Valery Ganichev: Love it

Today 85 year life died a famous writer, doctor of historical Sciences, Chairman of the Union of writers Valery Ganichev. Once we published an interview with him. Read it again and remember in prayer the departed Valeria.

Photo: Sergey Savostyanov / “Russian newspaper”

– You grew up in an atheistic time, but came to faith. What made this step?

I lived in a time of much atheism, my parents were people of Soviet. I like to say that my father was born on the sea bottom. Their village is now at the bottom of the Rybinsk reservoir. The family was a peasant. He graduated from the school of the railroad, worked for the Nikolaevskaya railway, then arrived at the station, Pestovo in Leningrad oblast, then was sent to Siberia. His first ciliated adult life I remember from Siberia where we were before the war.

Omsk oblast is a giant territory. We lived in the forest, then in the steppe area. Pre-war Siberia – a bit rigid, but dynamic. And this our life, Church life did not come, although the feeling, I can say, was quite Christian, but that these words are not mentioned. Our whole stay was associated with Christian virtues and rules of behavior.

Last year of the war I lived in Ukraine, in Poltava. There I learned and the Ukrainian people, to which, despite all the difficulties today, with great respect, and Ukraine itself, its literature, songs, Ukrainian movu, fell in love with them for life. It was there that I first became acquainted with some rites of our Church, since Ukraine had more temples and Church life remained. I remember singing Christmas carols, remember the Easter holidays, although in our family they were noted.

But truly to the faith I came later, through Russian culture, Russian history. I graduated from Kiev University named after Taras Shevchenko, faculty of history. Went to the library, where he took an old book that I without much publicity was given to read. Literature of our faith, our Church postholes, was a consciousness of my weakness was that I was using knowledge to heart understanding of the faith.

My late wife Svetlana, on the contrary, from childhood, still in German occupation on the territory of Ukraine, went to Church. In fourth or fifth grade, her teacher at school said, “Sveta, we know you go to Church, but only tie a red strip.” Their father, in 1937 he was arrested and never returned home. She, the youngest, was a few months old when he was taken. And still brother and sister. And then the strength of the Divine spirit strengthened them, joined, not given to decay.

His wife and daughter early came to faith, I later. Was a parishioner of several churches, the last – Filippovskiy on Prospekt Mira, with my wife, we went to the Sretensky monastery. And near the Union of writers of Russia on Komsomolsky Prospekt the Church of St. Nicholas in Khamovniki, who for many years nourishes and supports us.

Valery Ganichev – winner of his prize. Ceremony, 2014

– What is your understanding?

– The phrase that the family is the cell of society, of course, old. But without it, no family, really can not be a stable society. My wife wrote the book “the Kremlin kitchen”, I helped her and plunged into the world of everyday life of Russian families, from great princes to peasants.

Family in our nation was strong in the first place, communications with the main principles, which are offered by our Church. We did not introduce polygamy, or such “butterfly” relationships: here today, gone tomorrow – there. Although our art is today, hard to pass it off as a normal way of life. And the family in its best examples, they still are hidden from prying eyes, and this is understandable: people like all of the best to keep. Wine modern art and literature is that they rarely reinforce, and often even destroy human relationships. And we in the family hold.

– Do you agree with the statement that family is going through a certain crisis that love is time? You and your wife have lived a long life together…

– The family rests on love – perhaps not in that passionate, what people imagine and then try to replace it with anything else. Love has many components and goodness, and pity and some degree of trust and forgiveness of errors. Of course, there can be recessions associated with situations in life, with our sins, but it does not happen. In my opinion, this statement is a psychological ploy to prove that we love without cost. Yes, no cost!

Sometimes that love arises not at once, as she not only granted us from above, it is necessary to cherish, to help her. As said Igor Severyanin, our poet, emigrant, who suffered greatly from nostalgia:

What’s the point to groan and grieve –

Russia must be earned.

It is the same with love. Oh-Ah – this is not love. Need to earn love!

Valery Ganichev and his wife, Svetlana, in 1959. Photo: litnik.org

My wife and I have lived for over fifty years, and I must say, that was all. And long trips for which it I, however, never criticized. And Hobbies, however, never beyond. She never reproached him, she just looked, and that look went all to the background. We had no dramas, just some misunderstandings.

In the last year, we took a trip to my homeland, in the city of Nikolaev, went to the graves of our mothers, visited the Holy Land. We had been there before, but this year it is revealed to us as something special. And so it was that we just missed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the monks had already closed down, started cleaning. In front of the temple are 300 people late. And my wife stand with us, a nun from the Russian monastery. And suddenly a monk comes out, sees us, says, “Come!” A miracle!

It is a miracle accompanied us in another temple, in Cana of Galilee. Come, the Orthodox Church was closed, and we’re leaving in a few hours. I said, “Have to return”. And she said, “I will pray in front of the gate.” And at that moment leaves the monk with a gesture invites us to come in.

And when she died, I was with her in this last day. It was in Belgorod, we went there to relax but she became ill. She had a stroke. The next morning I was allowed into the chamber. She saw me and told the nurses: “Girls, this is my husband, Valery, I love him very much”. To be honest, we didn’t often say those words to each other. And I ached inside: she loves me. And you say: love is…

Svetlana has always been my friend, ally, comrade and, of course, she was love itself. It was the life and ornament of our life. She is extremely loved flowers. All our balcony in the apartment – some kind of Botanical garden. She gave me a healthy respect for flowers and daughter Marina, too. And in the apartment where he now lives granddaughter, many flowers survived. Aesthetics should surround woman, a family, children. And my daughter, my girls all this continue.

And most importantly – she loved people, always trying to find in them something extraordinary, no one is ever condemned, all remember – and birthdays, and the children, and that someone happens… she always had a lot of our friends, but she maintained these relationships, cared about everyone, was worried…

You raised not only his daughter Marina, but two girls, now very famous actress and leading Catherine Strizhenova and fashion designer Victoria Andrejanova.

I don’t consider myself a great teacher, many took Svetlana, because she thought I was a liberal on this issue. But together we raised our daughter, which traveled around the country, in small towns of Russia, and the children of my friend Vladimir Tomana who were together with us in all our Affairs.

Vladimir was my Deputy, we worked together and lived nearby. And when he was gone, and he was then 39 years old, this was the first death near us at such a young age, there are two wonderful girls and wife Val, our good friend. We didn’t see any difference between them and our daughter. All were together, all told each other. We watched as they advance. Katya Strizhenova now, then very successful in the dance. And Vita (now Andreyanova) was always drawing princesses. We all said that she does stupid things, and now she’s one of the best fashion designers.

And always glad to see them and their children. These are our children. Now Marina, Vita, Katya is such a joy, such care, and even pride in what I bouquet.

I’m surrounded by some girls: and Vita with Kate, the daughter, and my granddaughter Anastasia is also my granddaughter – Juliana and Taisia. Remember, I was awarded some sort of prize when the message came that I was born great-granddaughter. This, of course, all told. What kind of prize. Me and one woman said: “You know that when a person is born granddaughter, he is forgiven 50% of sins.” So I say: “I was the second!” – “So, you all 100!”

I always tried for them to be an example. Never in their presence, not to say rude. We always took them with him to certain events, holidays which I spent, or rewarding, that they may see that their uncle Valera, father Marina is a real person who is doing something and it gets the rating companies.

But to punish them I do not know how. Neither to punish nor to astrogate.

Valery Ganichev a great-granddaughter of Taisiya. 2013. Photo: litnik.org

You for a long time was Deputy editor of the magazine “Young guard”, then headed the publishing house “Young guard”. What’s the difference between that and today’s youth?

For the difference, which is visible today, responsible older generation, this is it, or by indulgences, or lack of attention, or choosing the wrong samples, had an influence on the young. I don’t want to remove the blame from the young generation with their stillness, shyness, withdrawal clean technology life, but in the end all this led to what we have.

Indeed, I have fifty years of publishing books, and I was struck by one survey in which 30% of people responded that they did not read the books, do not read and will not be read. In this they have no interest or meaning. I remember in the 60s when we came to work, the first question was: “have you read it? I read that it was in “Literaturnaya Gazeta”, “New world”, “October”?” And now this question almost will not hear. That’s the trouble with the younger generation. We must speak seriously, and need to find a way out. Output is addressed to those who write, write well, and to those who make now often, publishers reduce the taste of the readers.

But most importantly, maybe it’s a family. I still remember those evenings, when uncle Bob, the combine, ran her finger across the page of Pushkin, reading me and your brother. I was five years old, my brother seven. We have listened carefully. And the question of reading – the most important: you need to read together in the family, on the radio, people listened, asked the meaning. This is now important.

The “Vinograd” magazine, № 4 (66), July – August 2015

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