Farewell to the sage. Fazil Iskander passed away

MOSCOW. In 88, the prose writer and poet Fazil Iskander died in the capital.

The combination of mind and conscience rewards wisdom. Iskander closed for himself a page called “politics” a quarter of a century ago, distancing himself from dubious privileges, protecting himself from compromises impossible for a decent person. "He silently did not recognize the shackles…". After the story with Metropol, when he fearlessly stood up for fellow writers expelled from the Union of Writers, and honest deputies in an era of revolutionary change — not for profit, but for taking care of people for him — he did not need to prove anything to anyone.

It is enough to open his “Sandro from Chegem”, the epic about his childhood “Chika”, “Constellation Kozlotur”, “Man and its surroundings”, “Rabbits and boas” to get answers to many questions. Decency and non-participation in meanness are constant concepts at all times. And to be a hero for this, according to Iskander, is not necessary. Life is unbearable, does the soul require change? Salvation is not in a bottle or suffering, but in creation. At the end of life, awareness of self-fulfillment gives peace. Chains that limit freedom will sooner or later rust and collapse if you spit on them. Humor, however, helps not to lose reason.

Iskander did not manage to receive the Nobel Prize, although the scale of his talent did not leave doubts about the validity of a positive verdict, if it was delivered on time. But great reader love, appreciation for the warm and kind world he created is a worthy compensation, the value of which only grows every year.

Elena Tanakova © Gallerix.ru