“Brodsky’s Birthday” in “Russian Samovar”

On May 24, Joseph Brodsky would have turned 75. The literary world celebrates the birthday of the brilliant poet, who had to endure persecution and emigration. According to Brodsky’s friends, he loved his birthday and always celebrated it on a grand scale. Many of those to whom he dedicated poems and with whom he was friends in exile gathered yesterday at the Russian Samovar restaurant in New York, which was created with his money from the Nobel Prize in Literature.

The owner of the restaurant, Roman Kaplan, who knew Brodsky before emigration, told stories from the life of the restaurant and the writer. He quoted poetry about the institution and personal dedication.

Joseph Brodsky about the “Russian Samovar”:

"Winter. What should we do in New York?
It is colder than the moon.
Take yourself a little bit of caviar
and vodka on a fragrant crust ...
Let's warm up with Kaplan. ”

Among contemporaries of Brodsky who brought personal photos and video archives to the evening were Nina Alovert, Leonid Lubyanitsky, Ernst Unknown, Lev Polyakov, Natasha Sharymova, Edward Shenderovich, Lyudmila Stern and Alexey Tsvetkov. More than 100 people gathered to listen to Brodsky’s poems by his friends.

The cost of attending a birthday was $ 50, for the money the guests relied on alcohol, snacks, poetry poems performed by his friends and acquaintances and their memories of celebrating joint birthdays. The establishment on that day was completely closed for other visitors, as often happened when Brodsky himself celebrated it there.

The guests read not only the poet's poetry, but also their own dedication to him.

The day after his 55 anniversary, Joseph Brodsky wrote the following lines to Roman Kaplan:

“Forgive me, Roman, hit me in the face, you scoundrel. But the singer happened to get drunk yesterday. And that’s why only Yuz was in your living room. Roman, I have always been a brute and remain. There is no forgiveness for such a creature (plus the Jew). And there is no place for me in “Samovar” among people. Now they won’t invite the bastard into a decent house. Where they shine <…>, Lyudka, I won’t be. Now my food, without a doubt, is one matzah. No barbecue for me, no dumplings, no jellied meat, no expensive glass from now on. Old at heart, I will enter, like Moses in the desert, into the nearest bar and whisper, pressing my dry lip to the glass: “Hurray! 55 Roman! O boy! O boy!”

Recall Brodsky moved to the United States in 1972. From that moment on, Brodsky graduated from the USSR with incomplete 8 classes of secondary school and began teaching at six American and British universities in the course of the next 24 years. Colombian and New york.

He taught the history of Russian literature, Russian and world poetry, the theory of verse, and lectured and recited poetry at international literary festivals and forums, libraries and universities in the USA, Canada, England, Ireland, France, Sweden, Italy.

Some footage from the personal archives of the poet’s friends, including from “Russian Samovar,” ended up in the film “Brodsky is Not a Poet,” created for the anniversary this year.

Recall: May 30 will be held at the Brooklyn Library memorial evening of Joseph Brodsky dedicated to the 75 anniversary of the poet.