A collection of prose by 17 authors about the family was presented in Russia

On December 6, a presentation of the collection "Family circumstances. Relatives, friends and more — in the stories of modern authors." The book, published by Elena Shubina Editorial Office with the support of the Logic of Milk company, unites 17 authors of modern prose and essays.

"Family Circumstances is more than a collection of short stories. This is an invitation to the most intimate corner of our lives — to our family," Ruslan Alisultanov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Logika Moloka, emphasized in the preface. He called the book a "bridge" between generations and personal stories. "She reminds us that for all our differences, we are united by the main thing: we are children, we are parents, we are part of more, and this more is called family. And in these "circumstances" lies our main strength," he wrote.

Among the authors are Marina Stepnova, Tatiana Chernihiv, Tatiana Tolstaya, Dmitry Danilov, Emir Kusturica, Shakhri Amirkhanova, Anna Matveeva, Evgeny Vodolazkin, Denis Dragunsky and others. All the texts are united by one theme: family in all its forms. Sasha Nikolaenko's illustrations gave each story a special visual depth, the publisher emphasized.

Alisultanov noted that the authors, whose texts are collected in the book, committed an "amazingly brave and generous act" — they shared their personal archives of memories. "They opened the door to their "family circumstances," which, as it turns out, surprisingly become ours," said the head of the Logic of Milk company.

He warned that there would be no "dry biographies or formal portraits" in the collection. "Here is life in all its complexity and at the same time simplicity, warmth and comfort. There will be funny and ridiculous stories that bring tears of laughter to your eyes. And there will be moments of such piercing silence and sadness that the heart will beat in unison with the heart of the author," wrote Alisultanov.

At the book's presentation, Evgeny Vodolazkin, Denis Dragunsky and Sasha Nikolaenko shared their family and literary experiences with the audience. They talked about how everyday stories turn into literature, and how personal memories become part of the general cultural memory.

So, the writer Evgeny Vodolazkin in his story "The Fourth Sign of true Love" shared how he studied for the exam in Marxist-Leninist ethics as a student. "I then opened this book and saw the section "True love". I was curious, and I found four signs of true love there. I don't remember the first three signs, but I remember the fourth one well. It's a desire to get married," the author said.

"Unfortunately, I have a lot of experience of my own happy families. There were four of them. And everyone was happy," the writer Dragunsky ironically remarked. He also quoted the aphorism of his university friend, Alexander Livergant, editor—in-chief of the magazine "Foreign Literature": "A happy family is when you really want to go to work in the morning, and at five o'clock you really want to go home."

Speaking about the illustrations, Nikolaenko noted: "Our goal was to make the pictures a little childish, to draw childishness. Even for Vodolazkin's story, which is absolutely not about childhood, but about true love." She said that the image of a cow that decorated the book was born when she learned that the Logic of Milk company had become a partner in the project.

The presentation participants emphasized that the collection not only immerses the authors in family stories, but also encourages readers to remember their own, to pay attention to the connection of generations, to love, care and support. Each story is a warm reminder that family is the most important thing in a person's life, the publisher noted.

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