Alexander Garros. Lived, wrote, loved

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

Life always ends in death. This is how the world works. Whether there is anything after life, no one knows. From there, no one has yet returned to tell about it. It is especially bitter and insulting when a young, talented, full of life person leaves who has not done even a tenth of what he could. Maybe it is nature (as the Strugatsky brothers believed) that removes people who have come too close to unraveling its secrets and can disrupt homeostasis? So on April 6, 2017, the journalist and writer Alexander Garros left us. He was 42 years old.

Life

Garros was born in Belarus in Novopolotsk in 1975. The family moved to Latvia when he was very young. In Riga, he finished school and studied at the university. Alexander Garros, whose biography began in the Soviet Union, could only receive the status of "non-citizen" in Latvia. In the magazine "Snob", speaking to himself, Garros defined his nationality - "Soviet people".

In 2006, he moved to Moscow, where he entered the philological faculty of Moscow State University and began working as a journalist. He headed the departments of culture in Novaya Gazeta, in the Expert magazine, and was a columnist in the Snob magazine. Together with his oldfriend, classmate and work colleague in Riga, he wrote four novels. The novel (Head) breaking in 2003 won the National Bestseller Award.

Alexander was married to the writer Anna Starobinets. They raised a daughter and a son.

Creativity

Together with Alexei Evdokimov, writer Alexander Garros wrote four novels. These are "Juche", "Grey Slime", "(Head) Breaking", "Factor Truck". These novels have been reprinted many times and arouse constant reader interest. It is possible to interpret the genre and the meaning of these works, written in a peculiar language, in different ways. They can be considered social novels, thrillers, and even literary provocations. Somewhere in the depths there is an eternal theme of Russian literature - "the tragedy of a little man" who becomes terrible. "Juche" is positioned by the author as a film story, where a lot of important things are said about post-Soviet life. The main thing for the average reader is that it is impossible to tear oneself away from these books. Maybe this is the effect of joint creativity of two, like the Strugatsky brothers. There are twice as many ideas, a kind of resonance of thoughts. Or, as Ilf and Petrov wrote, "the mysterious Slavic soul and the mysterious Jewish soul" are in eternal contradiction. By the way, Alexander Garros himself wrote about himself that he had "three bloods - Latvian, Estonian and Georgian"

In 2016, Garros published the collection "The Untranslatable Gamewords".

Motherland is not for sale, this problem needs to be solved somehow

It says so on the cover. In the preface to the collection, the author writes that the media speed has now increased to incredible levels. If in the days of the paper press a newspaper article could live for several days, now it sometimes becomes outdated before anyone has had time to publish it. The authors turn into literary zombies without even having time to say a word. The collection is devoted to culture in these new realities, the articles of which are read in one breath.

Death

In 2015 Alexander was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. The eldest daughter of Garros was then 11 years old, the youngest son was only 5 months old. His wife Anna Starobinets then publicly appealed to everyone who could help. Charity funds for adult patients give practically nothing, and the treatment was urgent and expensive. She wrote how Sasha is dear to her, how he helped her in difficult moments of her life, how she loves him and now it's her turn to help him. She wrote it simply, sincerely, very movingly. Everyone who read, felt their misfortune. Anna said that strangers approached her on the street and offered money: 100, 200 rubles, whoever had how much in their wallet.

Money was collected. Garros underwent a course of treatment in Israel. He underwent surgery and chemotherapy. The treatment helped, there was a remission. It would seem that the disease is defeated! A long life and many plans are ahead. But, alas, the improvement was short-lived. Sasha's condition worsened from day to day.day, he was tormented by shortness of breath and swelling, the pain did not stop. Sufficiently traumatic treatment did not help. The disease took its toll and on April 6, 2017 Alexander Garros passed away.

Sasha died. There is no God

Written by Anna Starobinets on her Facebook page when Alexander stopped breathing. Her desperation is understandable.

Many reproached Anna for making public the entire process of her husband's illness and death. It was said that this was contrary to religious and human understanding. Numerous reproaches and insults were poured into her address. But, probably, the opportunity to share eased the suffering of both Alexander and her. Creative people have their own understanding of the world and life.

Life goes on

Alexander Garros was buried in Riga, at the Ivanovo cemetery.

Garros' Facebook page still exists and is actively visited on the web.

Both his friends write there, and people who empathized with him and for whom he became dear. His articles and comments still exist on the web. Alexander Garros, whose books are read by thousands of people, continues to live.

"He lived, wrote, loved" is the epitaph on Stendhal's grave. These same words define Alexander Garros.