A record number of applications have been submitted for the Patriarchal Literary Prize. Laureates of the Patriarchal Literary Prize named

In the Moscow studio of our TV channel, Metropolitan Clement of Kaluga and Borovsk answers questions from viewers.

- The topic of our today’s program is “Patriarchal literary prize" Who and how was it founded?

The initiative to establish such a prize in 2009 was made by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill; at a meeting at the Publishing Council, he said: “We need to find forms of encouragement modern authors who write to moral themes and on topics that lead people to God, promote goodness, love, harmony, and peace in the life of our society.” We consulted, then took the blessing from His Holiness Patriarch to develop a program for presenting the Patriarchal Prize. In December 2009, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church established this prize, and this year we will be presenting it for the sixth time.

- What is the main goal of this award? What goals are pursued besides promotion?

The main goal is to encourage writers not only financially (the prize also has a material component), but also to support them in their creative work. Now in our country it dominates market system- not only in everyday life, but also in the world of creativity. Mostly books are sold that make a profit, but in them there is a dominance of debauchery, debauchery, and violence. Books about goodness, our culture, and the spiritual values ​​of our people are published in smaller editions, and the writers who create these works are not in such demand. Our task, on behalf of believers, is to thank the authors who write on good topics.

It is impossible for modern man to live without fiction. In the old days, in the 14th - 17th centuries, there was no fiction; people read the lives of saints, the Psalter, “The Ladder,” stories about ascetics, and epics. And only since the time of Peter I appears fiction. Now it plays a big role in human life and society. It is impossible to imagine a cultured and developed person without a book, therefore the Patriarchal Literary Prize is intended to support those creators who write on good topics.

- The main provisions of the award say that its material part is allocated from the church budget.

That's right, there are no special projects or sponsors supporting this award. The church lives on voluntary donations; this is the contribution of many people. The award rewards those who contribute spiritual formation our society. The work of art has great influence on people's consciousness. Let us remember the recent Soviet past: many of the intelligentsia came to faith by reading F.M. Dostoevsky, A.S. Pushkin. Not only in the 19th, but also in the 20th century, many writers connected their work with the Church. They didn't write to Soviet era about God and the Church directly, but they talked about goodness and gospel truths. Through this, people developed love for their culture and came to the Church.

- How are the laureates of the Patriarchal Prize determined?

There is a certain procedure for submitting documents. Heads of Local Orthodox Churches, dioceses, self-governing Churches that are part of the Russian Orthodox Church, literary communities, magazines, and heads of regions can recommend for the award. On their initiative, a list is formed, and then the House of Trustees selects a Council of Experts, which is updated every year. They process submitted applications and get acquainted with the works. Most candidates are famous writers, but there are also new names that are not very well known in Moscow.

The Council of Experts is reviewing the entire list of candidates for nomination. This year there were fifty-four applications. The panel of experts recommended eight writers, who were shortlisted (shortlisted). This is done by the House of Trustees, which is headed by the Patriarch. Several meetings take place: at the first meeting the general list is reviewed, the Council of Experts is approved, at the second meeting the short list is reviewed, the third meeting will take place in the Hall of Church Councils, where the selection and presentation of signs to the laureates of the Patriarchal Prize will take place. Voting takes place openly, without booths, everyone receives a ballot and marks their choice. The counting commission sits right there, which enters the result into the protocol, which is handed over to the Patriarch. He announces the names of the laureates.

- Are there any favorites this year?

It is very difficult to say who will become the laureate, because all the people are interesting.

- Can you name the names of the experts?

This year the expert jury is headed by Yuri Mikhailovich Loschits, poet, prose writer, and publicist. The jury includes: Abbot Evfimy (Moiseev), rector of the Kazan Theological Seminary; Archpriest Nikolai Agafonov, writer, laureate of the Patriarchal Literary Prize; Alexey Nikolaevich Varlamov, writer, member of the Union of Writers of Russia, Dmitry Mikhailovich Volodikhin, Russian historian, writer, literary critic, doctor historical sciences; Maria Aleksandrovna Gorodova, Orthodox writer, correspondent, columnist " Russian newspaper"; Victor Miroslavovich Guminsky, doctor philological sciences; Vladimir Alekseevich Kotelnikov, Doctor of Philology; Olesya Aleksandrovna Nikolaeva, poetess, writer, laureate of the Patriarchal Prize; Alexander Yurievich Segen, famous writer, laureate of the Patriarchal Prize.

- Among the nominees there are priests, for example Andrei Tkachev. Are there any other clergymen?

This year there are two priests on the list of nominees: Father Andrei Tkachev, writer, preacher, missionary, and Father Nikolai Blokhin. Interesting personality, came to the Church at an age; with the blessing of Metropolitan Pitirim and Father John Krestyankin, he was engaged in the publication of Orthodox literature and its distribution. For this he was sentenced to more than four years. He himself says that if he had not been convicted, he would not have become a writer. While in prison, he began to write. The purpose of all the artistic works of Father Nikolai is to lead a person to God, to show that life is not accidental, to point out man’s responsibility for his salvation.

I have in my hands the magazine “Orthodox Book Review,” which came out today. There is wonderful story Father Nicholas "Parishioner". He describes the usual life story, there are many of these in Rus'. The priest arrived at the temple, at the first service there were only two people - two women. The priest began to talk to them and asked them to come to the next service with their husbands. One says that she does not have a husband, and the other says that she has best husband. As a result, it turned out that the priest is from the same village where this woman lives. He remembered her and her husband. It turns out that he drank and often beat his wife, but this woman is ready to endure and believes that she must save him. “This is my cross, I have to carry it,” she says. The policeman suggests putting him in prison, the neighbors advise her to get a divorce and leave him, but she is afraid that he will die. The woman believes that he was given to her because of her sins and she must bear her cross. What a relevant topic! After all, we grumble when we bear the burdens of our neighbor...

Other nominees include nun Euphemia (Pashchenko), famous writer, physician Writes interesting essays and notes. I remember very much interesting work about God's world. A bird sang wonderfully in the park. A man sat and thought: “What a creation of God! Why is she singing? Probably makes me happy." Another person reasoned: “What kind of bird is this? Sparrow? Definitely not a nightingale. He sings better!” The third person heard the singing and thought: “What kind of crow has come to us? Incomprehensible singing! The author reflects on who is right and how people evaluate differently the world around us. The world was created by God for man. Mother Euphemia writes about how we should perceive the world around us.

If you think about it, you can see that everything in the world is focused on man. The sun shines, rivers, water - everything for a person. The Monk Macarius of Egypt beautifully said in the 4th century: “The sun, stars, moon, forest, rivers, seas, all fauna, the earth was created for man to live. And man was created so that God could live in him.” Mother Euphemia wants to convey this to her reader. People of the Church write about such important modern man topics, because most people do not know the Bible, but through such works they learn who the Creator is and where everything comes from.

I also want to name the names of Alexander Gromov, Boris Ekimov, Alexey Karpov. Alexey Karpov has a big series history books, he published “Life wonderful people" This is Boris Tarasov, a wonderful person who has done a lot for the development of literature, teacher Literary Institute, was its rector; Valery Sergeev, who wrote about the early Russian Middle Ages, is the author of a book about the life of St. Andrei Rublev, published in the series “The Life of Remarkable People.” This interesting people, which convey to the modern Russian the concepts of God and goodness, show the traditions, the historical path of our people, the Orthodox Church.

- Secular writers - nominees for the Patriarchal Prize- believers?

They are all Orthodox.

The regulations say that the prize was established for writers who have made a significant contribution to the establishment of spiritual and moral values into the life of a modern person, family and society. But morality exists not only in the Orthodox faith...

So far we have not had non-Orthodox writers, although this is possible. If the author does not want to connect himself with the Church and faith, the question arises: without knowing and understanding the Gospel, is it possible to understand Russian culture? Is it possible to make a positive contribution to its development? The peculiarity is that Russian culture is Orthodox in nature; it arose with the adoption of Christianity. Prince Vladimir brought faith, language and culture to our land. This year we celebrate the millennium of the Russian presence on Mount Athos, which had a profound impact on the spiritual state of Russia, the spiritual development of our country, and the monasteries that were centers of education and culture for many centuries. It is very difficult to separate our culture from Orthodoxy.

- What about Soviet writers? You said that they wrote about morality.

Absolutely right. They were believers at heart, they grew up in Orthodox families, in Orthodox culture, their parents were Orthodox, they were all baptized. But they could not write about God. Now we are learning a lot. Marshal K. Zhukov was a Soviet commander, and he had an icon of the Kazan Mother of God. He was a believer at heart, but could not declare it. Take M. Sholokhov: you can see many Orthodox elements in his work. Unity Foundation Orthodox peoples published a series of books “A.S. Pushkin and Orthodoxy", "F.M. Dostoevsky and Orthodoxy,” including “S. Yesenin and Orthodoxy", "M. Sholokhov and Orthodoxy". Mikhail Sholokhov describes Orthodox traditions, moreover, Christian commandments, although he could not openly write about God.

- Are books by Orthodox writers published by the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church?

The Publishing Council is not involved publishing activities, we just regulate it. They are published by publishing houses, including the publishing houses of the Moscow Patriarchate, Sretensky Monastery, and Nikeya. Our task is to assign the stamp. This is not censorship. We grant the right to this publishing house to distribute books through the church network. Our duty is to protect the parishioner from bad literature. If you don’t have a vulture, you need to think about whether this book is worth reading. The stamp is assigned not only to theological and catechetical books, historical, spiritual, but also to fiction. There are a lot of books that pass through us that I would recommend reading.

I recently read from Father Nikolai Agafonov how a young man walked towards faith. He served in the army, and he did not have any spiritual books, but only anti-religious literature, from which he learned about God, discarding the husks of propaganda. Question from a TV viewer: “I’m 85 years old, I don’t hear anything, I pray to the Lord two hundred times and Mother of God the same amount. Am I doing the right thing?

Praying is right, but I advise going to church; if you cannot get there, ask a priest to come who can administer unction to you and commune you with the Holy Mysteries of Christ and explain how to pray. If you can read, he will give you a prayer book and the Gospel. Be sure to contact the priest.

- Where can I buy works by the Patriarchal Prize nominees? Only in the church shop?

No, something was published and sold on the church network. But for the most part - in secular stores. We always contribute to the publication of works by laureates of the Patriarchal Literary Prize. We have books by Father Nikolai Agafonov, Viktor Nikolaev, Olesya Nikolaeva. We cannot force the publishing house to release certain books; we recommend it. It all depends on the work. Publishing houses operate on a commercial basis, even church ones. If it's not profitable, they can't publish. We recommend those authors who are worthy of the Patriarchal Literary Prize, or those books that have received awards from the “Enlightenment through Book” competition. In addition to the Patriarchal Prize, we support writers and publishers in this competition. There are twelve nominations, including “Fiction”, “ Historical literature", "Children's literature". These books are also present on the church network.

Question from a TV viewer from Moscow: “I’m in Kaluga region, there, especially in the villages, there are a lot of Old Believers, they have home churches, but I don’t go there. Will Orthodox chapels be built?”

Yes, a large temple will soon be restored there. Now Kirov has its own diocese - Pesochnya (this is the old name of the city). I will convey your request to Bishop Pesochensky and Yukhnovsky Maximilian. There is a project to make at least a small chapel in every village.

- Sometimes you go to a bookstore - there is a variety of literature. But you don’t see what you need.

Almost impossible to find in secular stores Orthodox literature. In Moscow, we talked with representatives of a number of stores so that they could separate Orthodox literature from other literature. There used to be a section religious literature, there were Orthodox authors and some dubious philosophical, occult teachings. A number of book chains have dedicated a section for Orthodox literature, but there is a problem: what is put in a prominent place is what is quickly bought. Naturally, people have a stereotype that they can only buy Orthodox literature in church. And in secular stores they buy technical or entertainment literature. Nobody goes to a bookstore on Arbat to buy a Bible, so they don’t pay as much attention to it there.

We propose to the Patriarch to expand the network of Orthodox bookstores. Not only in Moscow, but also in major cities regions should have large Orthodox Christians bookstores. Orthodox souvenirs can also be sold there, because opening a store is quite expensive. You can distribute both e-books and videos. We are trying to implement this project.

- In some church stores you can also find classical literature.

Yes, these are both the “golden” and “silver” centuries of Russian literature, and modern authors, laureates of the Patriarchal Literary Prize. Here is another question: not all churches, cities and parishes are equally supplied with literature. It depends on the parish and diocese. The Publishing Council cannot do anything here. With the blessing of the Patriarch, we have prepared a list of literature that should be present in every Moscow church; this is about two hundred to four hundred titles, including fiction. I think this will contribute to the development of the book business. People will know that in the temple, in addition to several prayer books and akathists, there will be a good selection of books that they can buy for themselves or give as gifts. This is a good gift. If we give a book young man, he will definitely read it. Through reading he learns about God and truth.

- Nowadays a book is a rare gift. It is more convenient to download the book and read it on the device monitor.

Yes, but the perception of a book is completely different - electronic and printed. You take a small magazine and perceive the text, every word, in a completely different way, understand the topic more deeply, and become a participant in the events described. Electronics is a completely different perception.

One of the victories of the Soviet state is the victory over illiteracy. Soviet Union was one of the most reading countries. Now the picture is depressing. Russia is getting lower in this ranking. Reading is becoming less popular. The problem lies in our schools, as Patriarch Kirill noted at a meeting of the trustees of the Patriarchal Literary Prize. He noted that at school they stop understanding literature and reading. I noticed that the teaching of literature there is fading away. How do you strive to solve this problem within the framework of the work of the Publishing Council?

Why did Russia lose its primacy in the list of the most reading countries? Development e-books, the advent of the Internet attracted some of the reading people. But it's not main reason. Reading people in Soviet times were mainly people between the ages of eighteen and thirty and schoolchildren.

We are now experiencing a demographic crisis. Since the beginning of the 90s, there have been half as many children born in Russia as in Soviet times. We have lost people of reading age, the country has aged, and this also has an effect. Advances in technology have also affected reading.

But this is a crisis not only of the school, but also of the family. Nowadays there is little reading in the family. A common situation in a Moscow family: everyone comes home and everyone goes to their “gadget.” Some go to the TV, some go to the tablet, some go to the phone - parents come first. Children do not see their parents reading, do not see books in their hands - only TV, the Internet. The child, while small, leafs through the book, and then demands a phone, smartphone, tablet, etc. His parents give him this. They pay off the child. Loving parent After dinner, he will gather the children, take a book, read the Gospel, the life of a saint, a fairy tale, and talk. When a child grows up, he will take " Captain's daughter", read it again and talk. They go to church with the whole family; it won’t be a punishment for a child to go to church while dad watches TV.

Today I see that children do not know what saint they are named after. Why not tell your child about his patrons? Grandparents' Angel Day - let's read about the patron saints. Children don't see an example! Trying to reform the school system for twenty-five years, we have lost the main thing - Russian literature. I was shown a textbook about five or six years ago: for studying A.S. One and a half pages are allotted to Pushkin! On thirteen pages - modern prose, the work of the author, a former drug addict, with all the appropriate jargon and corresponding descriptions. What is this for? This is not an introduction to life. The school is designed to teach: you need to read A.S. Pushkin, classics of the 19th - 20th centuries, modern authors. Take the works of Nikolai Agafonov and read them! Children do not see this example at home. And the school doesn't give it. We need to increase the hours spent studying literature. This is the basis.

Literature of the 19th - 20th centuries is an example of the Russian word. We must teach to love great things Russian word. Everywhere our writers are valued and known, but our youth are practically not familiar with the work of F.M. Dostoevsky, but Western writers are popular among her. This is a mistake in reform school system. The President of Russia ordered the creation of a Literature Committee, and Patriarch Kirill headed it. The school should increase the study of literature and history.

- I would like to hear instructions from you, what do you recommend reading?

I wish God's help. Tomorrow we will celebrate writers who have worked for the benefit and development of our national culture, so I wish to read more. Remember: the main book of our life is the Gospel. We must learn to read the Gospel daily, this is the word of God, it was read by the great classics. In Kaluga we held the event “The Gospel is the book of life. We read together during Lent.” Let's turn to this eternal book. My teacher called the gospel “the oxygen of eternity.” Let us breathe it in order to gain eternal life.

Christ is Risen!

Presenter Sergey Platonov
Recorded by Yaroslav Truntseva

On May 22 in Moscow, in the hall of church cathedrals of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the presentation of the annual Patriarchal Literary Prize took place. This wonderful event was attended by a delegation from the Yaroslavl Metropolitanate, which included Rybinsk journalists.

The Patriarchal Literary Prize is named after the saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius. And this fact has a deep meaning: it was the works of the Thessaloniki brothers that gave a significant impetus to the intellectual, spiritual, cultural development Slavic peoples and contributed to their familiarization with the rich heritage of Byzantium and Rome.

ON THE DAY OF THE CELEBRATION OF RUSSIAN LITERATURE

BRIEF BACKGROUND

In the three years since the establishment of the Patriarchal Literary Prize named after Saints Cyril and Methodius, it has become a significant event in public life countries. Exactly so - not only in church life, or only in literary life, but in general - social life. Because, firstly, it draws public attention to the state modern literature, which is very important for such a “literary-centric” country as Russia has always been. Secondly, this prize unites not only under the arches of the halls of church cathedrals, but also in general - in this area of ​​​​public attention - people living in the church and the church, along with everyone else - reading, writing, rooting for the fate of the country and the world . Thirdly, by highlighting certain authors, the Patriarchal Literary Prize allows the reader to understand the main themes today reflected in modern literature.

When electing the laureates of this prize, not only the literary achievements of the authors are taken into account, but also their public position, creative contribution in the matter of strengthening the moral principle in a person, establishing Christian ideals and values. Past laureates of the award were Vladimir Krupin, Olesya Nikolaeva, Viktor Nikolaev. Among the nominees for the Patriarchal Prize are Yuri Ganichev, Boris Ekimov, Alexey Solonitsyn, Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov, Alexander Yakovlev, Archpriest Vladimir Chugunov and other authors.

22 candidates were nominated for the 2013 Patriarchal Literary Prize. At the end of March, a meeting of the Council of Experts was held to form a short list of award nominees. And so on May 22, 2013, in the Hall of Church Councils of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' led the solemn ceremony of electing and awarding the laureates of the Patriarchal Literary Prize named after Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius.

CHURCH COUNTY HALL

Patriarchal Literary Prize. CHURCH COUNTY HALL

The very structure of the Hall of Church Councils is amazing. In it, in addition to a small stage - podium, there are the same stalls and amphitheaters that are found in every socio-cultural complex of this kind. But there are no doors in the hall, just as there are no walls! Its space is as if wide open, the hall of the cathedrals is connected by several glass galleries with halls and corridors, from where the viewer or participant can also watch the event. Oddly enough, there is no strict discipline for the viewer. Moving around the hall is quite acceptable. Moreover, among those present there are many children who, as you know, do not always manage to sit still. But for some reason they don’t interfere with everyone else watching what’s happening. Sounds seem to be absorbed environment. But everything that happens on stage is seen and heard by the viewer in its entirety.

And so the Patriarchal Choir greets those gathered with the Easter “Christ is risen from the dead...”, first in Greek and then in Church Slavonic, and the purity of this harmonious sound makes the heart skip a beat. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill addresses the audience with the same festive exclamation, opening the ceremony of presenting the Patriarchal Literary Prize...

“A GENIUS SHOULD Strive for the SKY”

The nominees for the award were named by His Holiness the Patriarch “ true ascetics of the spirit, despite the demands of fashion, striving to remain faithful to God, faithful to their people, faithful to the traditions in which they were raised as citizens and as writers" He also noted that these people most often do not chase any ratings or fabulous fees. " But it is precisely on such writers - ascetics, on such a “small flock”, in the language of the Holy Scriptures, that the modern literary movement, which has been created for centuries, rests. domestic culture words,- he said. — The seeds, once thrown onto Slavic soil by the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers Cyril and Methodius, bore abundant seedlings in a wide variety of areas folk life. One of these shoots became classical Russian literature, deeply rooted in the Cyril and Methodius tradition. National literature- this is a reflection of that historical path, which the people who created it passed through. We all know well that for centuries the cultural path of the Russian people was determined by Orthodox faith. Classical Russian literature was invariably based on the ideals and values ​​given to man in divine revelation. A.S. Pushkin said that “a genius must strive for Heaven.” It was this aspiration to Heaven, intense reflections about God, about His creation, about man, about the search for God, and man’s relationship with God, the constant search for truth that became the features that determined the originality of Russian literature, and placed it among the most important phenomena of world culture».

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill called the current result of Russian history at the end of the twentieth century the isolation of the Russian people from the value paradigm that for centuries determined its national identity. Literature has ceased to be a source of moral ideas, one of important means a person’s knowledge of himself and the world around him. Quoting Vyach. Ivanov, who argued that literature responds to the demands of the time with a gradual revaluation of values, His Holiness the Patriarch noted that modern literature responded to today's world by the loss of values, both ethical and aesthetic. And the postmodern culture that exists today is a culture of relativity, a culture of anti-values. " This culture does not accept the sacred dimension of human life, he said. — In this culture and literature, the boundaries of good and evil are blurred so much that the spirit of the apocalypse emanates from it. Postmodern culture is unable to bring modern man out of that deep moral and spiritual crisis, in which he found himself. Why? Because a culture built on the denial of the experience of previous generations, on the denial of traditions, the destruction of eternal moral truths, on the postulation of relativity moral standards is a priori destructive, and plunges people into terrible spiritual chaos. That's why it's not viable. Only that which carries goodness within itself, that which fertilizes the individual and society, is viable. Proof of this is the rich cultural heritage, left to us by the great Slavic first teachers».

Arguing further about how you can connect spiritual experience past with the categories of perception of modern man, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill said that it seems to him that the most successful answer to this question was priest Georgy Florovsky, who considered it necessary to include patristic values ​​in modern culture. « Having creatively assimilated the experience of holy ascetics, strive for the future - such a model, I am convinced, is applicable to modern literature and to the entire culture as a whole,”- said His Holiness the Patriarch, and, noting the efforts of modern Russian writers, defending moral values, concluded: “ We hope that our joint works will serve to educate readers.”

“GIVING IS A COMMAND”

The award ceremony was structured, frankly, ingeniously and simply. The viewer barely has time to catch his breath. As soon as the jury members begin voting, the counting commission, consisting of three people - Archpriest Nikolai Agafonov, editor of Literature Yuri Polyakov, President of the Russian State Library Victor Fedorov - to count the votes, detailed videos about the nominees appear on the screens in the hall. All together they are like a further program of action for the thoughtful reader. But first, let's name the winners. The laureates of the 2013 Patriarchal Literary Prize were: Doctor of Philology, teacher at Moscow State University and the Literary Institute, author of a number of books from the “Life of Remarkable People” series Alexey Varlamov, poet and writer, author of twenty books, editor of the literary, artistic and socio-political magazine “Our Contemporary” Stanislav Kunyaev, as well as a writer and public figure, historian, author of a number of books in the “ZhZL” series, including biographies of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Equal-to-the-Apostles, editor of the magazine “Tobolsk and All Siberia” Yuri Loschits.

In addition to them, the short list of the award included Doctor of Historical Sciences and a science fiction writer who received diplomas from the nominees. Dmitry Volodikhin, poet and literary critic, teacher at the Literary Institute and editor of the widely known anthology “Poetry” Gennady Krasnikov, Professor of the Department of Philology at the University of Szeged (Hungary), author of seven books on the relationship between Russian icons and Russian literature Valery Lepakhin, journalist and writer, author of popular books Natalya Sukhinina, archpriest Alexander Torik, author of repeatedly republished books “Flavian”, “Dimon” and others that enjoy high reader confidence.

Among the award nominees was a writer and journalist from Serbia, chairman of the Foundation Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna Olga Kulikovskaya – Romanova, for which our Yaroslavl delegation “rooted”. Olga Nikolaevna has visited the Yaroslavl region more than once. For many years she directed all her efforts towards establishing the truth about royal dynasty The Romanovs and the glorification of saints royal passion-bearers, as well as the unification of the Foreign and Russian Orthodox Churches. Here are the words from her brief speech. “There is no fiction in my books,” said Olga Nikolaevna. — They were lived and written as before God, for the Russian reader. “Let the voice of the people be the voice of God,” as the poet said. I believe that the time will come when Russian literature will return to the lofty verb, and, like a bell, will call the people to unity in times of trouble. And then the day of Russian celebration will definitely come.”

Let us conclude with the words of another nominee, Gennady Krasnikov, who, as it were, summed up his thoughts on the fate of the writer in Russia. “In Russian literature, the fate of the artist depends on his mission,” he said. — Evgeny Baratynsky once remarked: “Gifting is an order, and failure to fulfill it is a sin.” It turns out that how you use your talent, so will your destiny.”

...When the award ceremony ended, few passers-by on Volkhonka at that moment witnessed amazing sight– after a downpour, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior found itself inscribed in the very center of a large rainbow.

Anna Romanova, magazine editor

"Rybnaya Sloboda"

Our information:

The Patriarchal Literary Prize named after Saints Cyril and Methodius Equal-to-the-Apostles was established by the decision of Holy Synod dated December 25, 2009 (magazine No. 115) with the aim of encouraging writers who have made a significant contribution to the establishment of spiritual and moral values ​​in the life of a modern person, family and society, who have created highly artistic works that have enriched Russian literature. This prize has no analogues in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church and in the practice of other Local Orthodox Churches.

The prize is designed to promote the development of interaction between the Russian Orthodox Church and the literary community, primarily those writers who, through their work, affirm the foundations of the Christian faith. The right to nominate candidates for the award belongs to the Primates of Local Orthodox Churches, heads of self-governing Churches within the Moscow Patriarchate, diocesan bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, bodies state power CIS and Baltic countries, synodal institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as editorial staff literary magazines.

By resolution of the Holy Synod dated July 26, 2010 (magazine No. 78), the composition of the Prize’s House of Trustees was approved.

Responsibility for all activities related to the selection of Prize nominees, as well as preparation of meetings of the House of Trustees, Council of Experts and organization solemn ceremony the election and awarding of the laureate of the Patriarchal Literary Prize is entrusted to the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Anna Romanova- Father Euthymy, please tell us about the Patriarchal Literary Prize. What are its features and differences from other literary awards?

The prize was established by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on the initiative of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. On present moment this is the youngest literary prize in Russia, or better to say - using the term that has recently come into use - the Russian World, since among the candidates for the prize there can be not only citizens of Russia, but also all writers who write in Russian, regardless of their what part of the world do they live in? Also in the House of Trustees of the award there are representatives of Ukraine, Belarus and Russian diaspora.

If we talk about the features of the award, then, in my opinion, it is very important that this is not just one of many initiatives supported by the Church, but precisely the initiative of the Church itself, and the initiative that the Church brings to life exclusively on its own - the monetary component of the award will be paid from the church budget.

In this sense, the establishment of the Prize is an unprecedented attempt by the Church to support Russian literature and to give it a helping hand in an extremely difficult period for it. If you want, this is a symbolic act of reconciliation - after all, we know that the history of the relationship between the Russian Church and Russian literature knows different periods, so the appearance of such a prize can be seen as an offer to finally become full-fledged allies.

- Each award has its own criteria. By what criteria are candidates for the Patriarchal Prize selected?

This is stated in the Regulations on the Prize, which in particular states that the Prize is awarded for contributions to Russian literature, as well as for strengthening Christian values ​​in society, which is understood as a set of spiritual and moral standards, preserved by the Orthodox Church. This is the main criterion. Unlike prizes that are awarded for a specific work, the Patriarchal Literary Prize is closer in type to, for example, Nobel Prize or to state awards.

This prize means recognition by the Church of the totality of the writer’s merits, not only as an author specific work, but also as a public figure, as a person occupying a certain life position who has a Christian worldview and disseminates views corresponding to this worldview. This approach contains a very important and, unfortunately, in our time often neglected idea of ​​the integrity of the writer’s personality, the inextricable connection between the author’s life and his works. After all, as you know, the spirit creates forms for itself. Actually, this is probably the criterion of authenticity creative writing: is it correlated - directly or perhaps indirectly - with what the Word of God reveals to us, what God the Word reveals to us in His Revelation? This is obviously the key difference true writer from a graphomaniac.

People don’t care what kind of life a priest leads. Likewise, real readers are always interested in the personality of the writer. I remember back at the university, at one of the seminars on the history of Russian literature, we discussed the question: could Pushkin and Lermontov be recognized as national geniuses if they killed their opponents in a duel? Then the very formulation of the question struck me - after all, by the time of their duels, both Pushkin and Lermontov had already written all the texts with which they entered world literature. As a result of long and intense discussions, we came to the conclusion that the murderers could not receive popular recognition as national geniuses. Genius and villainy are incompatible, as Pushkin convincingly demonstrated, which means that true genius is also a moral authority.

- Who can be nominated as a candidate for the Patriarchal Prize?

Of course, this must be a Christian writer, a person who has an Orthodox view of the world and expresses this view in his works. I personally am closer to the definition of a Christian writer than an Orthodox writer, because when we say about this or that writer that he is a Christian, we mean, first of all, his involvement in great tradition Russian literature, and not actual religious affiliation. And the fact that in Russia a Christian writer is precisely Orthodox Christian, it goes without saying, because - excuse me, I don’t want to offend anyone - neither a Catholic, nor a Protestant, nor even a sectarian can be a Russian writer. Such a person can, of course, write in Russian, but be a Russian writer, that is, a representative and successor of a very specific spiritual and literary tradition, he can't.

Therefore, I would very much like the award to contribute, among other things, to rehabilitation in public consciousness such concepts as Christianity and Christian values. So that people finally realize: in Russia, Christianity and Orthodoxy have always been identical concepts and should remain so in the future. Strange thing - in lately, If we're talking about about Christianity, then for some reason in most cases it is assumed that heterodoxy is meant - Catholicism, Protestantism or even sectarianism. This is a very dangerous bias in public consciousness that needs to be eliminated. I hope that our writers will remind us that our ancestors accepted Christianity, and from time immemorial in Rus' its preacher and guardian was the Orthodox Church.

Unfortunately, we do not have many authors who could be considered successors of the great literary tradition that was formed in Russia and is an integral part of Russian and world culture. Classical Russian literature is a unique phenomenon, because this literature, like no other literature in the world, is characterized by an appeal to the depths human soul, human spirit. It was Russian writers who tried to pose in their works the eternal, perhaps insoluble questions of human existence. This is what has always distinguished great Russian literature, and this is what made it interesting to people of other cultures. To the credit of Russian writers, it must be said that even during periods of the deepest alienation of literature from the Church, among them there were always those who realized, or at least intuitively understood, the deep commonality of the tasks that the Church and literature are called upon to solve.

As I already said, writers whom we could rightfully classify today as creators great literature, not much, but a quantitative indicator in in this case not the most important one. It is noteworthy that all the nominees are people who were born and lived a significant part of their lives during the Soviet era. And the very fact that the Church now recognizes them as continuers of the great tradition of Russian literature - a tradition that is fundamentally Christian - speaks volumes. If our literature did not break down and survived both the harsh era of state atheism and the times of post-Soviet chaos, then there is hope for its revival in the future.

- Who forms the short list, by whom and how is the laureate determined?

The short list is formed by a Council of Experts, which includes famous literary scholars, writers and clergy. The Board of Experts presents a short list to the House of Trustees, and here I would like to clarify one detail. Most often, trustees are understood as philanthropists, but in this case, trusteeship does not consist of providing financial resources. Since the establishment of the Prize was initiated by His Holiness the Patriarch, he is its main trustee, and writers, literary critics, literary critics and the clergy - those who act as assistants and advisers to the Patriarch in electing the laureate - respectively form the House of Trustees.

It is this body that continues the expert work and determines the laureate, and his election will take place directly during the solemn ceremony on May 26 in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior; he will be elected by secret ballot. The award will be presented for the first time in 2011, so only one laureate will be selected this year. Subsequently, the number of laureates may be larger.

As the secretary of the Council of Experts, I would like to clarify that our Council selected nominees from those candidates who were nominated in accordance with the Regulations of the Prize. Were enough famous authors who did not want to come forward and recused themselves. There were also those who might have wanted to compete for the title of the first laureate of the Patriarchal Prize, but were not nominated by anyone. Each member of the Council of Experts expressed his opinion on who, from his point of view, deserves to be included in this list. Based on the totality of these opinions, the nominees were determined based on the results of the discussion. Among them there is a priest-writer and women writers - and one of them represents Russian Abroad. Unfortunately, this time no one was nominated from Ukraine or Belarus - I hope this flaw will be made up for in subsequent premium seasons.

What role do the literary and artistic merits of a work play in the decision to award a prize?

Artistic merit is a rather subjective concept, and today a work of art is often declared to be something that has absolutely no signs of artistry and, until quite recently, under no circumstances could it have been allowed to be published. After all, as you know, if content is impossible without form, then form is possible without content. And today, precisely under the guise of the originality of the author’s artistic worldview, all sorts of obscene little books are published in thousands of copies, containing obscene language and descriptions of all sorts of baseness that a person is capable of.

The Christian view of literature does not at all neglect form, but assumes that content is primary in relation to form. As Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol said, art is invisible steps to Christianity, therefore the value work of art is determined by the extent to which it is able to lead the reader to the perception of higher meanings. In the Christian picture of the world, meaning as such is the meaning of Divine Revelation, this is the meaning of the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures. All other meanings go back to this higher meaning.

It is obvious that what deeper meaning, the more perfect the form that expresses it should be. If a writer created a work prompted by the power of God, inspired by the prophetic gift - and the theme of prophetic ministry is very close to Russian literature, then this will certainly be reflected in literary form of his work and will determine the artistic merits of his work.

- What literature is needed today? What literature is in demand today?

Needed and in demand - those are two different questions. Serious, genuine - great literature, will be needed human society always - more precisely, as long as it wants to remain human. Our society has long been secular, the solution to all spiritual issues here has been pushed into the private sphere of life, therefore serious literature for it is the only space for dialogue about eternal values, to think about eternal questions. This is his if you want last hope, last chance save yourself from complete savagery.

Another thing is what kind of literature is in demand today - it depends on how this or that book is sold, how successfully it passes the filters that are established by the media. If a book does not comply with a certain format, then it has practically no chance of being published in more or less widely circulated editions. In the overwhelming majority of cases, publishing houses do not undertake to publish works that will not generate income.

This year, the short list of the Patriarchal Prize, along with recognized masters of modern literature, also included lesser-known writers. Some of them are still content with very modest circulations, but the very fact that a particular writer is included in the short list of the Patriarchal Literary Prize should become a signal to publishers about whom to pay attention to.

I would like, of course, for the Patriarchal Prize to become a center of attraction for those writers and writers who are aware of their continuity in relation to the great tradition of Russian literature. In general, the idea of ​​continuity is one of key ideas Christianity, because the Tradition of the Church is according to by and large continuity of faith, teaching and experience. And if the Church lives by Tradition, if Tradition is the basis of the life of the Church, then genuine literature will be alive as long as it maintains continuity with that literature that has enriched the world, all of humanity with its ideas, insights and approaches.

Let's hope that the Patriarchal Literary Prize will remind us of this modern writers, readers and our entire society.

The list of nominees for the 2015 Patriarchal Literary Prize includes:

Archpriest Leonid Safronov; Bondarev Yuri Vasilievich; Burlyaev Nikolay Petrovich; Volodikhin Dmitry Mikhailovich; Voropaev Vladimir Alekseevich; Kublanovsky Yuri Mikhailovich; Matveeva Novella Nikolaevna; Segen Alexander Yurievich.

On May 26 at 13:00, a press conference dedicated to the 5th anniversary of the Patriarchal Literary Prize and the award ceremony for this year’s laureates will be held at the International Multimedia Press Center of the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency (Zubovsky Boulevard, 4). A video recording of the event will be available via a link on the press center website http://pressmia.ru/pressclub/20150526/950142685.html

On May 28, 2015, in the Hall of Church Councils of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' will lead the solemn ceremony of electing and awarding the laureates of the Patriarchal Literary Prize.

On the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the Patriarchal Literary Prize, a jubilee collection of works by writers - laureates and nominees for the 2011–2015 award - is being published. Written in beautiful language, serious and funny, lyrical and filled with warm humor, they will not leave readers indifferent. The book will be of interest to wide range readers.

The Patriarchal Literary Prize named after Saints Cyril and Methodius, Equal-to-the-Apostles, was established by the Holy Synod on the initiative of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill in order to encourage writers who have made a significant contribution to the affirmation of spiritual and moral values ​​in the life of modern man, family and society, who have created highly artistic works that have enriched Russian literature.

Laureates of the Prize are elected by a vote of members of the House of Trustees from among the nominees who were included in the short list of the Prize. Voting takes place at the ceremony of election and awarding the Prize, in the presence of representatives of the media.

The Chairman of the House of Trustees is His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'; Secretary of the House of Trustees - Chairman of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan of Kaluga and Borovsk Clement. The House of Trustees includes representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church and the literary community, public figures, scientists and cultural figures. Among them: Archbishop Anthony of Borispol, Bishop Benjamin of Borisov, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov), Alexander Arkhangelsky, Alexey Varlamov, Andrey Vasilevsky, Yuri Vyazemsky, Valery Ganichev, Konstantin Kovalev-Sluchevsky, Boris Oleinik, Yuri Polyakov, Alexander Sokolov, Boris Tarasov, Viktor Fedorov, Sergey Chuprinin and others.

The Patriarchal Literary Prize named after Saints Cyril and Methodius, Equal-to-the-Apostles, has no analogues in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church and other local churches. The award ceremony is intended to promote the development of interaction between the Russian Orthodox Church and the literary community. The prize is awarded in the category “For significant contribution to the development of Russian literature.”

The prize is designed to promote the development of interaction between the Russian Orthodox Church and the literary community - first of all, those writers who, through their work, affirm the foundations of the Christian faith. The right to nominate candidates for the award belongs to the Primates of Local Orthodox Churches, heads of self-governing Churches within the Moscow Patriarchate, diocesan bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, government bodies of the CIS and Baltic countries, Synodal institutions of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as the editors of literary magazines and literary and public organizations .

The organization of all events related to the selection of nominees for the Prize, as well as the preparation of meetings of the House of Trustees, the Council of Experts and the organization of the Solemn ceremony for electing and awarding the laureate of the Patriarchal Literary Prize is entrusted to the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The first laureate of the Patriarchal Literary Prize in 2011 was the writer Vladimir Nikolaevich Krupin. In the second award season (2012), the winners were Olesya Aleksandrovna Nikolaeva and Viktor Nikolaevich Nikolaev. In the third award season (2013), the awards were given to Alexey Varlamov, Yuri Loshchits and Stanislav Kunyaev. In the fourth award season (2014), the laureates were: Father Nikolai Agafonov, Valentin Kurbatov and Valery Ganichev.

More detailed information information about the Patriarchal Literary Prize and this year's nominees is available

The number of applications from candidates for the Patriarchal Literary Prize named after Saints Cyril and Methodius Equal-to-the-Apostles has become the largest in the history of the award, the head of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Clement of Kaluga and Borovsk, said at a press conference, RIA Novosti reports. This year the Patriarchal Literary Prize will be awarded for the sixth time. Among the nominees are people well-known in the literary community.

Of the 56 applications submitted, eight were nominated. These are priest Nikolai Blokhin, Gromov Alexander Vitalievich, Ekimov Boris Petrovich, Karpov Alexey Yuryevich, nun Euphemia (Pashchenko), Sergeev Valery Nikolaevich, Tarasov Boris Nikolaevich, Archpriest Andrey Tkachev. As Alexei Varlamov, laureate of the 2013 Patriarchal Literary Prize, noted, “the prize is not given for separate work, but for the writer’s total contribution to Russian literature,” according to the website of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Another nominee for the award, writer Ksenia Krivosheina, withdrew her application without explanation.

This year's laureates will be determined by members of the House of Trustees at a ceremony in the Hall of Church Councils of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on May 18. Writer Alexander Segen, laureate of the 2015 Patriarchal Literary Prize, spoke about this year’s nominees: “Priest Nikolai Blokhin is a spiritual ascetic who suffered for his faith in the Soviet years. Alexander Gromov came to faith while serving in Afghanistan, and talks about it in his books. Boris Ekimov - represents the constellation of country writers. Alexey Karpov is known as the author of books about Prince Vladimir, Yaroslav the Wise, Alexander Nevsky and many other heroes of the ZhZL series. Nun Euphemia writes very light works, including for children. Valery Sergeev, back in the Soviet years, wrote a book about Andrei Rublev, published in the “ZhZL” series. Boris Tarasov is familiar to readers as the author of biographies of Pascal and Chaadaev. And Archpriest Andrei Tkachev is a famous preacher and writer.”

The annual Russian Patriarchal Literary Prize, established by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Church on the initiative of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on December 25, 2009, has been awarded since 2011. Established to encourage writers who have made a significant contribution to the establishment of spiritual and moral values ​​in the life of modern man, family and society, who have created highly artistic works that have enriched Russian literature. The Prize has no analogues not only in the history of the Russian Church, but also in the practice of other Local Orthodox Churches.

The number of laureates, according to the regulations of the award, cannot exceed three people. At the same time, one of the innovations this year was that each member of the House of Trustees can cast not one, as before, but three votes.

The first laureate of the Patriarchal Literary Prize in 2011 was the writer Vladimir Krupin. In the second award season (2012), the winners were Olesya Nikolaeva and Viktor Nikolaev. In the third award season (2013), the awards were given to Alexey Varlamov, Yuri Loshchits and Stanislav Kunyaev. In the fourth award season (2014), the winners were: Fr. Nikolai Agafonov, Valentin Kurbatov and Valery Ganichev. In the fifth award season (2015), the winners were: Yuri Bondarev, Alexander Segen and Yuri Kublanovsky.