Faust

The legend of Dr. Faust is one of the root plots of world literature. A lot of wonderful creations grew out of it - we recall at least Marlo, Guno, Thomas Mann, Pushkin, Bulgakov ... But Faustiana, undoubtedly, remains the philosophical tragedy of the German genius - Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832) There are many reasons for this. Firstly, this is great poetry. Secondly, this is a grandiose work that took more than thirty years. And, thirdly, to the eternal painful question - does the evil sanction have evil? - It was Goethe, not the theologian, but the artist, who proposed the most convincing answer. Actually, he began right with this answer: Mephistopheles concludes a bet with the Lord - whether the wise and kind professor Faust will be able to resist and save his soul. Faust saved before evil, but his philosophical searches, the torment of conscience and repentance bring him salvation from hell - the angels take his soul from the won of Mephistopheles and take it to paradise. Great and comforting ending. One of the Mephistocheles of Russian History wrote
On the book of Maxim Gorky, the famous review "This thing is stronger than" Faust "Goethe". The evil spirit was once again mistaken. The book is not bad, but "Faust" remains unsurpassed.

Translation from German Boris Pasternak. The accompanying article by Yuri Arabov.

Yuri Nikolaevich Arabov (b. 1954) - prose writer, poet, screenwriter. A graduate of VGIK, where he is now conducting a workshop of dramaturgy and heads the department of film drama. He wrote scripts for more than twenty films, the permanent co -author of Alexander Sokurov. The author of several novels and poetic collections. Honored Artist of Russia, laureate of the State Prize of Russia and the Russian Government Prize. The holder of many film awards, including the prize for the best scenario of the Cannes Film Festival