Farewell to illusions fb2. "Farewell to Illusions: My America"

Annotation
Vladimir Pozner wrote the book “Farewell to Illusions” twenty-one years ago
back. Wrote in English. In the US she was on the list for twelve weeks
New York Times bestsellers. Posner believed that he would immediately translate his book into
Russian, but, as he said: “It was too difficult for me, I’ll wait a little.” Waited
eighteen years - translation was completed in 2008. For another three years he pondered
how to reflect these past years in a manuscript. And only now, according to the author, has it come
It’s time to publish the Russian version of the book “Farewell to Illusions.”
Vladimir Vladimirovich Pozner
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Vladimir Vladimirovich Pozner
Farewell to illusions
DEDICATED TO MY PARENTS
GERALDINE LUTTEN
VLADIMIR
ALEXANDROVICH
POSNER
Like a little birdie on a wire,
Like a drunkard in a midnight choir
In my own way I wanted to be free.
Leonard Cohen
At least I tried.
Randal Patrick McMurphy
in the movie One Flew Over the Nest
cuckoos"

Instead of a preface
November 19, 2008
I think it was 1987 or 1988. That's when I met Brian Kahn,
son of the famous American journalist, writer and public figure Albert
Kana, with whom my father was friends when, living in America, he worked in a film company
MGM. Kahn Sr. was a communist, an ardent supporter of the USSR, and his son, Brian,
I visited the famous Artek camp once or twice. During his father's McCarthyism
blacklisted and deprived of work. The views and experience of the father could not but influence
the formation of Brian, who, although he did not become a communist, adhered to the left
liberal views. From time to time he came to the country, which at first seemed
him the dream of humanity, but also later, when he was disappointed (I note in parentheses,
this happened to many similar people who believed in the Soviet Union at one time
Union), he did not lose touch with her.
If my memory serves me right, our acquaintance with him happened thanks to his arrival
to the Moscow International Film Festival, where he brought his documentary
about Soviet-American cooperation to save, it seems, the Siberian crane.
In short, we met, began to communicate, and at some point Brian said that I
you should write a book about your life. I replied that I had no time, and he suggested
come to my house every day for two or three hours, ask me questions, write down
answers on the recorder, then transcribe and break it all down into chapters. I agreed, but with
the condition that I will talk only about the political side of my life, and not about the personal one. On
That's what we agreed on. Having recorded forty tapes, Brian went to his place in Montana, from where two years later
or three months sent the text divided into chapters. I walked around it a little,
told Brian that he might be looking for a publisher and forgot to think about it.
Another three months passed before Brian called:
- Vladimir, I showed this manuscript to one wonderful editor, a friend
my father, and he said that although it was very interesting, no publisher would want
publish it in this form - without any information about you, about your personal life,
understand?
“Okay, Brian, I’ll think about it,” I answered him.
And I started writing the book again, throwing away everything that Brian had sent me.
I wrote for about two years, as I remember, after which I sent the manuscript to an American friend
literary agent Fred Hill. After reading the book, Fred called me and said that she
he liked it and that he would contact me when he finds a publisher.
Two months later he reported:
- Vladimir, I did something that literary agents rarely do - I sent
your manuscript to seven of the largest publishing houses in America at once.
- And what?
- And the fact that all seven refused - some immediately, some later, but
refused.
I remember how at his words I experienced two feelings at the same time: disappointment and
relief.
- So this is the end?

No, this means that your book will become a bestseller.
-?
- Yes, yes, be patient.
I didn't know what to think, but soon Fred called with good news: the publishing house
The Atlantic Monthly Press bought the rights to publish my book and is ready to pay me
one hundred thousand dollars. The amount shocked me. My editor was supposed to be a certain Ann.
Godoff (I note in parentheses that this publishing house, although not listed among the largest,
has a very high reputation in literary circles - I knew that; what I didn't know was
the fact that Godoff was considered - and is considered - one of the most knowledgeable and powerful
US literary editors. She now heads Penguin Books.
The book was published in 1990 and - to the amazement of everyone except Fred Hill - soon
appeared on the prestigious bestseller list of The New York Times; lasted
she is there for twelve weeks.
As you may have guessed, I wrote this book in English. I reasoned like this:
since my adult life began with the English language, I will write a book in
him, and then I’ll translate it into Russian myself.
The book, however, was given to me with great difficulty and suffering. She has me completely
exhausted me, and having finally finished it, I couldn’t even think about taking up the Russian-language
option. “I’ll wait a little, rest,” I told myself, “and then I’ll start translating.”
The thought of transfer never left me. Many advised me to give her up,
but this was impossible: the content was too personal, I would even say intimate
allowed me to entrust it to anyone. Years passed. Several times I took
translate and each time I gave up without really starting. Eighteen years have passed and
I finally translated the book. Having let it rest for a while, I felt
Having fulfilled his duty, I began to read the Russian version... and was horrified: I realized that in this form
she can't go out. So much has happened in my life in these eighteen years,
so much has changed in my views, so much of what seemed true to me then,
Today it doesn’t seem right... What should I do? It was possible, of course, to “modernize” the text, so
say, correct it, and then my reader would be amazed that I am still eighteen
years ago I was unusually perspicacious...
I decided to leave the book as it was. But at the same time provide each chapter
a kind of commentary on what was written, comments reflecting my
Today's views are a kind of walking back and forth in time.
What happened and whether it worked - I don’t know. But none of those who know this know
tries to express his thoughts in words and put them on paper.

Chapter 1
MY AMERICA
I remember one day from my childhood very clearly. In the attic of a friends country house
I played with my mother - pulling a wooden boat by a rope. Actually, I wanted to untie
boat, but the knot wouldn’t budge, even though I tried my best to untie it. I soon became
it is clear that the boat is to blame for everything. I slammed her onto the floor and started kicking her. I was beside myself
anger. Then mom appeared.
- Why don't you go downstairs? - she suggested. - There is one gentleman there,
which unties knots very well. I went down and saw a man sitting on
sofa Perhaps my memory is failing me, but I can still see his eyes: yellowish-greenish, looking at me slightly mockingly. True, I didn’t care at all. I
I approached him, said hello and asked him to help me untie the knot. He said:
“Well, I’ll try,” he took the boat and began fiddling with the rope. I watched him
extremely carefully, and for some reason a small impression made a strong impression on me
a swelling I noticed on the ring finger of his left hand. He easily dealt with
knot, which made me feel stupid, and gave me the boat. I thanked him. A
mom said:
- This is your dad. He came to America to take us back to France. To me
was five years old.
I don’t remember that this meeting made an impression on me then. I don't remember either
so that I especially miss my absent father for the first five years of my life.
Before I didn’t have a dad, but now I have one, that’s all. Moving through the time tunnel
by that distant day, I don’t feel any excitement: no frost on my skin, no chill in my stomach -
there is nothing to suggest that the memory has touched and awakened some dormant feeling.

I am 5 years old. Kindergarten in Paris
And yet, this day was fateful for me. If dad hadn't come for us - and mine

Life would have taken a completely different direction.
***
My mother, Géraldine Niboyer Dubois Lutten, was French. She, her brother and three
the sisters were born into a noble family, whose ancestor Napoleon himself awarded the barony
for faithful service. The title of nobility soon became part of family legends and interpretations,
an event of enormous significance. I truly understood this only in 1980,
when my mother's cousin invited me and his wife to dinner at his Parisian
house. We were led into a room and presented with a portrait of our "great-great-great-great-grandfather," as well as
baronial charter, hanging nearby in a gilded frame, with such solemnity and
reverence, as if we were talking about the Holy Grail.
My mother treated the baronial title with irony and was much more proud of another
his ancestor, the first great suffragette of France, Eugenie Niboyer. When in 1982
a matchbox was released with her image on the label, and even with a quote from her
work of 1882 “The Voice of Women”, this caused my mother real delight.
Our family satisfied both the vanity of some of its members and the public
the temperament of others and in this sense corresponded to the most diverse tastes, but
She clearly lacked one thing: money. This is what led to the fact that my grandmother, a woman
amazing beauty and excellent education, which she did not receive from her parents in
inheritance of nothing and twice widowed by the age of thirty-five, had to live alone
to earn their daily bread for themselves and their five children. This was manifested in the most
various activities - from managing a castle to receiving wealthy tourists to
France to teaching good manners and French to the Peruvian barchuks in Lima.
Mom remembered the crossing of the Andes for the rest of her life - then she was dangling in a basket,
tied to the back of a donkey, and looked down into bottomless abysses. Perhaps it is precisely
then, at the age of three or four, she acquired a fear of heights, which she never got rid of
until the end of life.

Raoul Dubois is most likely my grandfather
Children, moving from country to country, received only a superficial education and
were eventually placed by their mother in boarding schools. My mother went to school at
Catholic convent in Dumfries, Scotland. Having completed my studies there,
she returned to Paris, where she got a job as an editor in the French branch
American film company Paramount. Soon she met my father.

Vladimir Pozner wrote an autobiographical book “Farewell to Illusions.” The book was originally written in English in the late 80s of the 20th century and published in the early 90s. The author thought that since he began his life in English, it was worth writing it in English. The book was on the New York Times bestseller list for 3 months. Vladimir Pozner planned to translate the book into Russian, but it was so difficult for him that he could not decide to do it for a long time. Only many years later he finally did it. He supplemented the translated parts from many years ago with his own modern reflections.

As a person who was born in France, lived in the USA and the GDR, then moved to the Soviet Union, he knows firsthand about the peculiarities of life in these countries. At the same time, Vladimir Pozner respects members of all states, however, if it comes to important topics, he does not hesitate to express his opinion. In the book, he writes not only about his life, but also very well conveys the atmosphere where everything happened. This is a whole era, because he saw how many political leaders were replaced, how this affected the economies of countries, foreign and domestic policies. The author discusses the harm the Cold War caused and how it changed people's lives. In his autobiography, Vladimir Pozner reflects on religion and its influence, racism, and the fight against AIDS. He raises many questions and shares his thoughts with readers. The book contains a detailed description of life in Soviet times. It should be borne in mind that it was originally intended for the Americans, who could not see it. Also, these details will help the modern generation immerse themselves in the atmosphere of bygone times and better understand what happened then.

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Farewell to illusions. "Let's go to England » Vladimir Pozner

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Title: Farewell to illusions. "Let's go to England"

About the book “Farewell to illusions. “Let's go to England” Vladimir Pozner

This is not just the memoirs of a man with a very complex, but truly dizzying fate. The book is interesting because Vladimir Pozner saw many of the major events of the 20th century “from different sides of the barricades” and knows how to talk about it in a fascinating and very poignant way. But the main thing is that he tries to soberly and impartially assess Russia, America and Europe. This book will certainly change our attitude towards memoirs, because before this, no one wrote about their life, country and our era with such frankness, irony and depth.

On our website about books lifeinbooks.net you can download for free without registration or read online the book “Farewell to illusions. “Let’s go to England”” by Vladimir Pozner in epub, fb2, txt, rtf, pdf formats for iPad, iPhone, Android and Kindle. The book will give you a lot of pleasant moments and real pleasure from reading. You can buy the full version from our partner. Also, here you will find the latest news from the literary world, learn the biography of your favorite authors. For beginning writers, there is a separate section with useful tips and tricks, interesting articles, thanks to which you yourself can try your hand at literary crafts.

The book, entitled “Farewell to Illusions,” is an autobiographical work written by Vladimir Pozner, a Russian television journalist, in 1990. It was originally published under a different title and in English (since it was first published in the USA). Thanks to his autobiography, Vladimir Pozner gained even greater popularity, which is atypical for its book genre, and within three months it was published many times, even appeared on the pages of the most famous American newspaper, the New York Times, and very quickly became a bestseller.

“Farewell to Illusions” is a television presenter’s story about his life and work. Thanks to the fame of our journalist in America, many people in the United States became interested in his book, but not everyone was able to appreciate the mentality of the Soviet people. Thus, on the pages of the same newspaper an unequivocal statement appeared about the journalist’s biography as “shameless self-promotion”, after which the publication began to decline. However, Vladimir Pozner translated the book into Russian in 2008, supplemented it with new judgments and comments, and already in 2012 he took “Farewell to Illusions” to the Moscow publishing house. Here, many critics became interested in the author’s book, who recommended reading the work only to those who understand something about journalism, since Vladimir Pozner filled his autobiography with professional terms and written excerpts from the work.

Despite the presenter’s bright and full of adventures and travels, his writing talent has caused mixed assessments from critics and reviewers: many consider his slightly boring style of writing to be a caution against censorship, others angrily comment on his rude quotes about the church, the fight against AIDS, homophobia and other “sick things.” » public topics. The autobiography of a journalist is not only a description of his life and work, but also a discussion of topics that were not sufficiently raised in the USSR or were not discussed at all. Although in general the biography is written simply and smoothly, many critics have considered hidden hints and subtexts in it, read “between the lines.”

It is difficult to evaluate the work based on other ratings and comments - they are very contradictory. Among readers and professional critics, there are fans of the journalist who not only read the publication, but also watched episodes of television programs with his participation; there are also ardent opponents who believe that the author published his biography solely for the purpose of harmful self-promotion. To find your point of view and make your own assessment, you need to read the mysterious biography.

On our literary website you can download the book “Farewell to Illusions” by Vladimir Pozner for free in formats suitable for different devices - epub, fb2, txt, rtf. Do you like to read books and always keep up with new releases? We have a large selection of books of various genres: classics, modern fiction, psychological literature and children's publications. In addition, we offer interesting and educational articles for aspiring writers and all those who want to learn how to write beautifully. Each of our visitors will be able to find something useful and exciting for themselves.

Farewell to illusions: My America. Limbo. Father of Nations Vladimir Pozner

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Title: Farewell to illusions: My America. Limbo. Father of Nations

About the book “Farewell to Illusions: My America. Limbo. Father of Nations" Vladimir Pozner

Vladimir Pozner created the book “Farewell to Illusions: My America. Limbo. Father of Nations" two decades ago. The work was created in English and only recently translated into Russian. These are the memoirs of a man who observed the history of the 20th-21st centuries from different sides of the barricades. He soberly assesses well-known world events, considering them from the point of view of Russia, the USA and Europe.

Vladimir Pozner is a famous television journalist and TV presenter. Known as the first president of the Academy of Russian Television. He also became famous as a successful writer and political thinker. He played several roles in films. In addition to his autobiography, he wrote many books on historical and political topics: “The West Close,” “Remembering the War,” “Confrontation” and others.

The book “Farewell to Illusions: My America. Limbo. Father of Nations" was on the New York Times bestseller list for 12 weeks. The author wanted to immediately translate the memoirs into Russian, but decided to wait. According to him, he spent too much effort on creating an autobiography. The wait lasted 18 years, and the translation of the book was published only in 2008. The second version of the memoirs includes events that happened to the author during all this time.

“Farewell to illusions: My America. Limbo. Father of Nations" is a biography of a man with a difficult fate. The TV journalist still cannot decide where his homeland is. He was born in France, then his family moved to New York. At the age of 18 he went to Moscow. The author saw how people live on different parts of the world. This is truly a valuable experience that will be useful to him in the future.

Vladimir Pozner tells the story of his life with irony, subjecting it to deep introspection. He takes a sober look at well-known political events. The author shares his observations about life in the USA, Russia and Europe.

The book is interesting because the writer allows you to look behind the curtain of Russian and American television. In addition, the memoirs reveal social problems of the 20th-21st centuries. The author boldly discusses self-awareness in Russia, raises questions of religion and the specifics of the national mentality. The writer's way of thinking and his fresh views deserve the attention of readers.

“Farewell to illusions: My America. Limbo. Father of Nations" is not just a book about the fate of one person. These are memoirs of different states and an entire era. After reading this book, you will forever change the way you think about autobiographical works.

On our website about books lifeinbooks.net you can download for free without registration or read online the book “Farewell to Illusions: My America. Limbo. Father of Nations" by Vladimir Pozner in epub, fb2, txt, rtf, pdf formats for iPad, iPhone, Android and Kindle. The book will give you a lot of pleasant moments and real pleasure from reading. You can buy the full version from our partner. Also, here you will find the latest news from the literary world, learn the biography of your favorite authors. For beginning writers, there is a separate section with useful tips and tricks, interesting articles, thanks to which you yourself can try your hand at literary crafts.