Historians are rarely able to analyse and systematize facts. And this is important. To intelligence analysts, they would not have taken. And to enter the history Department of the University is much easier than in the Military-Diplomatic Academy where they trained spies. I was never interested in a scientific degree. I wanted to know how it works.

Bum

«Homeless» Weller seized me stronger and neustupny. Now the whole civilized world is concerned about the fate of refugees. Take care of them, trying to improve the lives of the poor. And our country is filled with pride for their growing power in the military sphere, does not notice hundreds of thousands of people without passports, abandoned and despised homeless people. And he made the characters of the novel. And among accidents — educated people, by force of circumstances forced to be homeless, to feed on the garbage.

In the sparing moments when it is not pouring rain, and frost still does not burn, they communicate with each other, argue, remember the best moments, when they had shelter and a home. It is interesting to listen to them — think outside the box. And felt in the atmosphere of the book, in the increase of fatal question persistent protest: the arbiters of the fate of the country, as you can from the screen to smile, when hundreds of thousands do not have citizenship? Homeless — no one! The object of contempt.

— Mikhail Iosifovich, your that hot detective.

From all this we can go crazy. Russian — lovely soldiers, talented scientists, brave explorers — known throughout the world. But, unfortunately, we – we! – bad officials, lying, thieving and indifferent. This is our national beach. Sovereign Emperor Peter Alekseevich knew this quite well. And therefore tried to attract the Germans, Dutch and other Swedes.

Look at the work of our police, judicial and social authorities: they are not interested in the benefit of the people and the good of humanity. They are only interested in compliance with law and approval of his superiors; the rest does not concern them.

A simple example: one-legged cripple every five years chase to the Commission confirming the disability, as if the poor guy will suddenly grow a leg. How to continue this idiocy? Another egregious case: the woman in the forest, escaping from rapist, stabbed him with a knife, which cut the mushrooms. Defending himself! The kick happened to be fatal. The judge is a woman! – was interested in nothing: neither her life is normal and fair, nor violence, nor self-defense. Be detained until the trial! And solder a sentence for murder.

This indifference has been detrimental to millions, which became in 90-e years the homeless. Got in trouble a lot of innocent victims. I knew a woman, a PhD, a graduate of MIPT, the former chief of the laboratory of the former Institute. She sold dried fish at the underpass.

— With her so ruthlessly?..

— She had to be homeless. One-bedroom apartment, the daughter is ill, her granddaughter needed money for school, family, husband pulls daughter. And angry mother-in-law is evil from despair, from poverty, overcrowding, and then there’s the old woman with grochau pension. Became a wife to reproach, that crying. Well, and went mother-in-law, so at least the daughter and granddaughter lived better. So as not to burden him. A friend spent the night, then continue below…

Many drink too much of the General confusion of life. I knew of one such: a sober, he wrote the diplomas to the students, dissertation, graduate students, and all earned spent on drink. The crooks kicked him out of the apartment into the street. Happy: not killed.

Our bum — not a Parisian clochard, a tramp is not American. Our fell under the iron wheel of time. He can to help.

Who will help a person in the world indifferent rich men?

— It is possible! You can take life-saving action: to restore the lost documents, to give at least a bunk in the Dorm, to attach to a job.

— Yes where it can be found, as everywhere reduce. Closed schools and kindergartens. And law no homeless people.

It is about time many of the laws reviewed. Enough to show kindness to the bribe-takers and embezzlers of public funds. And we cannot forget about the participation of a live person in the administration of the law – the law written for the living. It is necessary to judge not by law but by conscience within the law! To be guided by conscience and the use of the case for the people, of the people and country. In the framework of the law. Release on bail or plant – conscience and the mind, not on the bare section.

But because the court is not isolated from power.

Yes, top down is and manner of communication, and notions of proper and specific instructions. The same Stalin Constitution was perfect, but no one was going to perform. Generally only two categories of people know the seamy side of life – the cops and the doctors. That’s when the girl limitsize returned from the hospital with the baby — she worked telefonistki, or a painter, or a crane operator is not allowed in the dormitory: there are only singles allowed to live. And she has a baby. At least die on the street. Their fate nor to the excited. And it was gold in the Brezhnev era.

— Probably in all countries?

— Not at all. We are distinctive. Here propiska never existed. Except for two countries – the USSR and the third Reich. In 1932 in the Soviet Union, it was introduced along with the passports. And now on the security of residence in Russia feed tens of thousands of bureaucrats.

Everywhere in the world people can come and get work and shelter wherever it wants and how can.

Without a backpack in Siberia

— Misha, you’ve tramped the roads and worked for the Soviet Union, the steppe and the taiga expanses, and met so many complicated human characters! And for life have gained a powerful resistance to the circumstances. Probably, your great experience in dealing with the local people allow you to find common language with homeless people.

— Uh, happened to drink in Almanach and smoke in the vestibules with the guys, whose lives were a complete Foundation for a novel. The specificity of the social layer: drawn into conversation, they were deployed in support of greasy destinies of the reference on the works, achievements and injuries. That’s really colorful biography. But at least in the hunter-fishers in the Arctic, though the loggers in the forest – everywhere appreciated one thing: how people are hardy, honest and industrious. No one else occupied.

— In your biography is a fascinating experience on the cattle drive. Tell us where and who you blew?

— This is in the book «the wanderer and his country». Haul cattle imported from Mongolia at the Biysk plant. Our herd was – 2000 head of sheep and 300 carluka – Mongolian Yak. The brigade is 7 people. The three of us were «from the master,» freed from the zone, all of the documents, «certificate of release». Travelled 1000 kilometers to Altai mountains all summer and part of autumn.

When it’s not raining, the place is comfortable, the cattle have napasa well and fell to sleep in the twilight by the fire, brew cifico, and life feels good. And when descended from the top of the mountains, the village has now gone, scotgen alcohol is forbidden to sell, so we cut RAM for sale local and overstock Cologne. The taste is edgy, but the exhale is a solid perfume!..

From Moscow this life is perceived exoticism. A normal Siberian exotic seemed to Moscow with its Kremlin, metro stations and international airports. Romance is where we do not.

Now come on Three Station, wrapped in the cheapest salancik and get cheap beer in an hour you’ll have someone to talk to and add, and learn a lot of interesting things. So the contact happens. They still spend the night in basements and underground passages. Throw them some spare change and half a pack of cigarettes, they will tell you long and well.

And if you bring in your pocket a bottle of refreshment, they will provide you with material for epic. We can do that.

— But scary. Could something terrible will happen.

— Poor harmless people, just dirty. Once the two homeless drunks became attached to me and thought I was obliged to give them money. And I rage categorically did not want to give them anything. And one severely threatened: «just you wait, in prison I will fall, I your neck will break.»

For the homeless to be back in prison was just an episode of biography. They sometimes fly in for a couple of years. Let go of them. They are not needed there.

— Shivers down my spine. You risked.

— God, they’re weak, they themselves are afraid of everyone…

In private life he will not let me

In «Homeless» Weller I was fascinated by the style of speech and details of the biography of the narrator-character. In a terrible burden of daily nomadic, alienated from the human existence, with love, with pain constantly nagging remembered his mother, convicted on trumped-up charges and died in the camp hospital.

— Misha, marvel at your closeness. Why are you avoiding talking about loved ones?

— I read in school the book is very well known then in the Union, Mitchell Wilson «my Brother, my enemy». And remember one phrase. When the passenger tries to strike up a conversation about families, the wives, the hero answered him: «I’m Sorry, but I can’t talk with not very close people to me about people very close to me».

The man has his own personal territory, where outsiders are not allowed. It’s like my toothbrush or my pipe, which I shoved in my mouth. There are fans to publicly vent. So I’m from the other baskets. Only mine is nobody’s business.

I like your honest confession: «a Man must dream. While you dream, all is not lost».

— My generation 40 years to accept the idea that anything not to change. And suddenly, at the turn of the 90’s we all experienced a huge, extraordinary hope for change! Believed and waited finally we can, our country will do for his children, for his people what is necessary, all right, fine. But all suffered a great disappointment. After a quarter of a century after August 91 th goods all ills promotility in their former places: the government and officials. All but about 400 years ago in the sonnets Shakespeare carved his eternal generalization: «And virtue in bondage to the prophet, and a force that bends in front of the weak, and honest poverty, groveling before the wicked riches…»

Unfortunately, I am not convinced that a case for us, the fate of the people and the country, in principle can be corrected for the better. Over the past five years my historical optimism gradually faded into nothingness.

At a constant spacing of the socialist past, many thing to remember: we lived in poverty, in barracks and communal apartments, but the school felt like an equal with professors ‘ kids. I lived in Zhukovsky. We were well taught by the teachers of old, pure breeds. And we knew by heart Heine, Goethe in German. Huge hamlet the soliloquies of Shakespeare. And life-my teachers are still living in me.

— Michael I., what has become today’s humiliated the school, not average, but bad, verhgradskaya? Where students go after school? And where are the poor going to take a lot of money to pay? And there are a lot of temptations. The television relishes robberies, murders, robbery. Unquenched soul spit on the tips of virtuous fathers and mothers. And sent the cub on the hunt. What society has replaced berated socialism?

— Can only answer for myself. The writer is not entitled to any social benefits. Soviet freebie when distributed to the secretaries of the writers ‘ organizations testify and official cars with chauffeurs, ended. And thank God! In the literature are to give and not to take.

But Weller was able to their earned money to buy a home in Moscow.

— I had a very modest Soviet apartment in Tallinn, I have it at the time, was privatized. Like all. And to ascend to Moscow went not quickly. Here the harsh laws of capitalism. But it is an affront to social justice, which we have seen in the last 20 years, cannot last forever.

Today’s Russian Federation is a far less equitable state than the United States, Germany not to mention Sweden and Switzerland. Billionaires and the homeless are two inseparable sides of the same coin. You have to understand — billionaires do not exist without the oilers, drivers, fitters and welders, doctors and teachers, officers and programmers, the immense pyramid of workers, thanks to whom this oil is sold for dollars in the West. While the income gap – as the despots of the third world.

We have an unjust government with unjust distribution of the manufactured product, tax system unjust, unfair laws.

— What the hell is going on with the payroll tax: 13% with a minimum fee of 4.5 thousand, which is already below the subsistence minimum. The same 13% take with receiving 300-500 thousand and more. What embarrassed the government and does not take in a budget with a higher percentage of millionaires?

—One of the acute ironies of today’s reality is that of all civilized countries Russia is the most worldly, the most cynical and the most ruthless. And specially outfitted gentlemen dare to shout about our spirituality – with our then number of street children, with our giant gap between the poor and the fabulously wealthy billionaire in an instant, with our counterfeit medicines and fake products that are not safe to consume.

With our stores, so irresponsibly filled with expired products. Shout about spirituality — it’s a stinking cynicism. And my book is about sophisticated cynicism. It is because of this cynical and ruthless practices of people find themselves at rock bottom.

— Hot theladyskye your wise generalizations do not coincide with those of the program participants. And the spectator is interested in the opinion of Weller.

— The writer, the naked eye watching the pedestrian life of the city, while the rich drive around in cars with driver and flasher. And the writer sees all around, and homeless people, and homeless children. And talk shows is not valuable in the communication with the participants, and the opportunity to Express their own point of view, to tell the truth as you see it and understand. Sometimes, you don’t get the microphone, prevented to speak, but something always manages to insert. And thank you that there is such a possibility. But supporters and opponents – this is normal.

In Athens and Amsterdam

I read philosophical books Weller in his the theory of energomachine, awarded a medal at the world Congress of philosophy in Athens, where he made a report. And I asked Weller about his participation in this and other congresses of philosophers.

— Mikhail Iosifovich, let’s talk about philosophy.

— Today picture of world philosophy is extremely diverse and fragmented. To highlight the leading philosophers of the world is almost impossible, Regents of no. At the XXIII Congress in Athens in 2013 the main guest was Umberto Eco. But he got sick and the performance was held in the style of the Japanese Emperor: sent report read by his student under his huge portrait. Hall gave a standing ovation. Waited and jürgen Habermas, the eminent German philosopher, the ideologue of the left movement from the «Frankfurt school», but his age prevented to arrive (84 years giant).

On the photo: Mikhail Veller and Alvin Toffler. Photo from the personal archive.

But with the legendary Alvin Toffler, I had a chance to talk a half hour in a private meeting. The author of sociological bestsellers «future shock» and «Third wave», the Creator of the theory of postindustrial society has Russian roots and sympathize with the Russian culture. Hear from him an approval of his views is a great honor.

And every two years during the summer I meet my friends at conferences of the International Big History Association, which are held in different cities in the USA or Europe (this year in Amsterdam). Here scientists have common understanding of history as a unified process of development from microbes to modern civilization. And this is quite consistent with the theory of energomachine.

On the photo: Mikhail Veller and David Christian. Photo from the personal archive.

What is remarkable – with Professor David Christian, the founder and President of the Association, we in Leningrad lived in the same Dorm! We’re the same age, and he was a Slavonic scholar-trainee from England, then majored in Russian. Upon doing this, immediately had a drink and became friends.

It is better to bathe in the Mediterranean sea

— So after all, where is your home?

— I’m from the street, replied Gavroche. Officer’s son of the Soviet garrisons. I live in Moscow, here are published, will receive payments and pay taxes. In Tallinn many memorable, there remained flat, living daughter.

— How many times a year to visit Tallinn?

— Twice – for Christmas and New year, then summer. It’s quiet, easy to breathe and work safely. If we consider Tallinn as the holiday village is unequivocally the best holiday village in the world.

— In Tallinn or in Parnu bathe?

— Has not been allowed abroad, swam with delight: the house meadow, meadow forest, beyond the forest sea – a quarter of an hour’s walk. But after bathing in the Mediterranean sea cease to perceive the Baltics as a place for bathing. It’s like if a cat to spoil bacon and sour cream, it loses its appetite for rats.

In 91-m to year, I earned good money, my wife and I first went to Pitsunda. The beginning of October. Pitsunda was empty. Already smelled of war in Abkhazia. We lived in a huge and deserted building. It was my first summer vacation for my entire adult life. And I was only 43. Now I am 67. This year will be 68, «if God and the weather permits», as they say in Spanish.