TAVTOGRAMS of Mikhail Salita ODESSE-MAME
TAVTOGRAMS of Mikhail Salita ODESSE-MAME
In New York, the book "ABVGDESSA" was published by the poet and writer from Odessa Mikhail Salita, about whose poetry I have already written ("The inexhaustible charm of Odessa"). This book is a collection of tautograms for the beloved Odessa mother.
A tautogram is a poetic or prose text of a comic nature, all words of which begin with the same letter. Even those of you who think that he has never encountered this literary trick have probably heard Balmont's line "The black cannon alien to charms" at school and, in any case, are surely familiar with the children's tongue twister "Four little grimy little devils drew a drawing in black ink ".
Mikhail Salita was the first of the poets to publish a whole book-alphabet. Before him, only a few poets often referred to the tautogram, but none of them wrote a "primer", especially for adults, and devoted to one topic.
The collection from A to Z is actually a fun primer-guidebook, guiding the curious traveler to famous places associated with Isaac Babel, Valentin Kataev, Konstantin Paustovsky, Ilf and Petrov, Yuri Olesha: Deribasovskaya, Lanzheron, Moldavanka, Peresyp ..., Richelieu ... as an appendix to the tautograms in the collection there is a section "Odessa toponymy" with the history of streets, their numerous renaming, celebrities who lived on them or after whom the streets were named. The houses that have survived to this day and are associated with historical figures are also mentioned, which is important for those who find themselves in Odessa and want to see all the most important places of the city.
Mikhail's tautograms are mostly small bright miniatures in prose. Sometimes it's just a few lines. Lyrical: "The fabulous September sun shone, shone with sweet streams of happiness ..." ("Events, rumors, gossip, fairy tales, accomplishments ..."). Or comic, with a twinkle: "The squirrels ran in a large brigade, they were afraid ... They ran fast, greyhound ..." ("Brigadnaya Street"), , sinning "(" Urban Dreams ").
More often, these are sketches of the area, typical inhabitants of the street. Here is the famous Arcadia - a resort area with the beach of the same name, August bliss:
“... the scent of acacia, asters, amaryllis, pansies are the attributes of Arcadia. Amorous atmosphere, excitement, excitement, altruism, antique architecture, argot. Entourage aksakals - a priori active - attack the pharmacy, Anyuta the pharmacist:
- And aspirin? and adelfan? and anaprilin? a ... a ... and an ascorbic acid?
And the anti-nationalist actions of the administration are an antidote to anti-Semitism, anti-globalism, anti-Chrenism. "
Fun? Fun. But the native Ukrainian "fucking", which annoyed everyone, also got it.
Here is Kryzhanovka - "a resort area, a font of boats, cruise ships." This is just a small settlement on the Black Sea coast, but since it is located only 15 km from the center of Odessa, it has become a favorite place for the "cream of society", where such strange names for the Ukrainian ear as "condominium" - a legal form ownership, according to which the property is divided into elements of individual ownership (apartments) and elements of joint ownership (infrastructure and land). Commonly owned infrastructure may include a swimming pool, parking, gym, tennis court and other benefits for residents.
“Chestnuts, maples, shrubs, flower beds adorn all around. Beauty, boil, bathing, in short, buzz.
Once, once the captain Kostya, the beautiful Katerina saved up and saved up - they bought a condominium.
How does it feel? Cool! Someone shouted: "Cool!". Someone lisped: "Kjasivo ..."
“Beautiful, cool, royal, cool, carnival, curly, like a picture, the captain of the cool boat Ksenia was vividly kicking Kostya with a boat, the course of Kotovsky - Kryzhanovka. Cultural, eloquent, beautiful!
Ksenia the beauty is an everyday, year-round, calendar buzz. Cultural, colossal, ebullient carnival of colors. Queen! Capital of the country! "
(Note: country (Ukrainian) - country).
Sometimes there are miniatures of the "1 + 1" format, where there is a witty scene from life with jokes characteristic of Odessa, to which Mikhail is a master, and a description of the street itself. How to pass both in Odessa and in the collection of tavtograms past Deribasovskaya, the famous Deribasovskaya - a pedestrian zone paved with ancient paving stones, closed to transport, on which there are numerous outdoor cafes! Isn't it Paris? You don't go there, but swim past Turkish sofas and cozy tables surrounded by greenery, all weightless from coffee aromas and amazing smells of luxurious culinary products, suitable for Gargantua himself. The place of festivities and promenades of Odessa citizens and foreigners is not devoid of, of course, and nightclubs. In one of them, a little "interrogation" takes place:
The disco attendant makes an inquiry:
- The girl, I think twenty?
- Yes.
- How long?
- Has it been a girl for a long time?
- Has it been twenty?
The girl is sulking ...
("Breath of Deribasovskaya")
And immediately a charming scene in the spirit of Odessa jokes turns into an agitated ode to the street of an author in love with Odessa:
“Deribasovskaya - twenty a long time ago. Ancient trees, marvelous designs of houses, sentimental sights, and dozens of other advantages make Deribasovskaya a precious diadem, benevolent, businesslike, respectable, demonstrative, trusting, the soul of the state.
Come on, dare, dear! "
...
But more often the tautograms of Mikhail Salita are just living scenes from the life of Odessa. Some reach the heights of Zhvanetsky, in particular, his miniatures about crayfish, which are large, but yesterday, but five, and today three, but small, but today. For example, this dialogue between a conductor and a passenger who entered:
- Are you worried?
- Worried!
- For the first time?
- For the first time.
- Always worrying for the first time?
- I'm always worried ...
- You get out!
- Get out?
- Get out, get out, get out, get out. Choose - and get out! Your Varnenskaya!
- See you! Thank you all!
("Varnenskaya, come out!")
Or a colorful miniature throbbing with passions about two married couples from Zhukovsky Street - one of the oldest streets in the historical center of the city, which was first mentioned in 1808. Yes, yes, it was named after the very poet Vasily Zhukovsky, the mentor and friend of young Pushkin. Isn't that why such a lyrical, romantic fire is boiling there?
"Heat. Housing. Residents. Crooks. Desires.
Zhanna wishes Zhoru.
Georgette wants Zhenya.
Zhanna is Zhenya's wife.
Georgette is Zhora's wife.
Zhenya wants a roast.
Zhora chews the yolk.
Desires are burning hard: Zhenya - to fry Jeanne, Zhora - to fry Georgette.
Heat. Ass.
To crave what you want is what you want in life. "
("Zhukovsky")
The last phrase explains the not quite censorship word found in the tautogram. How to avoid in an everyday situation a word, short, but overbearing, which exhaustively explains life with all its pitfalls!
True, Mikhail Salita's tautograms are designed more for a reader 18+ and do not get by with just one such word. But in his defense I want to say that Babel's scenes are no less "colorful", nevertheless, there is no person who would not love them, and there is no humorist who would not dream of writing something like that. Salita succeeded, and with great skill.
His characters are different, and the cases are described different, but still a considerable part is devoted to love, as in the tautogram "Lastochkina - Lanzheronovskaya":
“Lida deftly played with Loewe cakes, noodles, lazy lobster.
Lida Lastochkina - lily, lily of the valley, lavender ... Light curls ... Lida loved Leva, cherished, caressed with her palms ...
Lyova felt better ... "
Or dislike, as in Novosti na Nezhinskaya:
“Nikolai didn't like Nadezhda.
Ugly, unsightly, nondescript small, none, but inexplicably necessary.
Probably need to get drunk. Nadia, pour!
Got drunk - deliberately immeasurably ...
Finally, the mood began to improve ...
Ugly Nadezhda hummed softly, whispered obscene, lower, unshaven ... moral pleasure ... "
Although tautograms-miniatures predominate in the collection, a few of them are drawn to the real story (rather, a feuilleton). And their characters are no worse than the famous heroes of "Odessa stories". If it were not for the constraining frame of the tautogram, the inhabitants of the streets - "hospitable, ruddy, versatile" Rosa Robertovna, seducing the timid, indecisive Rafik Robertovich, whose Rottweiler Rex "growled in irritation, jealous", would have developed a hearty dinner of grouse-grouse fish in the heroes of more than one piquant situation. In the same tavtogram ("Richelievskaya") there are several such interesting characters. Here is the redhead Rafail Rabinovich, the director of the fish market, and the appetizing, active Roza Rafailovna:
“Timid Rabinovich made up his mind!
Rabinovich resolutely tore apart Rosa Rafailovna's pink leggings ... Rabinovich growled, dug, worked - one-two, one-two ...
Rosa Rafailovna straightened up, fell out of love, opened up to Rabinovich:
romantic,
versatile,
resolute,
realistic,
reactive,
native.
Rabinovich emancipated himself:
dear,
romantic,
luxurious,
lovely ...
mushroom,
fish,
lynx,
chamomile,
rare,
darling,
the little Mermaid...
Rosa Rafailovna, having smoothed her pink leggings, began to dream: birth, children, joy ... "
How much accurate and important when creating an image, it turns out, can be said only with adjectives! Or monosyllabic nouns from nouns, which, as you remember, prevailed in the tautogram of "Zhukovsky". The smallest nuances of mood are displayed here, gradation is visible - increasing climax and relaxation-anti-climax (A. Kvyatkovsky's terms from the "Poetic Dictionary"). Isn't it poetry in prose? Only juicy, peppery, Odessa.
There are also collective characters in the tautogram "Richelievskaya", so to speak. In particular, the Rostov robbers, who “plundered the fish market by raid,” the workers of the fish ranks and reporters, are glad to see a fresh event about which there is something to write about. The situation is saved by the red-haired Rabinovich, who "cut the robber's face with Rosina's parental rare glass" and turned out to be "a glass Rimbaud".
But the funniest thing is in the author's wishes to all the characters that enclose each plot twist:
“For hazel grouse - plains, groves!
Fish, crustaceans, rakam - forking rivers!
Rose Robertovne - Rafik Robertovich!
Rafik Robertovich - decisiveness!
Rottweiler - growl less often!
Rostov robber - bars, remorse!
Reporters - regional spill fermented baked milk!
For workers, artisans, fishermen - equality, joy, work, fish, dawn!
Native Richelieu - romantic luxury! "
Yes, and in this tautogram-novella there is an enthusiastic sigh for a favorite object:
“Richelievskaya is a luxurious respectable area ...
Richelieu, Ribas, Recamier, Racine, Rainier, Renoir, Rastignac ...
Rishelievskaya previously gave birth to directors, footlights workers, rentiers, tutors, peddlers of differences, advertisers, revolutionaries - protectors of equality, robbers, robbers, workers' faculty ...
Richelieu ... revelry, dissipation, division, discord, delimitation, retribution, scope, dissent, multilingualism, acceleration, jokes, disappointment, prosperity, renaissance, joy ... "
Do you know that it was on Richelievskaya that the hotel was located where Pushkin lived when he was working on the novel "Eugene Onegin"? It was here that Tatyana Larina's letter was written!
It's good that the author guessed to add a section with characteristics of streets and districts. Thanks to this, those who have not yet visited Odessa, this pearl of the Black Sea, will be able to imagine the history of the city, inextricably linked with its streets. And funny and cheerful heroes of tautograms will help to populate them virtually.
What else to say about the new collection of Mikhail Salita? Only that it is a pity to leave other, no less successful miniatures of him, not described and not cited, but what to do!
Let us wish the author, a native of Odessa, who has found application for his abilities in another country, new poems and stories, and let the atmosphere of Odessa be present among them - dear, beloved, unforgettable ...
Svetlana Skorik, Zaporozhye
