Ahead of the necrologist. Shirvindt A.

In 2019, Alexander Shirvindt is a popularly beloved actor, director and TV presenter celebrated the anniversary. “When 85 hit me, I thought it was a very serious figure to formulate himself,” so he writes in the preface to the memoirs “Ahead of the Necrologist”. A book of memoirs divided into two parts: from early childhood to the present day about the family and about loved ones, about service in the theater, about filming in the cinema. And, of course, about beloved friends. Alexander Shirvindt with an unsurpassed sense of humor shares his thoughts and with tenderness and warmth recalls Evgeny Yevtushenko and Eldar Ryazanov, Arkady Arkanov and Bulat Okudzhava, Andrei Mironov and Alexander Abdulov, Valentina Gaft, Oleg Tabakov, Mark Zakharov, Evgeny Primakov and many others. “Previously, I, rushing into graphomania, believed: no need to wave to monumental memoirs with the most modest sections“ I about myself ”and“ They are about me, and I about them ”. Now I thought: why not? Let another book collapse into the deposits of literary storerooms. “Maln” a clumsy and nasty word, albeit accurate in meaning. All who are dear to me and whom I do not forget to perpetuate, but I want to. And I came up with the principle of choosing the characters of my fate. I went to the book shelves and, under the surprised views of the family, laid out all the literature on the floor, except Shakespeare, Gogol, Bomarsha and other authors who were not remembered for meetings. As a result, he only selected books with gift autographs of friends. I wanted to tell them in response something very tender, honest and witty, but these are inconvenient things, so you have to be sincere. ”