"Science fiction opens up new horizons": guests shared their impressions of the Literary club "What to Read?!"

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On 28 August, the National Centre RUSSIA hosted a meeting of the Literary club "What to Read?!" with Alexei Chesnakov. This time the meeting was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of writer Arkady Strugatsky. Guests of the event shared their impressions with the press service of the National Centre RUSSIA.

"I really enjoyed it: an amazing event. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to be so interesting. I rarely attend literary evenings, but the theme dedicated to the Strugatsky brothers caught my attention — I decided to come and had no regrets. I thought it might be a little boring because of the ‘scientific’ side, but during the discussion I became completely engaged. My impressions are the best, I recommend it to everyone," said Diana Akhmedshina.

According to her, science fiction should be read not only for entertainment but also for training the mind, broadening horizons and strengthening knowledge. She noted that books in the science fiction genre are as valuable in life as classical literature.

"It was a wonderful event. I run a book community at my university, so it was important for me to hear which books might interest students. Besides, I received a book for my question — and of course, I am glad about this: I not only learned what I wanted to know but also got a memorable gift. A book is the best gift," said Mikhail Andrianov. "When asked why the modern generation should read Strugatsky, I answer this: any book should be read first of all in order not to stagnate mentally and to be able to clearly articulate thoughts. After that, one can dig deeper: when a person knows how to think and understands the text, they discover what the author wanted to convey, or the unusual world created by science fiction writers."

Another guest of the literary club, Yelena Aslan, noted that after the event she gained "a new perspective" on works she had read long ago.

"I brought my daughter: I wanted her to develop an interest in science fiction at her age. She had not read anything in this genre before, and I hope we managed to spark her interest. As for myself, I made notes on what I urgently need to reread and which other science fiction books are worth studying. With the Strugatskys, I recalled old ideas and made a list of their works that I want to reread: first of all, 'Roadside Picnic', then '22nd Century' and 'Noon'," she added.

The event dedicated to the 100th anniversary of writer Arkady Strugatsky featured Alexei Chesnakov, Head of the Academic Council of the Centre for Political Conjuncture, Professor at the Higher School of Economics, and author of the Telegram channel "Chesnakov. Library"; Boris Dolingo, science fiction writer and Chairman of the Sverdlovsk regional branch of the Union of Writers of Russia; Sergei Shikarev, critic, historian of science fiction, author of the books "13" and "Coordinates of Science Fiction", co-founder of the literary award "New Horizons" and Executive Secretary of the "History of the Future" award, finalist of the Arkady and Boris Strugatsky Prize; and Yevgeny Kharitonov, writer, critic, musician, Chairman of the Council for Science Fiction and Adventure Literature of the Union of Writers of Russia, and Head of the Centre for Humanitarian Projects and Research at the Russian State Library for Young Adults.

The Literary club "What to Read?!" is an original project of the National Centre RUSSIA. It is a space for discussing literary legacy and exchanging ideas and experiences. The focus of the club’s meetings is an interest in meaningful writing and the development of reading culture.

Participation in the club’s events, as well as in many other educational and cultural programmes at the National Centre RUSSIA, is free with prior registration on the website russia.ru. Up-to-date information about events can be found in the "Events" section.