27/05/2015

On the eve of the whole country celebrated the anniversary of the poet Joseph Brodsky. In honor of this, his daughter Anna Brodskaya-Sozzani visited Russia for the first time and gave an interview that caused a mixed reaction from the public: the 22-year-old girl admitted that she had no education, she did not know the Russian language and did not read many of her father's famous works. The interview was commented by the writer Tatyana Nikitichna Tolstaya, who knew Brodsky live.

« Brodsky's daughter Nyusha, so I.A. called her. I saw her when she was not yet a year old. And now the most perfect lily of the field has grown: it doesn’t weave, it doesn’t spin, but the Lord of heaven, come on, feed it,” ironically on your page in FB Tolstaya. “He denies copyright, Facebook (“as you know, all information from Facebook goes straight to the databases of the US National Security Agency”) and monetarism in general.”

According to the writer, young Brodskaya thinks that if there is no money, then people will begin to live happily, distributing the fruits of their labor and inspiration left and right. Now the poet's daughter lives in the English countryside with her "partner" and her two-year-old daughter. And he also observes humanity, which, according to Tolstoy, “is eager to create and distribute freely.

Hampstead Hill Gardens, 20 is a new point on the map of Russian-speaking London. Here on Tuesday opened a memorial plaque dedicated to Joseph Brodsky. She appeared in the year of the 75th anniversary of the birth of the poet - on the building in which Brodsky often visited when he stayed in London.

The tablet was opened by Anna Brodskaya-Sozzani, the 22-year-old daughter of Joseph Brodsky. Anna, who was born in the USA, lived in Italy and England, does not speak Russian, she read out her welcoming speech to the audience in English:

“Home is very important, and those who live in good conditions often take it for granted. But many people do not have a permanent home, they wander the world and find refuge. It seems to me that it is very important to honor the memory of artists, writers and musicians who remind us of what is truly important in life ... "

The opening continued with the reading of Joseph Brodsky's poems in Russian and English. After that, Russian Gap spoke with Anna about her father, memories and her own views on life.

Anna, how do you feel about the attention that you are given because you are the daughter of Joseph Brodsky?

I understand that for many it is exciting to meet the child of a famous writer, a person who inspires you. And for me this is important, because I did not have the opportunity to know my father for real. (Brodsky died when Anna was 2.5 years old - RG note). It is always important for me to hear the stories that people tell about him, the memories that they share. Many people who have lost their parents at an early age do not have the opportunity to learn so much about their parents from other people.

What will you tell about your daughter's grandfather?

When my daughter grows up, she will have the opportunity to read his books. When I was little - the same age as my daughter Shane is now, about 3 years old, we were with my grandparents in Tuscany, my father put me on his knees, began to draw and tell a children's story about a cat that eats a lot. My mother saved these sketches. Recently, she stapled them together, and the result was a small book. She gave it to me, I read it to my daughter and told her about her grandfather - not the one she knows today, but another grandfather. She loves this book, constantly asks to read it again and again.

I heard you're leaving for Italy again?

Yes, I'm leaving for Italy tomorrow for three years to study illustration at a school that teaches how to draw comics. Very excited!

Are you interested in Russia as a country? Do you follow what is happening in it?

I am a little familiar with the political situation in Russia, with the problems of corruption, I know that Russia is a huge country, therefore, to put it mildly, it is very poorly organized. I know about the conflict between Russia and America and how the media cover this situation. And what? Do you want to know something specific?

I do not want to put you in an uncomfortable position and ask you to talk about what you do not want to talk about. But your comments about what is happening - about political tension between countries, in particular, are interesting.

It's okay, I can talk about everything. Here I want to quote my father, saying that life is not a choice between good and bad, but a choice between bad and even worse. I think this is a good description of what is happening in the political world between Russia, England and America.

If you could live anywhere in the world, which country would you choose?

There are so many problems all over the world right now! All countries are in difficult situations. For example, the problems with radiation at Fukushima - no one talks about it, but it is spreading all over the world. There are other significant problems, such as the rapid decline of the state of the environment or the extinction of many species of wildlife. Many politicians talk about conquest, or how they want to protect the whole world. This is especially often said in America - with their patronizing attitude towards the rest of the world, which, in fact, is a manifestation of terrible selfishness. But they never talk about what is really important - like preserving the natural environment, providing equal rights and opportunities for all, moving from a money-based economy to an economy that is based on resources, and where the main principle is cooperation. when we share with each other instead of deceiving each other for a quick gain. No politician or political system will have any authority for me until they start talking about what really matters, presenting projects that can change something. Now they just shake the air with empty talk.

Is there really no place in the world where everything would be fine?

Now there are many projects and initiatives seeking to change the world for the better. Like, for example, The Venus Project by Jacque Fresco. The man who founded this organization creates unique designs that combine nature and technology, if you look at his designs they are absolutely amazing. There are such prosperous countries as Denmark. Or Costa Rica, which has such an organization as the University of Peace; as far as I know, they didn't even have an army until recently. Although unfortunately, despite all these initiatives, in a money-driven world, they all end up being what they originally fought against. For example, the NHS was conceived as public health, and is now becoming private. Initially, this organization was an attempt to bring about equality, but without a rethinking of the core values ​​​​of the Western world, all such attempts will lead to collapse.

Wouldn't you like to go into politics yourself to change all this?

No. No, I do not think so. As Buckminster Fuller said, in order to change the existing reality, you need to create a new one that will make the existing reality obsolete. It is useless to fight the existing reality, it is necessary to create something new. I believe that politics in its modern form is now obsolete. Politics, in theory, is needed only to help people interact and organize themselves. It's great, I would love to take part in such self-organization, communication between people, discussion of initiatives! But this will never happen under the current system, because the government is corrupt and always has been.

Can art change the world for the better?

Yes, why not? I'm sure it can. An artist can be very persuasive in his expression. But real change won't come from art alone. The picture can evoke sympathy - which is absolutely necessary if you want to help someone. But you also need scientific developments that provide channels for art to communicate, give the tools to influence the world. Art and science must interact and unite in order to work together - only then can there be real change.

***
The commemorative tablet to Joseph Brodsky was installed on the initiative of the Russian Poets Foundation, created by Professor Valentina Polukhina, the main British researcher of Brodsky's life and work. As Polukhina said at the opening, she prepared a 10-page document that contains a list of all London places associated with the life of the poet. However, it was Hampstead that became the most important site. The modest plaque that appeared this week will be replaced next year by a real blue plaque - the so-called blue plaque.

Valentina Polukhina
Friends of Joseph Brodsky read his poems
The memorial plaque was unveiled with the support of the Russian Embassy

Text: Katerina Nikitina, Tatyana Kropacheva
Photo: Katerina Nikitina

Gorgeous. Italian of Russian origin.

And further, from other people's words, that she knows English, French, Italian, Russian ... an aristocrat .. from the Pushkin family (hard to believe).
I don't know what their age difference was. I think about 30 years.
But 5 years with her were happier for the poet than the previous 50, but this is according to friends ...

In January 1990, at a lecture at the Sorbonne, Brodsky saw Maria Sozzani among his students. We got married in September. In marriage, a daughter, Anna Alexandra Maria, was born, with whom Brodsky spoke English. (A strange compromise of languages. But probably for a small child who lives and most likely will live in the USA, this is the best option)

In general, there is little information about this story. (Not about Marina)
Mary is also silent. I found only one interview

Conversation with the widow of Nobel laureate Joseph Brodsky

Irena Grudzińska-Gross:
How did Brodsky's love for Italy come about?

Maria Sozzani-Brodsky:

Russians are divided into two categories: those who deify France, and those who are crazy about Italy. Gogol and Vyacheslav Ivanov wrote in Italy, Tchaikovsky composed music, Alexander Ivanov drew. Joseph was open to many countries, but he was especially connected with Italy. Already in his youth he read Italian literature. We talked many times even about little-known authors, whom almost no one outside of Italy remembers.

IGG:
It is hard to believe that this early sympathy was due solely to literary interests...

SME:
Of course, there were movies first. Italian cinema - well, maybe after Tarzan - shaped his life (laughs). At the same time, Italian cinema owes a lot to Russia. In Stalin's times, when direct exchange between the two countries was difficult, in Italy they did not stop filming Russian literature. Joseph always remembered that already in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries contacts between the artists of Italy and Russia were very intense.

Hence the choice of Rome as the location for his Academy...

SME:
Brodsky visited the American Academy in Rome three times, it inspired him. He spent a lot of time in it, the result was "Roman Elegies". Rome was the logical choice, although Joseph thought of Venice as well. In Rome, in addition to the American Academy, there are also the French and Swedish Academies. Joseph had a conversation with the burgomaster of Rome, Rutelli, who promised him that the city would allocate a building to the Academy. But a few months after the death of Joseph, it turned out that we did not have the building.

IGG:
Has the promise been broken?

SME:
I don’t know if Joseph understood the burgomaster correctly, but I remember well that after a conversation with Rutelli, and it was in the fall of 1995, he became, as it were, a new person, he was so happy. He then told me: everything is in order, there is a building. And he was already sick, very sick. At the end of his life, he was actively involved in various projects to help people. He began to do this especially intensively after 1992, when he became the "poet laureate" of the United States. He then wanted to make it so that poetry could be found in hotels or supermarkets - this project has been implemented. Three or four years of his life were devoted to just such matters, and the Russian Academy in Rome was the last of them.

IGG:
As I understand it, the Russian Academy has already begun to function, although there is no building?

SME:
So far, only the Brodsky Scholarship Fund is working. The Organizing Committee of the Academy, whose founder was, among other things, Isaiah Berlin, and which includes Mikhail Baryshnikov, Louis Begley, Lady Berlin, V. V. Ivanov, Ann Kjellberg, Mstislav Rostropovich and Robert Silvers (Robert Silvers), organized many concerts and meetings. We have founded two foundations - one in America, it is intended for funds for scholarships, and the other in Italy, where (perhaps in Russia) we will raise money for the building. However, Americans do not like to give money for something that does not yet exist. The first scholarships were paid for by two generous Italians.

IGG:
And who received these scholarships?

SME:
The first was Timur Kibirov. He is 45 years old and one of the most talented poets of today's Russia. He is also known among Italian Slavists, which is why they decided to choose him first. We need advertising, and this makes it easier to raise money for the Academy. Kibirov was immediately invited to eight Italian universities - that's where he is now speaking. The second poet, Vladimir Strochkov, will arrive at the end of the summer. The third, Sergei Stratanovsky, will go to Italy in September.
We decided to start with the poets, in order to honor the memory of Joseph, and also because it is very difficult to send artists or musicians to Rome, for we are forced to enjoy the hospitality of the American and French Academies. We will probably be able to invite scientists, we are guaranteed access to libraries. At the request of the Russians themselves, the scholarships will not last longer than three months. They are awarded by a jury that will rotate every two years. The holders of the fund cannot influence its decisions, and the names of the jury members living in Russia, although not classified, are not publicly disclosed, otherwise it would be difficult for them to work.

IGG:
Some argued that Brodsky was indifferent towards Russia. Never went, despite numerous invitations. Many believed that he should have returned, because he was the most outstanding Russian poet...

SME:
He didn't want to go back because his friends were already coming to see him. His parents were no longer alive, the country was different, so he did not want to appear as a kind of diva when people had a lot of big worries. His life went in one direction, and returns are always difficult. If we had to move, we would go to Italy. We even talked about it - he would get a job in Perugia, at the University for Foreigners, and it would be visible there. But these were only dreams. Joseph did not even want to be buried in Russia. The idea of ​​a funeral in Venice was suggested by one of his friends. This is the city that, apart from St. Petersburg, Joseph loved the most. Besides, speaking selfishly, Italy is my country, so it was better that my husband was buried there. It was easier to bury him in Venice than in other cities, for example, in my hometown of Compignano near Lucca. Venice is closer to Russia and is a more accessible city.
But all this does not mean at all that he was indifferent or hostile towards Russia. In general, he was very rarely indifferent about anything (laughs). He followed events in Russia very closely, primarily in the field of literature. He received many letters, people sent him their poems. He was delighted with how many poets there are - however, many of his poems felt his influence, which, on the one hand, brought him great satisfaction, but also surprised. I was very worried in connection with the war in Chechnya, as well as with the war in Yugoslavia.
New York.

There are only a few photographs in RuNet. (Many people mention her "perfect beauty", but in other photos I did not notice something unearthly. She is beautiful, but typical)

Yes, now upd 2017 is already a girl (her name is Anna) has grown)) There are several of her interviews on the network. For example this or this

“Brodsky has an article about poets’ girlfriends, where he writes that they don’t need brunettes with sharp features. What is needed is a blond indistinctness upon which poets can project themselves.
In this sense, they were opposite - he is a very sharp and concrete person, some vagueness was felt in her. Apparently, it fascinated him"

Maria seems to me to have such features.

I also remembered Tarkovsky's film "Nostalgia". There, after all, there is also an Italian translator, similar in type .. and also poetry ..))
but the film was shot earlier, of course, so this is just an association.

The photo at the beginning of the post was taken by Mikhail Baryshnikov at the Florida Zoo:

“There are huge enclosures, the tiger was rubbing against the bars, and Joseph was purring: “Mrau ... mrau ... mrau” ... He probably sat for about twenty minutes. Then Maria came, and the tiger, it means, ran. They - after him "To and fro. In parallel, on the other side there are more enclosures. In my opinion, with leopards. Mary looks at the leopard in one direction, and Joseph looks at the tiger in the other."

Joseph loved cats (and apparently all cats) very much.

On the day of the 20th anniversary of the death of Joseph Brodsky, we publish for the first time a Russian translation of the poem by Anna-Maria Brodskaya-Sozzani, dedicated to her father

Text: Yuri Lepsky / RG
Photo: Marianna Volkova, Yuri Lepsky

I took this picture a few days ago in Venice, on the island of San Michele, the island of the dead, where Stravinsky, Diaghilev, Weil and Brodsky found their last resting place. On the marble tombstone of Joseph Brodsky, a note was taped with adhesive tape: “Greetings to you, Joseph, from St. Petersburg. Sorry. It's lonely without you. See you. VC.". Who is (or is) "VK", I don't know. The note got wet, at this time in Venice there were heavy rains. I think that now it was simply washed away from the marble slab.

I remembered her only because this piece of wet paper, like many other testimonies, points to the peculiarities of the memory of this poet and man. To this day, he is treated as if he were alive. Everyone - reading it or remembering it - enters into a dialogue with it, deeply personal and even intimate. Each of his readers and friends has his own Brodsky, his own territory of communication with him. His closest friend Kees Verheil, a Slavist from Amsterdam, told me: “... I have been talking to him for several years in a row. We meet at least once a week. It happens in my dreams, recurring with amazing regularity. We don't meet in Russia, maybe in Paris, or in Rome, or in Amsterdam... We talk. And both I and he know that he is dead, that he is no more. But this does not interfere with our conversation in any way, the point is not even in the content of these dreams. The main thing is the process of communication itself... When I wake up, I perfectly remember his face, his mood, the expression of his eyes, gestures, facial expressions, I hear his voice. But I don't remember what we talked about. I strain my memory, trying to catch some details of the conversation, but in vain. And I say to myself: well, nothing, there is not much left until the next meeting ... "

Maybe the mysterious "V.K." Is that Verheil Case? I don't know, and it doesn't matter in the end. The main thing is who and what remains a person among the living.

In May last year, his friends gathered in the courtyard of Muruzi's famous St. Petersburg house at the crossroads of Pestel Street and Liteiny Prospekt: ​​the entire poetic world then celebrated Brodsky's 75th birthday. The poet grew up in this house and in this courtyard, from here he was forced to leave forever.

This courtyard and this house are known to all his admirers and friends. But this time a man came here who was here for the first time - his daughter Anna-Maria. She was his happiness, he called her Nyusha. He died when Nyusha was not even three years old. Well, what could she remember about her father? Of course, journalists surrounded her, asked her a bunch of questions, including what she had read from Brodsky. I remember how well she answered. She said that she did not read much, that she would continue to read little and slowly in order to prolong this association with her father for the rest of her life. This is her way of remembering him.

Anna-Maria's poem "To My Father", which you will read today, is published in Russian for the first time. This is the first result of her communication with her father's poems, the revived memory of him. This is her first poetic response to his poem "My daughter", addressed to her.

It only remains for me to add that in addition to the well-known translator and connoisseur of Brodsky's poetry, Nastya Kuznetsova, the poet's daughter, who permanently lives in St. Petersburg, took part in the translation of the poems. In the same courtyard, the sisters met, hugged and cried. This is how amazingly the life of Joseph Brodsky continues in hundreds, and maybe thousands of lives of those who love and read him.

TO MY DAUGHTER

Give me another life and I will sing
at the Raffaella Cafe. Or just sit
there. Though a closet in the corner stick around for the time being,
if life and the Creator are not so generous.
Yet, since the century can not do
without jazz and caffeine, I accept the thought
to stand withered, twenty years through the dust and varnish
squinting at the light, your flourishing and your deeds.
In general, mind you - I'll be there. Perhaps it
part of my fatherhood is to become an object for you,
especially when objects are older than you and bigger,
strict and silent: it is remembered longer.
So love them, even knowing a little about them -
let it be a ghost-silhouette, a thing that can be touched,
along with worthless belongings that I leave here
in the language we have in common, in these clumsy songs.

Joseph Brodsky, 1994
Translation by Andrey Olear

TO MY FATHER

I touch the misted glass
and a shadow in the night for a brief moment of warmth
suddenly become closer, the thread trembles ...
Imagination? May be…
You wrapped your coat tighter
strumming rhymes in your pocket, but
found peace on distant shores.
How to breathe there? Is it scary there? This fear
unknown to me now, since life is a gift,
ups and downs, the rules of the game,
but from that frozen side of the glass
you wait, I feel. And I came to you.
All memory - voices inside and outside -
responds to you in me.
The last bell in college rings,
but you are not here, you are where your granite is.
Anguish, love and voices in the dark
I will never have enough on earth.

Anna-Maria Brodskaya, 2015
Translation by Anastasia Kuznetsova and Andrey Olear