On the Wings of Hope: Prose (Recognized)

Unofficial appeal to book publishers

So, you must have worked well. I guess that was not easy. Most likely, you are happy with your own result. And whether it was possible to play this wondrous game better?

It's thanks to you the world has seen millions of new books and learned hundreds of thousands of new names. It's thanks to you was born such a symbolical concept as "best-seller" – something which is being sold exclusive good, bringing you well-earned profits. It's thanks to you each and every self-respected person of intelligent look could respect himself a little bit more thanks to the existence of yet another volume of yet another classic in his yet another private library which he, as it commonly goes, started and safely finished reading on a second or a third page. It's thanks to you the mankind could transform its idea of what a "real literature" must look like. And ceased to read any more thanks to your efforts as well.

You became a great wall, consisting of one thousand and one brick, connected together by a glue of a thirst of profit. You mixed together a solution of sound words of modern magazines and best-sellers and transformed literature into a business, having added spices of marketing for better taste. And then you started giving this poison to one generation after another, slowly and methodically killing a sense of beauty in them – because it isn't so really obligatory for those who will soon come to your books brothel to buy the next volume of a next author with so colorfully ornamented cover. Collectors of candy wrappers!

For you, it's not a question of desire to serve as the conductor of verbal wisdom for younger generations – oh, if only it was that way! It's simply a question of profit. Simply for that reason, you sell what is being sold better, and if it's ever necessary to sell something quicker than usual – you put a "best-seller" label on it. Nothing personal, it's just business. Nothing wise, however, as well. What a good business is that!

And what of the love, honesty, justice, after all – there is no demand for these? But how immense must be a demand for something different! For all these modern healers with fiery spheres in their hands and gilded nimbuses over their heads, promising wonders of healing in the next dozens of pages. For all this infinite stream of "fantasy", riveted day by day by newly born authors in their attempts to glorify own names – it's a pity, however, that a plot from these books becomes forgotten after a week or so, and except for a plot in a dry rest there is only a philosophy of "revenge and destroy" kind that remains. For all these political investigations, speeches, trends, brands, monographs of the ones-in-power – as if it were not politicians who have plunged this world into a chaos of wars and mutual hatred of nations! For all these new revelations of "theologians", who have transformed words of Christ and His apostles to service their self-interest, and letter after a letter, treatment after a treatment darkening and polluting their original primary meaning! And, certainly, we must not forget the books of the about-computers subject, which become outdated in a year or two – just a remarkable source of income on a prime cost to a price ratio. Truly, is it such a good saltwort? But whether there is much salt in it?

But even when someone comes to your literary magazines with a request to publish something – not for himself, without money, for those reading your papers – you prefer to keep death silence. Yes, it doesn't interest you, it's not in the format of your publishing houses. Who will ever read such things? Probably, only those who have become indifferent to ones such as you.

Well, continue to sell books with artificially created demand. Continue to promote and enslave new authors. Continue to give birth to best-sellers, moving with a mainstream of crowds. All of this won't help you any longer, not anymore. And if once for the down work of building a great cultural wall people who have flown above it won't even shake your hands – be not surprised.

07.09.2012