Autograph By G. Aigi. Bow to singing.

Autograph By G. Aigi. Bow to singing.
Berlin. Rainer, 1992, 60 p. in Russian and German. Fold-out cover. 36 variations on themes of Chuvash and Tatar folk songs (1988-1991). Softcover, 10 x 15 cm. A surprisingly rare book.

"Bow-to singing and Glory and Lena-with a fraternal embrace: Gene.7.04.93." . Perhaps Slava Len and his companion got the autograph.

Gennady Nikolaevich Aigi (surname at birth Lisin, changed his surname to the generic Aigi, Chuvash. Gennady Nikolaevich Aikhi (Lisin); August 21, 1934, Shaimurzino, Chuvash ASSR, RSFSR — February 21, 2006, Moscow) was a Chuvash and Russian poet and translator.

People's poet of the Chuvash Republic (1994). Winner of the Andrey Bely prize (1987), the Pasternak prize (2000, first prize), the French Academy award (1972), the Petrarch prize (1993), and others. Commander Of the order of literature and art (1998). Born in the village of Simurzina in Chuvashia, in the teacher's family, an ethnic Chuvash. My father died during the great Patriotic war. From a young age, he wrote poems in the Chuvash language, from the age of fifteen he began to publish in the Chuvash periodicals. His work was heavily influenced by the poetry of Michael Sespel ' and Peter Huzinga known Chuvash poets. In 1953, he graduated from the Batyrev pedagogical College and entered the Gorky Literary Institute, where he studied in the creative workshop of Mikhail Svetlov.

In March 1958, he was expelled from the Institute "for writing a hostile book of poems that undermines the foundations of the method of socialist realism"("the Ordinariness of a miracle". In the original for the first time: "Friendship of peoples", 1993, no. 12). Under the influence of Pasternak, Aigi began writing in Russian, and also decided to stay in Moscow — and for a decade (1961-1971), he was in charge of the isosector at the state Museum of V. V. Mayakovsky.

In parallel with his original poetry in Russian, Aigi was engaged in translating world poetry into Chuvash, creating anthologies "Poets of France", " Poets of Hungary", "Poets of Poland". The role of Aiga in the world propaganda of Chuvash poetry and Chuvash culture is recognized. Russian Russian poems have been published in some countries since the early 1960s in Russian and in translations into foreign languages.in Russia, the first book of Russian poems by Aiga appeared in 1991.

A special place in the life and work of Aiga was occupied by the Russian artist Igor Vulokh. Their friendship began in 1961. In 1988, in the Preface to T. Andersen's monograph about Vulokh, the poems of Gennady Aiga "Twelve Parallels to Igor Vulokh"were published. In 1997 and 2001, Vulokh's solo exhibitions in Moscow included a joint exhibition with Aigi entitled "Strokes of fire", dedicated to the 70th anniversary of Nobel Laureate Tumas Tranströmer.

Aiga's work is strongly influenced by Chuvash and other Volga folklore, folk culture in General; he constantly refers to the oldest archetypes of folk consciousness. At the same time, eigi directly continues the tradition of Russian and especially European (primarily French, but also German, especially in the face of Paul Celan) poetic avant-garde, which is evident, in particular, a very special role in his poetry play visual-graphic design of the text, the author's punctuation system, sharply different from the colloquial syntax, the system through motivation and key words, passing from text to text (this latter feature, paradoxically, unites poetry Aigi not with futurism, and symbolism).

Sofia Gubaidulina, Valentin Silvestrov, Valentin Bibik, Alexander Raskatov, Victoria Polevaya, Iraida Yusupova and others wrote music for Aiga's poems.

G. N. Aigi died on February 21, 2006 in Moscow, and is buried in the cemetery in his native village.

Slava Len

Vladislav Konstantinovich Bogatyshchev-Epishin (family estate Bogatyshevo-Epishino in Kashirsky district of Moscow province; mother's surname-Len (Lohn), hence the literary name Slava Len; b. December 13, 1937, Vladimir) - Russian poet-qualitist, artist-nonconformist, philosopher-receptionist. Doctor of geographical, philosophical Sciences (?), art history (?). Professor. President of the international Academy of Russian verse. Honorary academician of the Russian Academy of arts.

He was born in 1937 (?) in Vladimir, where his mother, Natalia Alexandrovna Len (1906-1983), "fled" from Moscow after the arrest in 1937 and execution in 1941 of her husband, Konstantin Nikolayevich Bogatyshchev-Epishin (1896-1941). In 1941, she and her two sons were exiled as CHSVN to Vyatka (Kirov), where Slava Len graduated from secondary school No. 38 in 1955.

In 1955, Len entered the faculty of Philology at Moscow state University. Lomonosov. At the same time, the faculty of Philology received Venedikt Yerofeyev (author of "Moscow-Petushki"), future academicians Sergei Averintsev, Boris Uspensky, translator Vladimir Muravyov and other well-known philologists. In 1961, he graduated from the faculty of Geology, and in 1966 — from the faculty of mechanics and mathematics (?). In 1966, he defended his candidate's and then doctoral (?) dissertations in the USSR. Three more doctorates honoris causa were awarded to Slava len in the 1980s by European universities (which ones?), when He started (since 1978) publishing the almanac NEUE RUSSISCHE LITERATUR in Austria (University of Salzburg). The co-editors were: Prof. Rosemary Ziegler and Prof. Georg Meyer. In the 1970s, Slava Len developed the concept of the Bronze age of Russian culture (1953-1989). 

In 1955, Len created the Moscow state University verse system of Qualitism (1955-2011). He wrote The "Manifesto of qualitism" and the first qualitative book "Pillars beyond the swamp..." (1955 — 59). The school of quality poets at various times included: Venedikt Yerofeyev, Anatoly Vinnik, Oleg Elokhov, Vladimir Kazakov, George Nedgar, Alexey Khvostenko, and others. Qualitity worked closely with schools: Sosnora, "Warpy" (Khvostenko), phonetist Kuzminski, Chelnokov, UFO brown Enxoval Strochkova, Levin, etc.  

Having created the "Tower on the swamp" in 1965, Slava Len began to conduct systematic "apartment exhibitions" of artists and poetry readings by underground (uncensored) poets. Who formed a radical opposition to censored artists - and poets-social realists and conformists. 

In 1985, Slava len was awarded the prize in Paris. Vladimir dal for the novel "Pacer Misha Baryshnikov" (jury: Viktor Nekrasov, Georges Niva, Nikita Struve, Mikhail Geller, Ilovaiskaya-Alberti).

In 1989 Thank Len for the first time left the Soviet Union and worked as a Professor of Russian literature, Russian art, Russian history in Europe and the United States all of the 1990-ies. In 1993, with Brodsky and Ufland, he organized the international Academy of Russian Verse (new York-Paris-Saint Petersburg — Moscow) in new York. In 2001, Slava Len returned to Russia and co-directs the international ACADEMY of RUSSIAN VERSE with Viktor Sosnora. Slava Len also works with the Russian Academy of arts, as well as with the Viktyuk, Pogrebnichko, and Lyubimov Theaters. With the latter, he collaborated-in the official position of head of the literary part of the Taganka Theater - in 2006-2007. he Lives in Moscow, St. Petersburg and in his new estate Budimirov (Tver region).)