Conference on ‘Religious-historical and Orthodox subjects in modern literature’

CONFERENCE ON ‘RELIGIOUS-HISTORICAL AND ORTHODOX SUBJECTS IN MODERN LITERATURE’

A conference ‘Religious-historical and Orthodox subjects in modern literature’ organised by the World Russian People’s Council together with the Writer’s Union Russia and The Russian public movement ‘The Union of Realists’ was held at St.Daniel’s Monastery and at the Writers’ Union of Russia in Moscow on February 5-6, 1998, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and all Russia.

His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II, head of the World Russian People’s Council sent a message to the participants in the Conference:

‘Dear participants of the Conference!

I am happy to greet you – writers and scholars, workers of culture and education gathered for such an important meeting. I state with a feeling of deep satisfaction that the indefatigable activities of the World Russian People’s Council which celebrates its fifth anniversary this year has been always directed to the achievement of the goal which is becoming a major one for Russia, the goal of reviving spiritual foundations in our people. The present Conference organised by the World Russian People’s Council together with the Writers’ Union of Russia and the Russian public movement ‘The Union of Realists’ has the same good aim.

During two thousand years of its life Christianity has created extensive literature which include theological works, religious hymns, lives of the saints, and many others. Creative work which aim is to glorify God has always been blessed by the Holy Church. The salutary connection between faith and creative work is inherent in the Russian literature which is rightfully recognised as one of the leading ones in the world. The first known work ‘The Word of Law and Grace’ by Metropolitan Hilarion is an outstanding example of sermon, literary work and historiosophic wisdom.

The same can be said about the most part of works included into the recently published ‘Monuments of Literature of Early Russia’ in 12 volumes which covers the period from the appearance of the first written monuments to the later 17th century. And this is just a small part of books which had been read in Russia at that time.

In two centuries that followed, the life-giving between Orthodoxy and literature continued to bring wonderful fruits. Suffice it to name the ‘Menology’ by Metropolitan Dimitry of Rostov still widely read, the ode ‘God’ by Derzhavin which was translated into 18 languages in the author’s lifetime, or correspondence in verses between Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow and Pushkin about the meaning of life which Alexander Sergeyevich concluded with the words ‘And a poet is listening to the harp of Seraphim in holy awe’.

Our contemporaries are discovering now the real image of Gogol as of a great religious author of Russia. There were many genuine Orthodox writers later as well.

Yet one should note that from the middle of the last century among the creative intelligentsia there began to spread teachings, doctrines, which were inconsistent with genuine Russian Orthodoxy and opposed it. As the wise Ecclesiastes put it ‘God made man upright, but they have sought out many devices’ (Eccl.7:29). Some men of letters are partly to blame for the tragedy that happened in Russia in the beginning of our century. But let us recall that in those long yeas of persecution when the teaching of religion in school was prohibited, when the books of the Holy Scriptures were valued more than gold, it was the teaching of classical national literature that was sowing seeds of faith in human souls since almost all Russian writers were believers.

The Conference will talk about a spiritual search in modern national literature. It is no secret to anyone that previous generations of writers who lived during the times of non-freedom, when having found the faith, began to write in historical genre as it was more protected from theomachism. At present the literature before the eyes of all is regaining the right which seemed to be lost for ever, namely the right to think and speak like Christians and to see the world through Orthodox eyes.

The lot of a Russian has always been great: to create in the name of his Creator. But his responsibility before God, Fatherland and people is also great. It is especially great today, when an Orthodox artist must oppose the forces of evil which try their hardest to blacken our national history and to depreciate the religious-historical experience of Russia, which trampling down the God’s commandment of love of neighbour and pouring out the lustful filth on the pages of the press and on the screens thus arousing the basest desires in the readers and viewers.

May the Lord be with you and strengthen you by His almighty right hand in the religious battle with the forces of darkness and may He crown your work with success’

Taking part in the Conference were deputy head of the World Russian People’s Council Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, and V.N.Ganichev, Doctor of Sciences (History), Chairman of the Writers’ Union of Russia, writers D.M.Balashov, V.N.Krupin, Yu.M.Loschits, Yu.V.Sergeev; A.N.Sakharov, and other prominent prose-writers and poets, scientists, workers of culture and education, clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church

‘The World Russian People’s Council has been a recognised platform at which the most important problems of Russian life have been discussed for five years. The 5th Council which is to take place on the last week of April 1998 after Easter, with the blessing of the head of the Council, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and all Russia, will be dedicated to the future of Russia – its children, noted V.N.Ganichev. In his report on the theme of the Conference he gave an analytical review of the problems of Russian literature and eloquent characteristics of the outstanding works of national classical and modern literature and of whole directions of it. He said that thousands of Russians used to judge about the real past of Russia by historical novels. Many generations have learned lessons of morality and patriotism from the works of Karamzin and Solovyev, Zhukovsky and Gogol, Lermontov and Blok, and nowadays they learn them from Soloukhin, Balashov, Chivilikhin, Pikul and many other talented writers. V.N.Ganichev is convinced that the theme of history again is becoming a necessity as it opposes the lack of spirituality in Western fiction and revives the foundations of national culture.

The Orthodox Church has formed the spiritual and moral ideal in our people, – emphasised Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad. Russian literature has been showing this ideal. ‘I have no question whether Pushkin was a believer, – said Metropolitan Kirill, – because only a believer could have created a character of an ideal Christian in ‘The Captain’s Daughter’. Metropolitan Kirill expressed his concern for antiChristian tendencies in modern mass culture and also for a folklore sugary depiction of Orthodoxy’. He called upon the writers to develop the best traditions of Russian literature and to create the image of a positive hero who lives by Orthodox faith under conditions of technological civilisation and is able to meet the challenges of the time. It is necessary to help our contemporaries understand that Christianity is not an ideal of the distant future. According to Metropolitan Kirill, the Church and literature has one and the same task, which is to preach the Crucified and ever living Christ so that ‘faith would be not only an attribute of history attribute, but the core of our life’.

V.N.Krupin, vice-chairman of the Writers’ Union of Russia, dedicated his report to the responsibility of the artist before God and neighbours. Though in the Soviet period historical prose was able to wake an interest of society to the role of Orthodoxy in the national culture and history, the present state of this direction of literature is characterised by a lack of church membership and spiritual depth, artistic and scientific value, – said V.N.Krupin.

Having noted a positive meaning of the meeting of writers, clergymen and scientists at the Council’s conference and the importance of preserving historical culture in society, the participants outlined practical measures which would support the efforts for ‘preparation and publication of text-books, books and periodicals which authentically and worthily represent history of the Russian state, strengthen Orthodoxy as a major historical confession of Russian people, and develop respect to the every-day and cultural traditions of the nation in the hearts of readers”. They underlined the necessity “to the utmost promote the return to school of a scientific principle of teaching humanitarian subjects which would be possible only in close connection with spiritual and moral problems and with the Orthodox culture in the bosom of which the literature and historical sciences have been developed in the last millennium”. It was decided to ‘demand of the appropriate state bodies and authoritative agencies to abandon the teaching of national history on the text-books and aids which distort the spirit and meaning of national history, falsify its development and call into question the spiritual and moral values of Russia’.

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