Moving away from the conditions of society and closer to nature,

we unwittingly become children;

everything acquired falls away from the soul,

and she becomes again the way she once was

and, surely, it will happen again someday.

M. Yu. Lermontov

On November 11, 2014, the anthology “45: Parallel Reality” was signed for publication, which is published as part of the Forum of Creative Unions dedicated to the Year of Culture in Russia “Unity of Music - Peoples Unity”, with the support of the Ministry of Culture Russian Federation and taking into account the results of the international poetry Internet marathon .

We have already reported that the book includes selections of 54 poets living in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Belgium, Germany, Canada, Lithuania, USA, France, Australia. Full list project participants can be seen on the double page title published today.

The circulation of the publication is 345 copies, the expected time of receipt from the AGRUS printing house (Stavropol) is December 1, 2014.

Well, the words of Mikhail Lermontov, included in the epigraph, are given on the front title of the anthology along with a quote from Alexander Green’s novel “Running on the Waves.”

I think now is the time to provide the text of the preface to the new anthology-45.

Dust of all roads

When in February 1967 I looked into Mailbox, a cosmic chill came over me: the first issue of Foreign Literature, entirely dedicated to science fiction, was delivered. It is clear that the issue was read from cover to cover, and the names of Robert Sheckley, William Tenn and Ray Bradbury entered into mental usage forever. The idea of ​​a parallel reality immediately became simple and close. Just like the concept of mental reality. After all, a person never resides entirely and completely in just one point in space - he constantly travels mentally, transporting himself through time.

Perhaps that is why the custom of seating a writer or poet on a geographical pole began to seem somewhat naive to me. Both writers and readers travel across continents of imagination. The word allows them to see places they have not been to, which, perhaps, they themselves have not been to. Of course, in poetry there is always a “genius loci”, but, feeding the imagination, it acts as a root, an umbilical cord, and not an anchor. Poetic teleportation serves mutual understanding, bringing together the most distant - physically - souls, and the motto of the Forum of Creative Unions dedicated to the Year of Culture in Russia “Unity of ties - peoples’ unity”, of course, echoes the main idea of ​​the anthology “ 45: parallel real reality”, published following the results of the online marathon Secret pipes of the “45th parallel”. The path to the implementation of the book project was long and difficult, many ideas had to be abandoned: for example, the sacred number 45 was transformed first into 50, and then into the lucky shapeshifter 54. But, of course, even parallel reality cannot accommodate all the strong poets.

We did not deprive the authors of their geographical roots, but invited them to expand them, to point out the hidden, implicit roots, welcoming those “settlements” that do not exist, including tea Troy and Carthage, Solovets and Zurbagan. It is in this way that we illustrate the concept of parallel reality, which can be encountered by residents of the most different corners world Meet, communicate and understand each other.

Let's talk about this reality a little more. After the release of the film “The Matrix” and others like it, many, many believed that with the help of computers it was possible to create illusory worlds, the inhabitants of which would not only consider themselves real people, but will also gain the opportunity to move from virtuality to reality and vice versa. By and large, there is little new in this: after all, cavemen, depicting scenes of a successful hunt (virtual, speaking modern language), thereby trying to influence the outcome of the hunt that lay ahead of them in reality. In other words, the concept of virtual (or mental) reality is as old as the world.

I remember how happy I was when I read in the Strugatsky brothers’ fairy tale “Monday Begins on Saturday” this partly humorous statement: “... there really is a world in which Anna Karenina, Don Quixote, Sherlock Holmes, Grigory Melekhov and even Captain Nemo live and act. This world has its own very curious properties and patterns, and the people who inhabit it are all the more vibrant, real and individual, the more talented, passionate and truthfully the authors of the corresponding works described them.”

We are talking here, however, only about described a world of various possibilities. If you force yourself to think thoroughly about such concepts as “invariant” and “infinity”, then (based on the fact that infinity divided by infinity still remains infinity) you can imagine some kind of invariant infinite number options - both imaginary, virtual, and that objectively existing one, which is “given to us in sensations.” This will be “alef, the center of all things.” By being here we mean not only the indicative, but also all possible - that is, infinitely many - subjunctive variants of the universe. All parallel worlds, all depictions of virtual paths of life development, as well as in general any possible (and impossible) fantasy are covered by the concept of “alef”. Only by admitting the existence of infinity can we explain the existence of what is given to us in sensations.

Art. Lem, in one of his “reviews of non-existent novels” very colorfully showed the improbability, or more precisely, the tendency towards zero probability of the existence of an individual: after all, in order for his parents to meet, a very long chain of accidents was required; and before that, the same chain of accidents preceded the acquaintance of the parents of both his parents, etc., etc. We can imagine the real existence of an infinite series parallel worlds, the probability of which being in exactly the form in which they, each individually, is inherent, is just as unlikely as ours. Moreover, time in these worlds can move in any direction and at any speed: perhaps in each of the living lives there lives “another person” living his life “counterclockwise”. Since the past does not disappear anywhere, we can walk through time in a different direction...

In the best works of art, one always feels the possibility of a way out, a breakthrough to true reality, and not that flat, apparent, imaginary one, about which Eduard Bagritsky wrote: “The stool is rough. The floor was killed by the sole."

Speaking about poetry (and literature in general), one cannot ignore the question of its role in the life of society. Many authors believe that literature does not have any impact on society and public morality. But understanding this is by no means easy, especially in those countries where the writer has long been among the rulers of thoughts. It is, of course, a sad discovery, especially for a writer, to realize that “we are unable to give anything.” The only consolation is that it, like any extreme, cannot be completely true. Writers and poets influence society, although they do not in any way lead it - they influence society by making them think and feel.

I did not set myself the task of analyzing in any detail the selections of authors participating in our anthology. I just want to say that the changeling 45, 54, gives general idea about the directions of modern Russian-language poetry, albeit far from complete. The indisputable fact is that poetry in Russian is alive and developing.

Returning to the beginning of my notes, I cannot help but remember once again the name of Ray Bradbury. In 1947, he wrote the story “The Meadow,” where, in an extended metaphor, he presented the whole world as a wasteland on which sets for a variety of films had accumulated over many years. The watchman describes this place as follows:

“You united Boston and Trinidad, made it so that Trinidad rests on Lisbon, and Lisbon leans against Alexandria on one side, linked Alexandria and Shanghai together, put together Chattanooga and Oshkosh, Oslo and Sweetwater, Soissons and Beirut, Bombay and Port with nails and crutches. Arthur. A bullet hits a man in New York, he sways, takes a step or two, and falls in Athens. In Chicago, politicians take bribes, and in London, someone is sent to prison... Everything is close, everything is so close to one another. We live here so closely that peace is simply necessary, otherwise everything will go to hell! One fire can destroy us all, no matter who starts it and why” (translated by Lev Zhdanov).

The world has become even smaller since then, and it seems to me that Bradbury’s metaphor is invisibly present in our anthology, it is scattered across the pages, uniting all authors and calling for moral responsibility for war crimes, for the struggle for world peace, against the revival of the ideology of national superiority. In our parallel reality, everything is too intertwined to allow someone to play with fire.

Actually, this is why we have gathered under one cover, as if at a round table: to take a closer look at each other, hear each other and understand. That’s why so many cities, both real and virtual, adorn our pages.

By building a single parallel reality, we adhere to the spirit and letter of the motto of the Forum of Creative Unions: “Unity of muses - unity of peoples.”

And finally, I would like to remind you of the many times quoted, but no less true, words of Evgeniy Vinokurov: “When Poetry exists, it may not be noticed by some people, but when it is not there, everyone begins to choke.”

Accent-45: Meanwhile, the editor-in-chief of almanac-45 continues to receive responses to our projects. We are publishing some of them today - naturally, with the permission of the senders of the letters.

Opinions of participants in the online marathon and anthology

How important is this - such a representative - competition (more precisely, an Internet marathon) Secret pipes of the “45th parallel”, and the release of an anthology in his wake. The reader is presented with a cross-section, a representative selection of modern Russian-language poetry, and the geographical aspect here is no less significant than the purely poetic.

You, Sergey, are doing a great job - on the pages of your publication, a variety of authors, united high level skills and a caring attitude to the pressing problems of our time. I am very glad to see among the winners the poets I already love, . I discovered something interesting for myself. The “45th Parallel” almanac works not only for the present, but also for the future. Someday, at the beginning of the 22nd century, our difficult era will be studied using it...

Moscow - Appalachia

Dear Sergey!

Sincerely grateful!

And personally to the chairman of the jury, and to the jury members!

I think the level of competition is convincingly high. Shackled by “geographical boundaries,” as I understood them, I did not present a more diverse selection of poems, as some colleagues did. The more expensive it is to be noted!

Cologne

I'm looking at the PDF of the book now. 45: parallel real reality” - what a great fellow you are! So beautifully made, with taste and love. And the authors are wonderful. Everyone brings their own world. You dive in and don’t want to get out...

Philadelphia

Dear Sergey and members of the jury!

I followed the progress of the competition with great interest and growing excitement, discovering more and more wonderful authors. Competing with them seemed to me extremely risky, almost hopeless, but the results made me incredibly happy. I sincerely thank you for the honor given to me to discover my name among the names of talented poets living not only in Russia, but throughout the world.

Nalchik

I have been friends with the 45th parallel for a long time: both geographically and literaryly. Several collections, two anthologies (I think there were more), two years of work as a jury member of the 45 Caliber competition. Each project was unique for me and in its uniqueness resembled musical instrument: one - a violin, another - a drum, the third - the impatient trembling of a guitar. This fall it was the turn of the pipes. Pipes, as they should be due to their ancient origins, have a simple and accessible interface, but this does not mean that playing them is easier than ever. Our online marathon managed to gather a whole bunch of strong authors. I won’t name everyone by name, I’ll just name my favorites: , . New selection - new world. And each of the worlds is wonderful. Allusions, hidden quotes- or deliberate simplicity? Social challenge - or tender femininity? Honestly, I would like to reward everyone - but what am I talking about? The muses have already awarded. And all I can do is congratulate and rejoice for my neighbor.

Yalta

* * *

Returned from a business trip. I opened the Internet, and there was the layout of the anthology with a very good, sincere, warm, heartfelt preface.

Respect! You really have collected the most interesting poets of our days under one cover! All the author's selections are made excellently: each of them is a real monologue of a creative soul, I would even say - a one-man show, in fact in the best sense of these words.

I won’t list names - it will work out long list, I’ll just say that many of them have grown to my heart. I was glad to see the poems here, whom I really appreciate and who wrote the preface to my new collection “Tatiana’s Day”, Tatyana Vinogradova... I think this parallel reality is not accidental.
Thank you, Sergey! And separately - for the foreword - thanks to Georgy!

Good luck to you in all your affairs and endeavors! With respect and admiration,

Wise thoughts

Great Russian poet, prose writer, playwright, artist, officer.

Quote: 171 - 187 of 210

The judgment of general opinion, erroneous everywhere, occurs, however, in our country on completely different grounds than in the rest of Europe; in England, for example, bankruptcy - an indelible dishonor - is a sufficient reason for suicide. A depraved prank in Germany closes the doors of good society forever (I’m not talking about France: in Paris alone there are more different general opinions than in the whole world) - but here?.. an announced bribe-taker is received very well everywhere: he is justified with the phrase: and! who doesn’t do this!.. The coward is treated kindly everywhere, because he is a quiet fellow, but involved in history! - O! there is no mercy for him: mothers say about him: *God knows what kind of person he is*, - and daddies add: *Bastard!..* (*Princess Ligovskaya*, 1836)

Judging the soul and mind of a woman by dancing a mazurka with her is the same as judging the opinion and feelings of a journalist by reading one of his articles. (*Princess Ligovskaya*, 1836)

Happiness is only where they love us, where they believe us.

So the moss-covered bottle is centuries old

Such is the poet: as soon as a thought flashes,
How he will shed with his pen
Whole soul; the sound of a loud lyre
The light enchants, and in silence
Sings, lost in a heavenly dream...

There there is good for good, and blood for blood, and hatred is immeasurable, like love. ("Izmail-Bey")

Now they regret it! TO dead people fair! But what is this regret? One tear of friendship is worth all the exclamations of the crowd! (* A strange man*, 1831)

Crowd gloomy and soon forgotten
We will pass over the world without noise or trace,
Without giving up the centuries a single fertile thought,
Not the genius of the work begun.

The same empty person who is filled with himself.

Here, here it goes through the soul
There is darkness of passions and sensations,
And often a gigantic thought turns on
The spring of an ardent mind...
And if you defeat the enemy with skill,
You will make fate fall at your feet with humility -
Then Napoleon himself
You will find it both pathetic and ridiculous. - (Kazarin about the game)
(*Masquerade*, 1835-1836)

You love a woman... you sacrifice her honor,
Wealth, friendship and life, perhaps;
You surrounded her with fun and flattery,
But why should she thank you?
You did it all out of passion
And pride, partly, -
To have her, you sacrificed everything,
And not for her happiness.
Yes, think about it calmly
And you can say for yourself that everything in the world is conditional. - (Kazarin to Arbenin)
(*Masquerade*, 1835-1836)

That’s why you loved me: joys are forgotten, but sorrows are never forgotten. ("Hero of our time")

Respect has boundaries, but love has none.

Moving away from the conditions of society and approaching nature, we involuntarily become children; everything acquired falls away from the soul, and it becomes again the same as it once was, and, most likely, will be someday again. (Part I “Bella”) (“Hero of Our Time”, 1838-1839)

This is Asia for me! Whether it’s people or rivers, you can’t rely on it! (Part I “Bella”, Staff Captain Maxim Maksimych) (“Hero of Our Time”, 1838-1839)

To die like that! the loss to the world is small; and I’m pretty bored myself. I am like a man yawning at a ball who does not go to bed only because his carriage is not yet there. But the carriage is ready... goodbye!.. (“Hero of Our Time”, 1838-1839)

Good tone reigns only where you don’t hear anything unnecessary, but alas! my friends! but how little you will hear there. (*Princess Ligovskaya*, 1836)

“Neither satiety, nor hunger, nor anything else is good if you exceed the measure of nature”

“The doctor treats diseases, but nature heals”

Hippocrates (born around 460 BC) – ancient Greek physician

“All nature strives for self-preservation”

“The main inclination of man is directed towards what is in accordance with nature”

“Every day nature itself reminds us how few, how small things it needs.”

“The earth never returns without surplus what it has received”

"There is nothing more inventive than nature"

Cicero Marcus Tullius - ancient Roman politician and philosopher

“Nature has always had more power than nurture”

Voltaire (1694 -1778) – French writer, philosopher, historian

“Nature submits only to those who submit to it”

“Nature can be conquered only by obeying its laws”

Bacon, Francis (1561 - 1626) - English philosopher

"Nature will always take its toll"

“Nature has flour and chaff, both vile and lovely”

“Mother nature is wise, but her son is brainless.”

Shakespeare William (1564 – 1616) - English poet, playwright

“Nature has taken care of everything so much that everywhere you find something to learn”

“In nature, everything is wisely thought out and arranged, everyone should mind their own business, and in this wisdom lies the highest justice of life.”

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) - Italian artist (painter, sculptor, architect)

“Nature does not provide for marriage”

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) – great commander And statesman, Emperor of the French in 1804 - 1815.

"Experience nature native land either with your own eyes or with the help of a book.”

Lomonosov Mikhail Vasilievich (1711-1765) - Russian natural scientist, poet, historian

“Nature told the woman: be beautiful if you can, wise if you want, but you must certainly be prudent.”

Beaumarchais Pierre(1739-1799) – French playwright, publicist

"How great artist, nature knows how to achieve great effects with small means.”

Heine Heinrich(1797 – 1856) - German poet, publicist, critic

"Nature is the creator of all creators"

“Nature does not have organs of speech, but creates tongues and hearts through which it speaks and feels.”

“Nature is the only book that contains deep content on all its pages”

“Nature is always right; mistakes and delusions come from people.”

“Nature’s plays are always new, because new audiences appear every time”

“God forgives and people forgive. Nature never forgives"

Goethe Johann Wolfgang (1749-1832) - German poet, thinker and naturalist

“Moving away from the conditions of society and approaching nature, we involuntarily become children: everything acquired falls away from the soul, and it becomes again the same as it once was and, most likely, will be someday again.”

Lermontov Mikhail Yuryevich (1814-1841) – Russian poet

“Not what you think, nature:

Not a cast, not a soulless face -
She has a soul, she has freedom,
There is love in it, there is language in it...”

Tyutchev Fedor Ivanovich (1803 -1873) - Russian poet

“Grandiose things are done with grandiose means. Nature alone makes great things for nothing.”

“All the aspirations and efforts of nature are completed by man; they strive towards it, they flow into it like into the ocean.”

“In nature, nothing arises instantly and nothing comes into being in a completely ready-made form.”

Herzen Alexander Ivanovich (1812-1870) - Russian writer, publicist, philosopher

“Disease is a healing remedy of nature itself with the aim of eliminating disorder in the body; therefore, medicine comes only to the aid of the healing power of nature."

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788 -1860) - German philosopher

“The great book of nature is open to everyone, and in this great book so far... only the first pages have been read”

Pisarev Dmitry Ivanovich (1840 – 1868) – literary critic, publicist

“God is cunning, but not malicious. Nature hides her secrets by her inherent height, and not by tricks."

“The joy of seeing and understanding is the most beautiful gift of nature”

Einstein Albert (1879 – 1955) - theoretical physicist, one of the founders of modern theoretical physics...

“Nature never makes mistakes; if she gives birth to a fool, that means she wants it.”

Henry Shaw (1818 - 1885) – American writer

“We cannot expect favors from nature; It’s our task to take them from her.”

Michurin Ivan Vladimirovich (1855 – 1935) – biologist, breeder

“There are no omens. Nature does not send us messengers - she is too wise or too ruthless for that.”

“Nature is by no means the mother who nurtured us. She is our creation."

“If nature is matter striving to become a soul, then art is the soul expressing itself in the material”

“The main purpose of nature, apparently, is to illustrate the lines of poets”

Wilde Oscar(1854-1900) - English philosopher, esthete, writer, poet of Irish origin.

“Humanity on Earth and the living and living things around it inanimate nature constitute something unified, living according to the general laws of nature"

“Man made a huge mistake when he imagined that he could separate himself from nature and ignore its laws.”

Vernadsky Vladimir Ivanovich (1863-1945) - Russian scientist, naturalist, founder of geochemistry, biogeochemistry, radiogeology, public figure.

“The first and undoubted duty of man is to participate in the struggle with nature for his life and the lives of other people.”

Tolstoy Lev Nikolaevich (1828-1910) – Russian writer

“Contact with nature is the most the last word all progress, science, reason, common sense, taste and excellent manners"

Dostoevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich (1821-1881) – Russian writer

“Love for one’s native country begins with love for nature”

"Understanding of nature, humane, careful attitude to it is one of the elements of morality, a particle of worldview"

Paustovsky Konstantin Georgievich (1892-1968) - Russian writer.

“Sooner or later we all come to the conclusion that if there is something natural and rational in nature, then we came up with it ourselves.”

“Nature is monstrously unfair. Talent is evidence of this."

Huxley Aldous (1894-1963) – English writer

“Man, not being clothed with beneficent nature, received from above the gift of tailoring”

"Human! Raise your gaze from the earth to the sky - what an amazing order there is there!”

"Wind is the breath of nature"

Kozma Prutkov -collective pseudonym of Alexei Tolstoy and brothers Alexei, Vladimir and Alexander Zhemchuzhnikov