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Fantastic Brothers Strugatsky table of contents. Strugatsky brothers

Briefly about the article: Ask any sci-fi fan the question: “Which of our science fiction writers is best known and most read?”. Eight out of ten will answer - the Strugatsky brothers. The Strugatskys have always been read and will be read for a long time to come. Already during their lifetime, they became classics of science fiction, recognized not only in our country, but also abroad. And this is not an accident, but a completely natural result of their true talent and skill. What is the secret of popularity and recognition of the Strugatskys?

STAR TANDEM

WORLDS AND BOOKS OF THE STROGATSKII BROTHERS

Ask any sci-fi fan the question: “Which of our science fiction writers is best known and most read?”. Eight out of ten will answer - the Strugatsky brothers. The Strugatskys have always been read and will be read for a long time to come. Already during their lifetime, they became classics of science fiction, recognized not only in our country, but also abroad. And this is not an accident, but a completely natural result of their true talent and skill. What is the secret of popularity and recognition of the Strugatskys?

Start

The first book of the brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky - "The Country of Crimson Clouds" - was published in the late fifties. Then, in the authors of a small volume, few could see the future rulers of fantastic thoughts. But already this book, not free from shortcomings, was distinguished by the charm characteristic of the Strugatskys. It's hard to say what it is. Maybe in living, vivid characters. Or maybe in the fact that the authors showed heroism (albeit somewhat pictorial) not as a one-time manifestation of courage and ingenuity, but as daily, hard work.

After this story, others began to appear, more and more talented and bright. At first creative activity Arkady and Boris Strugatsky were extremely productive. Published in three years five their books, and from each the authors climbed new step writing skill. It is not surprising that the army of Strugatsky fans increased with each new work of the brothers.

Despite the fact that the Strugatsky brothers did not have such a disastrous addiction to serials for modern authors, one major cycle in their creative heritage can be singled out. This is the so-called world of Noon, which got its name from the collection "Noon, XXII century". The Noon cycle includes a dozen and a half books by the Strugatskys, the events described cover the period from the end of the twentieth to the beginning of the twenty-third centuries.

The books of the cycle are united, first of all, by a common vision of the world and through characters, but they cannot be called a series. Central character one work may be briefly mentioned in another, and even the most little story quite independent. The topics of the books included in the cycle are also diverse. If in early works The Strugatskys described the hard everyday life of space pilots and planetary scientists of the future, then in later authors turned to ethical and social problems. And these problems in the world of Half Day are no less than in ours, and sometimes they are so acute that they hopelessly cripple the psyche of the seemingly inflexible supermen of a bright future. Are they supermen?

The heroes of the communist, kind and bright future are practically no different from our contemporaries, with the exception of some moral attitudes. It was this simple and natural view that gave rise to a genuine interest in the books of the Strugatskys. After all, before them, attempts to describe this very future, permeated with love and respect for one's neighbor, were ... let's say, not entirely successful. And, although the Strugatskys themselves said that the world of Midday is a dream world that is unlikely to ever take place exactly in the form in which it is described, it was created so realistically that it forever leaves a mark not only in the head, but also in reader's heart.

World Half Day

1. Country of crimson clouds

2. The path to Amalthea

3. Interns

4. Predatory things of the century

5. Noon, XXII century (Return)

6. Far Rainbow

7. It's hard to be a god

8. inhabited island

10. The guy from the underworld

12. Beetle in an anthill

13. Escape attempt

14. Waves dampen the wind

Novels and short stories

A Tale of Friendship and Enmity

Monday starts on Saturday

The Tale of the Troika

Hotel at the “Dead Climber”

Second Martian Invasion

Roadside Picnic

A billion years before the end of the world

Snail on the slope

doomed city

Burdened with Evil, or Forty Years Later

Lame fate

Scripts, plays

eclipse days

wish machine

five spoons of elixir

The Jews of the city of St. Petersburg

stories

six matches

Spontaneous reflex

Emergency

sand fever

Poor evil people

First people on the first raft

The Man from Pacifis

In our interesting time

Forgotten experiment

Private assumptions

SKIBR test

Progressor - not an aggressor?

One of the most interesting finds brothers Strugatsky became the theme of progressorism. The Progressors are an organization of scientists who research the lives of others, less developed civilizations and intervene in the historical course of events for the purpose ... But for what purpose? The Strugatskys themselves do not give an unequivocal answer to this question.

For the first time progressorism appears in the story "It's hard to be a god." Earthlings, disguised as natives, work on the planet of "developed feudalism" and try to save the best representatives of humanity there from destruction, moral and physical. However, any physical impact on earthlings is prohibited, so their activities are not always successful: for a few rescued, there are tens and hundreds of those destroyed. Earthlings face a choice with all severity: either actively intervene in the course of events, reshape history - or stay on the sidelines, watching the death of great scientists, artists and poets.

In the novel "Inhabited Island" main character, who finds himself face to face with an unfamiliar and often hostile world, solves this problem on his own. And, as a person with a very specific moral position, he makes an obvious decision for himself, which leads to unpredictable consequences. The Strugatskys, as it were, raise us to the next level of understanding: what can actions lead to, which, it would seem, are the only true ones? Do we have the right to single-handedly solve other people's problems, even from the principles of humanism?

In the stories “The Beetle in the Anthill”, “The Waves Extinguish the Wind”, “The Boy from the Underworld”, the theme of progressorism is visible, but fades into the background. But it appears in the "Attempt to Escape". In this book, the Strugatsky brothers, probably for the first time, pose the problem of social progressorism to its full potential. Can and has the right a small handful of people, albeit incredibly technically advanced, albeit filled with the most humane feelings, to change the course of history and make people feel like people, not cattle? The answer remains open...

Fantasy of the present

The remaining books of the Strugatskys are individual works With own themes, worlds and heroes. It is these novels and stories that are perhaps the strongest both in terms of the issues raised and in style. The Strugatskys clearly see the task of each work and skillfully solve it. Undoubtedly, the severity of the problems. Sometimes the Strugatskys have to resort to a manner that is not accessible to every reader. For example, “The Snail on the Slope” is written in the spirit of Kafka, the same style of writing is visible in “The Doomed City”. Allegory - in general forte brothers, often helping them bypass censorship.

One of the first books that can be attributed to the fantasy of the present day was the most famous story of the writers - “Monday begins on Saturday”. The authors themselves called it “a fairy tale for scientists younger age". "Monday" is not such a simple thing as it might seem at first glance. On the one hand, this is a fun, sometimes hiccup-ridden story written using a fairy tale setting. Between the Research Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the real world there are no contradictions. IN Eventually, any scientist is a bit of a magician and a sorcerer. Actually, the whole essence of "Monday" lies in the title. This is a book about people who ... it was more interesting to bring to the end or start again some useful thing than to drown oneself with vodka, senselessly kick your legs, play forfeits and engage in flirting of varying degrees of ease. ... Every person is a magician at heart, but he becomes a magician only when he begins to think less about himself and more about others, when it becomes more interesting for him to work than to have fun in the old sense of the word”.

“Monday” was followed by “Roadside Picnic”, “Doomed City”, “Snail on the Slope”, “A Billion Years Before the End of the World”, “Burdened by Evil”, “Ugly Swans”. The theme of progression, however, in mirror image, reappears in the "Hotel at the Dead Climber": alien observers against their will interfere in the affairs of people and die tragically.

In the center of these works of the Strugatsky brothers is a man from our present, burdened with vices. modern world, for various reasons facing the problem of choice. It would seem that the topic is hackneyed, repeatedly studied in the literature, but the Strugatskys give it a new vision, placing their heroes in fantastic and irrational conditions.

On the benefits of classical reading

Even against the backdrop of the most diverse modern science fiction, the works of the Strugatskys remain “first freshness”. And in many ways - thanks to the talent and skill of the brothers.

In each of their books, even in the early stories from the world of Midday, the Strugatsky brothers try to show the reader the reasons that make the world around us exactly the way it is - complex, contradictory, and sometimes repulsive. But any of their work ends, however, on an optimistic note. The Strugatskys have blood, and horror, and farce, and cruel mockery, but the conclusion from all this is far from tragic. Just the opposite - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky believe in the power of the mind and the human spirit, despite the nightmarish reality of the present.

But not only this was the reason for their popularity and genuine interest in their books. The Strugatskys fully possess the true skill of a writer, that which attracts the widest possible audience. Everyone will find for himself in the books of the brothers what is close to him. The plot in their works is built in such a way that, having captured, it does not let go until the very denouement. However, to build a famously twisted plot is within the power of any more or less sophisticated writer. But to weave into the canvas of the narrative, along with the fascinating adventures of the body, no less exciting adventures of the spirit, to build a coherent picture of the worldview of the characters, to make them not so much wave swords and fists as to think hard, and even season this mixture with a fair amount of good humor - this , alas, not given to everyone.

There is another strength of the Strugatskys - the multi-layered nature of their books. You never get tired of re-reading the novels and stories of the brothers: every time you discover something new for yourself. And the ambiguous ending of most of the works allows you to mentally play with the plot, bring it to that logical end that is closest to you.

The life of the Strugatsky brothers

The most famous photograph of the Strugatsky brothers.

The eldest of the brothers, Arkady Natanovich, was born in Batumi in 1925. Almost immediately, the Strugatsky family moved to Leningrad, where Boris Natanovich was born eight years later. During the years of the Great patriotic war The Strugatskys were evacuated, Arkady was drafted into the armed forces. Having received a diploma of Japanese translator at the military institute, he served until 1955. In the army, Arkady began writing stories and translating Japanese authors. literary life Arkady Strugatsky began after demobilization: he worked in the editorial office of the "Referative Journal", in the publishing houses "Detgiz" and "Goslitizdat".

Boris Strugatsky graduated from the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of the Leningrad University and worked for several years as an astronomer at the Pulkovo Observatory. After the publication of several books by the brothers, they were accepted into the Union of Writers of the USSR and were able to devote themselves entirely to literature.

The Strugatsky brothers are winners of numerous awards, both literary and fantastic. A special place in the list of awards is occupied by the Aelita and Grand Ring awards, the Jules Verne Prize (Sweden), and the Prize for Independence of Thought (Great Britain). One of the asteroids in the solar system is named after the Strugatsky brothers.

Arkady Natanovich Strugatsky died in 1991. Boris Natanovich currently leads a seminar for young science fiction writers, and also edits the science fiction magazine “Noon. XXI Century". The official website of the writers is located at www.rusf.ru/abs.

* * *

The significance of the Strugatskys' work can hardly be overestimated. Firstly, a whole generation of readers grew up on their books, who not only absorbed the ideas of the brothers, but also became true connoisseurs of good science fiction literature. Secondly, the Strugatskys served as a creative detonator for next generation writers, many of whom studied with the Masters directly, at seminars and gatherings of science fiction writers. And finally, thirdly. Can you imagine a fantasy fan who hasn't read The Lord of the Rings? I can not either. Therefore, if you do not just indulge in science fiction from time to time, but consider yourself a real fan of it, then you simply need to read the Strugatskys. In the end, it's just incredibly interesting.

Arkady Natanovich Strugatsky was born on August 28, 1925 years in the city of Batumi, then lived in Leningrad. Father is an art critic, mother is a teacher. With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he worked on the construction of fortifications, then - in a grenade workshop. At the end of January 1942, together with his father, he was evacuated from besieged Leningrad. Miraculously survived - the only one of the entire car. He buried his father in Vologda. He ended up in the city of Chkalov (now Orenburg). In the city of Tashla, Orenburg region, he worked at a milk collection point, where he was drafted into the army. He studied at the Aktobe Art School. In the spring of 1943, just before graduation, he was seconded to Moscow, to the Military Institute foreign languages. He graduated in 1949 with a degree in translation from English and Japanese. He was teaching at the Kansk School of Military Translators, served as a divisional translator in the Far East. Demobilized in 1955. He worked in the Abstract Journal, then as an editor in Detgiz and Goslitizdat.

Boris Natanovich Strugatsky was born on April 15, 1933. in Leningrad, he returned there after the evacuation, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky graduated from the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Leningrad State University with a diploma in astronomy, worked at the Pulkovo Observatory; since 1960 - a professional writer. Member of the Union of Writers. He was published mainly in collaboration with his brother (also known for translations of the American SF - in collaboration with his brother, under the pseudonyms S. Pobedin and S. Vitin). Laureate of the State Prize of the RSFSR (1986 - for the script of the film "Letters dead man”, together with V. Rybakov and director K. Lopushansky). Permanent leader of the seminar of young science fiction writers at the St. Petersburg Writers' Organization. Lived and worked in St. Petersburg.

Science Fiction Strugatsky Brothers

Widespread fame came to the Strugatsky brothers after the publication of the first Science Fiction stories, which were examples of good-quality "hard" (natural science) Science Fiction and differed from other works of those years by great attention to the psychological development of characters - "Six Matches" (1959), "Test of the TFR "(1960)," Private Assumptions "(1960) and others; the majority was the collection Six Matches (1960). In a number early stories the Strugatsky brothers for the first time successfully tested the method of constructing their own history of the future - the first and to this day remaining unsurpassed in Soviet Science Fiction. Unlike similar large-scale constructions by R. Heinlein, P. Anderson, L. Niven and other science fiction writers, the near future according to the Strugatskys did not have a clearly defined chronological scheme from the very beginning (it was later restored by enthusiastic readers from the Ludens research group) , but more attention was paid to the creation of "through" characters, passing from book to book and mentioned sporadically. As a result, individual fragments eventually formed into a bright, multicolored, internally evolving and organic mosaic - one of the most significant worlds of Science Fiction in Russian literature.

The list of awards and prizes below is far from complete. In the list compiled by Vadim Kazakov, only in the period from 1959 to 1990, 17 awards and other distinctions received by the Strugatskys are mentioned (almost half of which are foreign). They received the first of the prizes in 1959 for the story "The Land of Crimson Clouds" - third place in the competition for the best book on science and technology for schoolchildren, held by the Ministry of Education of the RSFSR (the first place was taken by "The Andromeda Nebula" by I. A. Efremov).

Columnist of the magazine "World of Science Fiction" Vasily Vladimirsky especially for RIA Novosti

On November 19, Boris Strugatsky, a great writer, founder of literary school, wise and good man. April 15, 2013 Boris Natanovich would have turned eighty years old. Closed final chapter the history of Soviet science fiction, in which the Strugatsky brothers wrote the brightest pages. It is almost impossible to single out the main works from the not so extensive bibliography of the Strugatskys. Each text became a significant milestone - both those that the authors themselves did not like, like their first book "The Land of Crimson Clouds" (1959), and those that were published less often than others, like "The Tale of Friendship and Enmity" (1980), and those that were written "solo" - by Arkady Natanovich under the pseudonym S. Yaroslavtsev ("Details of the life of Nikita Vorontsov", "Expedition to the underworld", "The Devil among people") and Boris Natanovich under the pseudonym S. Vititsky ("Search for Destiny, or Twenty-seventh theorem of ethics", "Powerless of this world"). But still, I would venture to name five ABS books (an abbreviation accepted among fans of their work) that everyone should read. man of culture who speaks Russian so as not to miss the references and reminiscences that are densely saturated modern literature. Why are there subtexts - there are things that you need to know just so as not to lose the thread in a table conversation.

"It's Hard to Be a God" (1964)

The story, which was conceived as a light, bravura, adventurous, "musketeer", but became one of the most controversial works of the Strugatskys, most often causing irritation in high offices. A book about attempts to change human nature and the ethics of such attempts. It is generally accepted that the story "It's Hard to Be a God" largely influenced the idea of the Soviet intelligentsia about the "fraternal help" that the USSR generously provided. developing countries and neighbors in the socialist camp. However, the Strugatskys themselves did not share this opinion: they were interested in closer historical parallels, not without reason in one of the first editions of Don Rabu, " gray cardinal"Arkanara, called don Rebia without any fuss.

"Monday Starts Saturday" (1965)

"Tale for scientific staff younger age", a cheerful and dashing ode to creative work and people who are "more interested in working than resting". The best cure for depression and blues, a handbook for every self-respecting young scientist of the 1960s, which has not lost its relevance to this day for those who loves his work to the point of unconsciousness.Along with the film "Nine Days of One Year" and the novel by Daniil Granin "I'm going into a thunderstorm" became one of the main symbols of the scientific and technological flourishing in the USSR of that time, literary embodiment genuine enthusiasm, still remembered with nostalgia.

"Snail on the slope" (1966-1968)

A phantasmagoria about an unbearable present and an unpredictable future, about an eternal escape from the surrounding reality, leading to nowhere. Masterly work with counterpoint, brilliant detailing. Researchers compare this thing with the works of Franz Kafka, for the Strugatskys themselves, "Snail on the Slope" marked a departure from the traditional "Sixties" science fiction and became a turning point story, on which they worked for several years, creating two radically different versions. In the pages of this book, they are the first authors of their generation to come to the realization that the future that people with the purest motives are building is likely to turn out to be not at all what was expected, and is unlikely to meet the creators with open arms. Time has confirmed the correctness of this view.

"Roadside Picnic" (1972)

The most resonant thing of the Strugatskys, which launched the word "stalker" into wide circulation. The story of ABS gave Andrei Tarkovsky a reason to create a two-part film, which entered the golden fund of world cinema. As always - about human happiness and about deaf roundabout paths that sometimes lead to it. The original source is very far from the picture of Tarkovsky, and even more so from the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. .

"A Billion Years Before the End of the World" (1977)

How to survive in unbearable conditions, under extreme pressure, when the universe itself rebels against you, how not to betray what is dear to you, to save your life's work - this topic turned out to be especially important for ABS at the end of the 1970s. The theory of the Homeostatic universe put forward on the pages of this book, reflexively striving to destroy everyone who is capable of destroying the "status quo", the established order of things, continues to be confirmed before our eyes. "A billion years before the end of the world" is a text that best conveys the atmosphere of "mature stagnation", but at the same time not hacked to death by censorship, not gone into "samizdat" and "tamizdat", but quite officially published on the pages of the Soviet press. That in itself is a phenomenon on the verge of fantasy.

The name of the Strugatsky brothers is well known to the multi-million army of science fiction fans. amazing world, created on the pages of their works, invariably attracts and fascinates readers. These bright, talented works have become ... ... Encyclopedia of newsmakers

Arkady Natanovich (1925-1991) and Boris Natanovich (b. 1933) prominent prose writers, film writers, co-author brothers, leaders of the Soviet. NF 1960 1980s; classics of modern science fiction, whose influence on its development is indisputable; writers of short stories and novels

Russian writers brothers, co-authors, Arkady Natanovich (1925-91) and Boris Natanovich (b. 1933). Scientific fantasy stories and story. Social fiction, with elements of the grotesque, about the development of civilization and the role of the individual in society in stories... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Strugatsky, Arkady Natanovich (1925-1991) and Boris Natanovich (b. 1933) Russian writers. Brothers. A.N. Japaneseist, B.N. star astronomer (Pulkovo). The authors of a number of utopias and anti-utopias written in the only possible genre in the USSR in the 1960s and 1980s ... ... The latest philosophical dictionary

STRUGATSKY, Russian writers, co-authors, brothers: Arkady Natanovich (1925-91) and Boris Natanovich (born 1933). Prose in the genre of socially philosophical science fiction, with elements of the grotesque and humor, about the development of civilization and the role of the individual in ... ... Russian history

Russian writers, brothers, co-authors. Arkady Natanovich (1925-1991) and Boris Natanovich (b. 1933). Science fiction stories and novels. Social fiction, with elements of the grotesque, about the development of civilization and the role of the individual in society in ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Strugatsky- Arkady Natanovich Strugatsky. STRUGATSKY, Russian writers, brothers, co-authors: Arkady Natanovich (1925-1991) and Boris Natanovich (born in 1933). Science fiction stories and novels. Socio-philosophical fiction, with elements of the grotesque, oh ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Prominent Russian. owls. prose writers, screenwriters, co-author brothers, the undisputed leaders of the owls. NF for three recent decades and the most famous owls. science fiction writers abroad (at the beginning of the 1991s, 321 book publications in 27 countries); classics of modern ... ... Big biographical encyclopedia

Arkady Natanovich (b. 28.8.1925, Batumi) and Boris Natanovich (b. 15.4.1933, Leningrad), brothers, Russians Soviet writers, co-authors. Arkady S. graduated from the Military Institute of Foreign Languages in Moscow (1949). Boris S. graduated from mechanical ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

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Books

Brothers Strugatsky, Volodikhin Dmitry Mikhailovich, Prashkevich Gennady Martovich. Brothers Arkady Natanovich (1925-1991) and Boris Natanovich (born 1933) Strugatsky occupy a very special place in history domestic literature. Recognized classics of scientific and social…
Brothers Strugatsky, Volodikhin D., Prashkevich G.. Brothers Arkady Natanovich (1925-1991) and Boris Natanovich (born 1933) The Strugatskys occupy a very special place in the history of Russian literature. Recognized classics of scientific and social…

Arkady and Boris Strugatsky on the balcony. 1980s Name at birth:

Arkady Natanovich Strugatsky, Boris Natanovich Strugatsky

Aliases:

S. Berezhkov, S. Vitin, S. Pobedin, S. Yaroslavtsev, S. Vititsky

Date of Birth: Citizenship: Occupation: Years of creativity: Genre:

Science fiction

Debut: Prizes:

Aelita Award

Works on the site Lib.ru rusf.ru/abs

Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (the Strugatsky brothers)- brothers Arkady Natanovich (08/28/1925, Batumi - 10/12/1991, Moscow) and Boris Natanovich (04/15/1933, St. Petersburg - 11/19/2012, St. Petersburg), Soviet writers, co-authors , screenwriters, classics of modern science and social fiction.

Arkady Strugatsky graduated from the Military Institute of Foreign Languages in Moscow (1949), worked as a translator from English and Japanese, editor.

Boris Strugatsky graduated from the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Leningrad University (1955) with a degree in star astronomer and worked at the Pulkovo Observatory.

Boris Natanovich started writing in the early 1950s. The first literary publication of Arkady Strugatsky - the story "Bikini Ashes" (1956), written jointly with Lev Petrov while still serving in the army, is dedicated to tragic events connected with the test of the hydrogen bomb on the Bikini Atoll, and remained, in the words of Wojciech Kaitoch, "a typical example of 'anti-imperialist prose' for that time."

In January 1958, the first joint work of the brothers was published in the journal Technique for Youth - the science fiction story "From the Outside", later revised into a story of the same name.

The last joint work of the Strugatskys was the warning play “The Jews of the City of St. Petersburg, or Sad Conversations by Candlelight” (1990).

Arkady Strugatsky wrote several works alone under the pseudonym S. Yaroslavtsev: the burlesque fairy tale "Expedition to the Underworld" (1974, parts 1-2; 1984, part 3), the story "Details of the Life of Nikita Vorontsov" (1984) and the story "The Devil Among People "(1990-1991), published in 1993 .

After the death of Arkady Strugatsky in 1991, Boris Strugatsky, by his own definition, continued to "cut the thick log of literature with a two-handed saw, but without a partner." Under the pseudonym S. Vititsky, his novels “Search for Destiny, or the Twenty-seventh Theorem of Ethics” (1994-1995) and “The Powerless of This World” (2003) were published.

The Strugatskys are the authors of a number of film scripts. Under the pseudonyms S. Berezhkov, S. Vitin, S. Pobedin, the brothers were transferred from English novels Andre Norton, Hol Clement, John Wyndham. Arkady Strugatsky translated stories from Japanese Akutagawa Ryunosuke, novels by Kobo Abe, Natsume Soseki, Noma Hiroshi, Sanyuteya Encho, medieval romance"The Tale of Yoshitsune".

The works of the Strugatskys were published in translations in 42 languages in 33 countries of the world (more than 500 editions).

A minor planet [[(3054) Strugatsky|No. 3054, discovered on September 11, 1977 at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, is named after the Strugatskys.

The Strugatsky brothers are laureates of the "Symbol of Science" medal.

Essay on creativity

The first notable work of the Strugatsky brothers is the science fiction story The Land of Crimson Clouds (1959). According to the memoirs, the story "The Country of Crimson Clouds" was started on a dispute with the wife of Arkady Natanovich - Elena Ilyinichnaya. Related common heroes with this continuation story - "The Way to Amalthea" (1960), "Interns" (1962), as well as the stories of the first collection of the Strugatskys "Six Matches" (1960) laid the foundation for a multi-volume cycle of works about the future World of Noon, in which the authors would like to live . The Strugatskys colorize traditional fantastic schemes with action-packed moves and collisions, liveliness of images, and humor.

Each A new book Strugatsky became an event, caused bright and controversial discussions. Inevitably and repeatedly, many critics compared the world created by the Strugatskys with the world described in Ivan Efremov's utopia "The Andromeda Nebula". The first books of the Strugatskys met the requirements socialist realism. Distinctive feature These books, in comparison with the samples of the then Soviet science fiction, were "non-schematic" heroes (intellectuals, humanists devoted to scientific research and moral responsibility to humanity), original and bold fantastic ideas about the development of science and technology. They organically coincided with the period of "thaw" in the country. Their books during this period are imbued with the spirit of optimism, faith in progress, in the ability of human nature and society to change for the better. The program book of this period was the story "Noon, XXII century" (1962).

Beginning with the stories It's Hard to Be a God (1964) and Monday Starts on Saturday (1965), the Strugatskys' work contains elements of social criticism, as well as modeling options. historical development. The story "Predatory things of the century" (1965) is written in the tradition of the "warning novel" popular in the West.

In the mid 1960s. The Strugatskys become not only the most popular authors in the genre of science fiction, but also spokesmen for the mood of the young, opposition-minded Soviet intelligentsia. Their satire is directed against the omnipotence of bureaucracy, dogmatism, conformism. In the stories The Snail on the Slope (1966–1968), The Second Invasion of the Martians (1967), The Tale of the Troika (1968), the Strugatskys, masterfully using the language of allegory, allegory and hyperbole, create vivid, grotesquely pointed pictures of social pathology generated by the Soviet version of totalitarianism. All this brought the Strugatskys to sharp criticism from the Soviet ideological apparatus. Some of the works they had already published were actually withdrawn from circulation. The novel "Ugly Swans" (finished in 1967, published in 1972, Frankfurt am Main) was banned and distributed in samizdat. Their works were published with great difficulty in small circulation editions.

In the late 1960s and 1970s The Strugatskys create a number of works with a predominance of existential-philosophical problems. In the stories "Baby" (1970), "Roadside Picnic" (1972), "A Billion Years Before the End of the World" (1976), questions of competition of values, choice of a line of behavior in critical, "boundary" situations and responsibility for this choice. The theme of the Zone - the territory in which, after the Visitation of aliens, strange phenomena occur, and stalkers - daredevils who secretly penetrate this Zone, was developed in Andrei Tarkovsky's film "Stalker", filmed in 1979 according to the script of the Strugatskys.

In the novel The Doomed City (written in 1975, published in 1987), the authors build a dynamic model of the Soviet ideologized consciousness, explore the various phases of its " life cycle". The evolution of the protagonist of the novel, Andrei Voronin, symbolically reflects the spiritual experience of generations Soviet people Stalinist and post-Stalinist eras.

The last novels of the Strugatskys - The Beetle in the Anthill (1979), The Waves Quench the Wind (1984), Burdened with Evil (1988) - testify to the crisis of the rationalistic and humanistic-enlightenment foundations of the authors' worldview. The Strugatskys are now questioning the concept social progress, and the power of the mind, its ability to find an answer to the tragic collisions of being.

In a number of works by the Strugatskys, whose father was a Jew, traces of national reflection are noticeable. Many critics see the novels The Inhabited Island (1969) and The Beetle in the Anthill as an allegorical depiction of the position of the Jews in the Soviet Union. One of the main characters of the novel "The Doomed City" is Izya Katsman, in whose life many character traits the fate of the Galut (see Galut) Jew. Publicistically frank criticism of anti-Semitism is contained in the novel "Burdened by Evil" and in the play "Jews of the City of St. Petersburg" (1990).

The Strugatskys have always considered themselves Russian writers, but they turned to allusions to Jewish themes, reflections on the essence of Jewry and its role in world history throughout creative way(especially since the late 1960s), this enriched their works with non-trivial situations and metaphors, imparted additional drama to their universalist searches and insights.

Boris Strugatsky prepared for the complete collection of works by the Strugatskys "Comments on the past" (2000-2001; published as a separate edition in 2003), in which he described in detail the history of the creation of the works of the Strugatskys. Since June 1998, the official website of the Strugatskys has continued an interview in which Boris Strugatsky has already answered several thousand questions.

Collected works of the Strugatskys

So far, four books have been published in Russian. complete collections works by A. and B. Strugatsky (not counting various book series and collections). The first attempts to publish the collected works of the authors were made in the USSR in 1988, as a result of which in 1989 the publishing house "Moskovsky Rabochiy" published a two-volume collection " Selected works» with a circulation of 100 thousand copies. Its peculiarity was the text of the story "The Tale of the Troika", specially prepared by the authors for this collection, which is an intermediate version between the "Angara" and "Smenov" versions.

The complete collected works of the Strugatskys today are:

Collected works of the publishing house "Text", the main body of which was published in 1991-1994. edited by A. Mirer (under the pseudonym A. Zerkalov) and M. Gurevich. The collected works were arranged in chronological and thematic order (for example, “Noon, XXII century” and “Distant Rainbow”, as well as “Monday begins on Saturday” and “The Tale of the Troika” were published in one volume). At the request of the authors, the collection did not include their debut story "The Land of Crimson Clouds" (it was published only as part of the second additional volume). The first volumes were printed with a circulation of 225,000 copies, and subsequent volumes - 100,000 copies. Initially, it was supposed to publish 10 volumes, for each of which A. Mirer wrote a brief preface, he also owned a biography of A. and B. Strugatsky in the first volume - the first of those published. Most of the texts were published in "canonical" versions known to fans, however, "Roadside Picnic" and "Inhabited Island", which suffered from censorship, were first published in the author's edition, and "The Tale of the Troika" - in the 1989 version. In 1992-1994 . four additional volumes were published, including some early works (including "The Land of Crimson Clouds", included at the request of readers), dramaturgical works and film scripts, a literary recording of A. Tarkovsky's film "Stalker" and things published by A. N. and B N. Strugatsky independently. They were printed in circulation from 100 thousand to 10 thousand copies.
Book series "Worlds of the Strugatsky brothers", published on the initiative of Nikolai Yutanov by the publishing companies Terra Fantastica and AST since 1996. At present, the publication has been transferred to the Stalker publishing house (Donetsk) as part of the Unknown Strugatskys project. As of September 2009, 28 books have been published within the series, printed in an edition of 3000-5000 copies. (reprints follow annually). The texts are arranged thematically. This book series to this day remains the most representative collection of texts related to the life and work of A. and B. Strugatsky (for example, translations of Western science fiction by the Strugatskys were not published in other collected works, as well as a number of dramatic works). As part of the series, 6 books of the "Unknown Strugatsky" project were published, containing materials from the Strugatsky archive - drafts and unrealized manuscripts, a working diary and personal correspondence of the authors. Lame Fate was published separately, without the inserted novella Ugly Swans. "The Tale of the Troika" was first published in both editions - "Angara" and "Smenov", and since then has been republished only in this way.
Collected works of the publishing house "Stalker"(Donetsk, Ukraine), implemented in 2000-2003. in 12 volumes (originally it was supposed to be published in 11 volumes, published in 2000-2001). Sometimes it is called "black" - the color of the cover. The chief editor was S. Bondarenko (with the participation of L. Filippov), the volumes were published with a circulation of 10 thousand copies. Main Feature of this edition was its closeness to the format of an academic collected works: all texts were carefully checked against the original manuscripts (when possible), all volumes were provided with detailed comments by B. N. Strugatsky, selected fragments from the criticism of his time, etc. related materials . The 11th volume was devoted to the publication of a number of completed, but not published works at the time (for example, A. N. Strugatsky's debut story "How Kang Died" in 1946), it also included a significant part of the Strugatskys' publicistic works. All texts of the collected works were grouped in chronological order. The composition of the 12th (additional) volume includes the monograph of the Polish literary critic V. Kaitokh "The Brothers Strugatsky", as well as the correspondence of B. N. Strugatsky with B. G. Stern. IN in electronic format this collected works is available on the official website of A. and B. Strugatsky. In 2004, an additional edition was released (with the same ISBN), and in 2007 this collected works was reprinted in Moscow by the AST publishing house (also in black covers) as a "second, revised edition." In 2009, it also came out in a different design, although it was also indicated that its original layout was made by the Stalker publishing house. The volumes in the AST 2009 edition are not numbered, but are indicated by the years of writing of the texts included in them (for example, “ 1955 - 1959 »).
Collected works of the publishing house "Eksmo" in 10 volumes, implemented in 2007-2008. The volumes were published both as part of the Founding Fathers series and in colorful covers. Its content should not chronological order, the texts were published according to the collected works of "Stalker" with the addition of "Comments on the past" by B. N. Strugatsky.

Bibliography

Year of first publication given

Novels and short stories

1959 - Country of Crimson Clouds
1960 - Outside (based on a short story of the same name published in 1958)
1960 - The path to Amalthea
1962 - Noon, XXII century
1962 - Interns
1962 - Attempt to escape
1963 - Far Rainbow
1964 - It's hard to be a god
1965 - Monday starts on Saturday
1965 - Predatory things of the century
1990 - Anxiety (first version of Snail on the Slope, written in 1965)
1968 - Snail on the slope (written 1965)
1987 - Ugly Swans (written 1967)
1968 - The second invasion of the Martians
1968 - The Tale of the Troika
1969 - Inhabited Island
1970 - Hotel "At the Dead Alpinist"
1971 - Kid
1972 - Roadside Picnic
1988-1989 - Doomed City (written in 1972)
1974 - The guy from the underworld
1976-1977 - A billion years before the end of the world
1980 - A Tale of Friendship and Enmity
1979-1980 - Beetle in an anthill
1986 - Lame Destiny (written 1982)
1985-1986 - Waves extinguish the wind
1988 - Burdened with Evil, or Forty Years Later
1990 - The Jews of the city of St. Petersburg, or Sad conversations by candlelight (play)

Storybooks

1960 - Six matches
- "Outside" (1960)
- "Deep Search" (1960)
- "Forgotten Experiment" (1959)
- "Six Matches" (1958)
- "Test of SKIBR" (1959)
- "Private Assumptions" (1959)
- "Defeat" (1959)

1960 - "The Way to Amalthea"
- "The Way to Amalthea" (1960)
- "Almost the Same" (1960)
- "Night in the Desert" (1960, another title for the story "Night on Mars")
- "Emergency" (1960)