Every modern take on famous Shakespeare plays comes with repercussions.
So when Ukrainian writer Les Podervyansky turned Hamlet into an alcoholic psycho and his father into a gay man, he thought that this plot would only make for a fun read among his friends.
He was wrong. The Dutch prince’s drunken exploits that sometimes take him to Ukraine became hugely popular in the late ‘90s, and Podervyansky’s readers demanded more.
Texts full of vulgar references, insinuations and swear words on the subjects of post-Soviet realities in Ukraine and classic plays became his trademark. People were exchanging his tapes before Internet became widespread. Youth often quoted him, which was a rare and precious accomplishment for a contemporary writer.
Fans of classical literature, however, blacklisted him in their own rankings for the use of philistine language and would have never thought his plays would make it onstage.
Once I had a plumber over fixing my toilet and afterwards I offered him a drink. We started talking, he told me about his life, and I realized that this man was not a plumber; he was an Odyssey [a Greek hero]. When something so different as the antique culture and a plumber come together, they clash. But at the same time there is no division between them; they are one.
– Les Podervyansky
More than a decade later, 57-year old Podervyansky has proved them wrong. On April 16, his play “Pavlik Morozov” will debut on stage of Kinopanorama movie theater. The writer adapted a Soviet story of a pioneer, Pavlik, who handed his father over to the authorities because he didn’t want to give up his possessions to the state.
In turn, the 13-year-old’s family killed him. The boy’s name and his loyalty to the state were glorified by the Soviets and made into books, operas and plays but there’s not enough evidence that it ever happened. Podervyansky mocks this cult in his rendition of the play and spices it up with the strong language.
“I don’t understand literature written in classic language, which people don’t really speak in everyday life,” said Podervyansky. “I also think that it’s a lot more interesting telling stories about real, not cardboard, people so that the audience can relate to it.”
While some will find his plays disrespectful and rude, others praise it as a contribution to modern Ukrainian literature. “He turned slang into literature, using Soviet art as a background. And he did it brilliantly,” said Vira Aheyeva, the professor of philology in Kyiv Mohyla Academy.
Podervyansky said that he first picked up a pen at the age of five when he drew a cartoon of his grandparents, depicted as devils. Born to a family of painters, Podervyansky studied in the National Academy of Fine Arts.
He got more serious about writing when he served in the Soviet army in ‘70s. In letters to friends and family, he would describe his duties mixing humor and skepticism.
“The Soviet army taught you that life was absurd. And that is a very valuable lesson for an artist. Say, you come to an officer and ask: ‘Comrade, why are we doing this?’ And he replies: ‘You, idiot, don’t you understand that in the army everything’s upside down?’” said Podervyansky.
I don’t understand literature written in classic language, which people don’t really speak in everyday life. I also think that it’s a lot more interesting telling stories about real, not cardboard, people so that the audience can relate to it.
– Les Podervyansky
To those critics who say he’s only popular because of his provocative style, he says “it’s not as easy as it seems.” His controversial stories don’t always mirror his personality. Despite having a reputation of a merry fellow, who enjoys partying with friends, women and swearing, in conversation he comes through as a gentleman who loves debating about life and art and tell stories.
“Once I had a plumber over fixing my toilet and afterwards I offered him a drink. We started talking, he told me about his life, and I realized that this man was not a plumber; he was an Odyssey [a Greek hero]. When something so different as the antique culture and a plumber come together, they clash. But at the same time there is no division between them; they are one,” he said philosophically.
The author of 35 plays, short stories and two movie scripts, Podervyansky sees himself as a painter first and foremost.
His studio is stacked with canvases, old newspapers, magazine clips and photographs. With many of his works on display in Ukrainian and foreign museums, Podervyansky says he is never “running around” trying to sell them. “Paintings are like daughters who will get married some day, if they are not ugly and stupid.”
With his first stage debut around the corner, Podervyansky is also looking into cinema. While his story about a spoilt girl under a working title “Vasha Halya Baluvana” is being translated into English, Podervyansky said he’s knocking on Hollywood’s door.
Asked why he doesn’t seek sponsorship from the state, he said there was no use and suggested liquidating the ministry of culture. “A ministry is required only in the case if the country has a cultural policy, like France, which is fighting with Mickey Mouse and Hollywood in order to promote the French culture. But have you ever seen any cultural policy in Ukraine?”
Available only in Ukrainian, his plays can be found on his unofficial web page at www.doslidy.kiev.ua and his paintings can be enjoyed in the State Museum of Ukrainian Arts and Museum of Russian Art in Kyiv.
Kyiv Post staff writer Svitlana Tuchynska can be reached at [email protected]
