Eurasian Mentatality versus "Head & Shoulders"

 On the organs of the permanent row "Rightist Publications" by Marina Koldobskaya, New Times, May 1997, p. 52.

It is fashionable today to be rightist. Because it is hard not to curse the government, to curse it from the Orthodox Communist positions is old-fashioned and banal, and from the liberal positions is not gainful: nobody would understand. Therefore, many intellectuals have suddenly discovered in their hearts warm feelings: some for Pinochet, some for Hitler, and some, not to look for too far, for Pobedonostsev. The love for the rightist idea (the same as the leftist idea in places) is practiced with different degrees of seriousness: there are those who are truly ready to lead the people (if only their admirers) hoping to gain a ministerial chair at least. Others are more modest: they want just a chance to show themselves in an elegant uniform, homespun as it might be. There are those on cozy sofas who manage to feel as Demiurgs and patriarchs thanks to "secret knowledge" that somehow always turns out rightist. (We do not mention here the strange persons who train with dumb-bells to build up their mass of muscles and adorn their biceps with tattoos of knotty swastikas.)

When people get rightist ideas they must find somewhere to publish them. Rightist publications must have their readership. It is in the same vein that I do it: I have read and now take up the pen.

Zavtra (Tomorrow)

When I bought Zavtra daily the old lady who sold it said "God bless you" and wished me good health, and I felt like a person who dropped a penny into the church poor-box. It is indeed so: one only can read Zavtra out of a sense of extreme patriotism. I doubt Russia has that many overzealous patriots, so on reading the proud words "circulation 100,000" I could just say firmly: "I don't believe it!"

The time is long past when Zavtra (when it bore its original name of Den - The Day) could indeed be considered "a newspaper of spiritual opposition". After lamenting their defeat in October of 1993, the so-called opposition to this day has been unable to get rid of the whining tone. Much change has taken place in the press market since then. The reader wants no more to mourn but to sing and rejoice. Bunches of new publications have appeared that look Westernized and disgustingly prosperous. Even Zavtra's old foe and antipode Literatumaya gazeta has brightened up, reborn like the Phoenix. Meanwhile the men of the Zavtra are still worrying that Russia has perished. The tone of perish is pretty hard to hit right, but Zavtra's penning masters have got several unfailing skills for the purpose. I have succeeded to identify some of them: - comments like: "You're a good person, I know"; - interviews like: "Speak out till you tire, and I'll be holding the mike"; - political comments: "I tear hair from my silvery beard"; - literary essays: "I am very talented but it's not for you to understand"; - and, finally, the newspaper's ornaments, its leaders: "Hold me tight, otherwise I'll smash it all". The public of late, I fear, has grown used to professionals' texts and is spoiled hopelessly, therefore not even a general influx of love for homespun values can bring back to the Zavtra a morsel of its former influence.

Limonka (Hand grenade)

The newspaper of the National Bolshevik Party (one does exist as a matter of fact). The newspaper is made by Author Limonov, his friends and "sympathizers". It is addressed to "anarchists, punks, skinheads, rockers, soccer fans", etc. To be liked by "social kin", the newspaper practices tough profanity, approximated orthography and beastly pits. The respectable citizenry is bullied with "long knives", artistic tattoos and battle cries of primitive tribes. (It is to be regretted only that respectable citizens do not read Limonka.)

In a word, it is not a newspaper but a chronical artifact, an organ of permanent rowdyism, a normal rightist-leftist-radical tabloid, just what the capital of every enlightened nation should have. Limonka follows obedient-ly the literary etiquette of the 20th century that expects an author to be a bit of a criminal, slightly perverted and, at least occasionally, and extremist. Otherwise one cannot get famous. True, this good old recipe is effective in a decent society only where people have grown tired with following strict rules and are compassionate with those who break them. Not so in Russia where trouble-making is everyone's preoccupation and everyone (starting with the President) is breaking every rule (starting with the Constitution). It is tough for a villain to win fame. As to the villainy, any toughie from Kazan can give Limonov 100 points and would not even notice it. For a Russian citizen of today to win recognition as an original or a brave person or a dangerous species one must try to pay taxes or at least to cross streets at green light.

Be that as it may, Limonka provides the politicized bohemia with a comparatively safe and almost unrestricted chance for intellectual villainy. That is why the "sympathizers" published by Limonka count in their numbers the late Sergei Kurekhin, Timur Novikov and Alexander Brener. Circulation of 7,300 (if the figure is true, of course) - even such crumbs can now console our destitute and poor headed van-guard art tortured by the diet of mineral water.

Elementy (Elements)

Elementy, a club-type magazine, is addressed to the small circle of the initiated. As befits a principled marginal, it does not care for the mundane affairs, and discusses mostly things global and eternal: One Thousand Year Reich, the Aryan spirit, the sunk Atlantis and unsinkable Eurasia. It grieves with all the Weltschmerz. Its main purpose is the sacred struggle against the mondialism (do not ask me what it is, I suspect that more primitive publications identify this contagion with the American imperialism, Western Christianity and political propriety).

The Russian language is too poor and weak to treat such lofty subjects, and there-fore Elementy speak the underworld slang borrowed from historiosophy, adding existentialists' lingo, Nazi definitions and the international slang of gay gatherings. The final product is artistic but incomprehensible.

For these reasons the magazine is a wreck: it seems only ten issues have been produced since 1992. The circulation figure is a secret as is its source of budgeting. Only the staunch are capable of five-year long suffering without deviating from the right path, therefore the intellectual circles talk of Elementy with a perplexed respect. Not all, however: the derisive Playboy has launched "elements" of its own: the section of beauty aids for men. Speaking personally, I have no doubt as to who is going to win: the Eurasian mentality or "Head & Shoulders".