"Everyone is lying!":
NS Academy Mikhalkova and the Goslitmuseum will hold open lectures about Chekhov as part of the Metamorphoses festival

From 2 to 8 October 2020 within the framework of the special project “Metamorphoses. Festival of one day "of the Academy of Cinematographic and Theater Arts N. S. Mikhalkov will host open lectures dedicated to the 160th anniversary of the birth of A.P. Chekhov, which will be conducted by: Deputy Director for Scientific Work of the State Museum of the History of Russian Literature named after V.I.. Chekhov "in Moscow, a member of the Chekhov Commission of the Russian Academy of Sciences, candidate of philological sciences Ernest Orlov and a leading researcher of the department of the State Museum of the History of Russian Literature named after V. I. Dahl" House-Museum of A. P. Chekhov ", candidate of cultural studies Viktor Zaitsev. The topic of the lecture is "Everybody lies: memories of A.P. Chekhov and the metamorphoses of our time." Free lectures will be held for students and graduates of humanitarian universities, representatives of creative professions in Nizhny Novgorod, Cheboksary, Yoshkar-Ola and Kazan.All events will take place in strict compliance with the sanitary and epidemiological requirements prescribed by the Rospotrebnadzor Administration.

Memories are the only source of our knowledge about how Chekhov spoke, how he laughed, how he communicated with people, how he worked, what habits he possessed. But recollection is always a reconstruction of what was seen before, always some kind of conjecture, and sometimes even fiction. A huge complex of memories of Chekhov, many of which began to appear in print immediately after the death of the writer, is fraught with surprising contradictions.

Different people who knew him in different years, who saw him in different states and moods, who appreciated him during his lifetime or recognized his talent only after his death, who were simultaneously in love and envied him, reflect on the writer… In almost all his memories, Chekhov appears as cheerful, smiling, laughing. But it seems that in the public creation there is not a single portrait of the writer where he even smiled. “In describing Chekhov’s appearance, the memoirists often contradicted each other: in different ways they remembered the color of the eyes, the manner of speaking, the manner of dressing and behaving, even the peculiarities of the creative process were presented by them ambiguously. Perhaps this diversity of points of view, with a proper commentary, of course, will serve to form a more vivid idea of Chekhov - a writer and a person, ”admits Viktor Zaitsev.

“Today’s image of Chekhov - with numerous layers of mythology and myth-making, which is to blame for the approximation and relativity, as well as the reluctance of our contemporaries to find out the fact - is greatly distorted and simplified. But does his frequent presence on stage and on the screen bring us closer to Chekhov? Is the growing literature about the writer helping us? Let’s try to figure it out together, ”concludes Ernest Orlov.

The rules for attending events for participants have been adjusted in accordance with the prescribed sanitary and epidemiological requirements of Rospotrebnadzor. Wearing personal protective equipment (masks and gloves) and measuring body temperature with a non-contact thermometer at the entrance to a building will become mandatory. Visitors with a body temperature above 37 degrees and / or having visual symptoms of respiratory diseases (cough, runny nose, weakness) will not be allowed on the territory of the organization. If a queue forms at the entrance to the building, it will be necessary to observe the minimum permissible social distance of 1.5 meters. Seats for participants are distributed with social distance to one place.

Admission to the event is free and will be carried out by prior registration using the links. Students and graduates of humanitarian universities, representatives of creative professions, specialists from the theater and film industry will be able to attend the lecture. More about the project - www.academynsm.ru.

A video message from the rector of the Academy, People’s Artist of Russia N. S. Mikhalkov, dedicated to the holding of the One Day Festival in the cities of the Volga region of Russia, was published on the official channel of the Academy on YouTube - https://youtu.be/2bIiF7mgV2A

Schedule of lectures:

October 4, 2020 from 15:00 to 17:00
Chuvash State Opera and Ballet Theater (MFZ), Cheboksary, Moskovsky Prospect, 1
Lecturer: Viktor Zaitsev

October 6, 2020 from 15:00 to 17:00
Mari National Drama Theater named after M. Shketan (Small Hall), Yoshkar-Ola, pl. Lenin, 2
Lecturer: Ernest Orlov

October 8, 2020 from 11:00 to 13:00
House of the Actor. M. Salimzhanova (Small Hall), Kazan, st. Shchapova, 37
Lecturer: Ernest Orlov

Information note about lecturers

Ernest Orlov - Deputy Director for Research at the State Museum of the History of Russian Literature named after V.I. Dalia is the head of the department "House-Museum of A.P. Chekhov" in Moscow. Member of the Chekhov Commission of the Russian Academy of Sciences, candidate of philological sciences. Author of over 40 articles and publications about Chekhov and his entourage, museum mythology and the history of Chekhov’s museums.

Viktor Zaitsev is a leading researcher in the department of the State Museum of the History of Russian Literature named after V.I. Dahl “House-Museum of A.P. Chekhov ". Candidate of Cultural Studies. The author of articles about A.P. Chekhov, his literary reputation and modern reception of the image and work of the writer.

Information note about the project

Special project “Metamorphoses. Festival of One Day "- a large-scale cultural and educational project of the Academy of NS Mikhalkov, telling about the work of the great writers A.P. Chekhov and I.A. Bunin. In 2020, the Festival will be held from 2 to 8 October 2020 and will cover four cities of the Volga region at once: Nizhny Novgorod, Cheboksary, Yoshkar-Ola and Kazan. This format presupposes carrying out an eventful program within one day, with a change in the venue of the festival ("one city - one day"). The festival is timed to coincide with the dates of birth of the writers: the 160th anniversary of the birth of A.P. Chekhov and the 150th anniversary of the birth of I.A. Bunin. Various events will take place within the framework of the project: lectures on the life and work of A.P. Chekhov for a wide range of listeners of the State Museum of the History of Russian Literature named after V.I. Dahl,master classes for actors and students of specialized universities, as well as a charity show of the performance of the Academy of N.S. Mikhalkov “Metamorphoses-V. Madrid ”, the artistic director of the performance is People’s Artist of Russia Nikita Mikhalkov. Throughout the Festival, the exhibition “Chekhov. Life Line ", created jointly with the State Literary and Memorial Museum-Reserve of A.P. Chekhov" Melikhovo ". It will highlight the four main periods of the writer’s life and work: Taganrog, Moscow, Melikhovo, Yalta. Visitors will learn about the origins of the writer’s talent, his literary and charitable activities, hobbies, friendship and creative ties. All four sections corresponding to the periods of Chekhov’s life will be illustrated with photographs, documents, and objects of fine art.The event is held for the third year in a row with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. Over the entire period of the project, the festival was held with particular success in 8 cities of the country (Sochi, Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Essentuki, Ryazan, Tula, Kaluga and Orel), the total number of participants was more than 8,000 people.