In New York, celebrated the 75th anniversary of Brodsky – Mail.Ru

In a large crowd of friends and admirers Brodsky has scored the entire first floor of the restaurant, it was the poets Vladimir Gendelsman Alexei Tsvetkov, Bakhyt Kenzheev and Inna Bliznetsova artists Mikhail Belomlinsky Igor Tulips, Vitaly Komar and Rita Balmina.

In the “Russian Samovar” came the writers Vladimir Voinovich, who now serves in the United States with a series of public lectures, and came on the anniversary of Boston’s old friend Brodsky Ludmila Shtern.

According to a friend of Brodsky, who was from Leningrad Roman Kaplan, the first day being the face of the “Samovar” is Stern played a key role in the fact that the poet suddenly became a co-owner of the restaurant.

«In the 87th year, Joseph received the Nobel Prize, and he got some money for the first time life – she said Kaplan in the early evening. – And I had a problem with an institution that we have opened in the 86th year. Things were going very badly, and Luda said to me: “Call of Joseph.” I thought – as a ?! After all, to be a partner in any business – it is a big responsibility. I’m only now beginning to understand what an incredible step Joseph did – and then Misha (Baryshnikov) with him – became partners in a place called “Russian samovar».

Gendelsman noted that like many of his peers, He once read Brodsky at home only in typewritten reprint, said that she loves him for “clarity of thought, for the excess of feelings and perfect technique “(in his words, the definition given by the art of Charlie Chaplin), and, without naming names, went through Eduard Limonov, who once Brodsky called the “poet accountant».

Accounting poems

«Speaking of accounting, – said Gendelsman – that her boss was Homer with his enumeration of ships or with the description of the shield of Achilles, so that the accounting – a nice place. Hardly enraged waiter can judge the accounting affairs ».

Gendelsman read the first sonnet Brodsky to Mary Stuart, and finally invited the audience to a surprise in the form of four, he said,” hooligan lines “that the poet wrote on book of his longtime friend pereburgskomu Volcanology Henry Steinberg, who worked for many years on the Kamchatka Peninsula.

While you’re doing the lava,

I’m confused with one slut.

I give you, the hero of Kamchatka,

, This confusion prints.

If Gendelsmanu believe it was the premiere of the work of Brodsky. Naughty verses of the poet of the evening sounded a lot.

«What do you know when emigrate? – Alexei Tsvetkov began. – You hope that your poems are in great demand, will print the book. It turned out that no one wants these verses and books nobody wants. I was on the rocks and decided to complete once to change course completely. To my happiness, my poems were in Michigan, in publishing “Ardis».

«very good man»

«His boss Carl Proffer handed them Brodsky who read them and said, “This is a good poet, it is necessary to publish.” There was a bag of poetry, he selected them and left exactly book. I asked him: “What about the others?”. He said, “Well, I guess, to throw”, – says Alexei Tsvetkov.

«I am very offended. The book came about in the form in which it has selected poems – he recalls. – I’m only sorry that he did not, and threw the rest ».

« If it were not so, I would now, probably, Chamberlain something others would be engaged – summed up the flower. – Restaurant business, whether that ».

« He was a very good man, a lot of help, – he said in his speech Sharymova Natalia, who knew Brodsky many years and now commented on the unique video, on one of which he sings in “Samovar” “Dark Eyes” with a microphone in her hand. – And if you read in the magazine New Yorker, that he had not talked with Russian emigrants, all this is nonsense ».

During the evening on the big screen showed rare pictures of Brodsky made his friends Leon Poliakov, Leonid Lubenitskim Alovert and Nina, were present in the hall.