What does first person storytelling mean? First person narration

Good day, fellow Ficwriters.

Having reread a considerable number of fanfictions/originals on Fikbook and not only, I thought about the question: why do authors (beginners and advanced) choose a specific type of narration for their work - from the first or third person (considering that each of them also has varieties)? The vast majority of those with whom I spoke on this topic, gave a vague answer, citing sympathy or simply the randomness of the choice.

Is it really useful to know about these types, their characteristics and relevance in various genres of epic, lyric and drama? In the following lines I will highlight the main aspects of this problem in order to give the most accurate answer to this question.

So, there are, as mentioned briefly above, two main types of narrative in this classification:
- narration from first person. It is characterized by the use of pronouns “I”, rarely “we”;
- narration from third party, when the choice is not limited to the pronouns “he”, “she”, “it”, “they”. Nouns denoting an object, proper names (their use in the first case is extremely rare), numerals and some other parts of speech can also be used here.

About each of them in context.

1. First person narration

What is it: The reader sees all the events that take place through the prism of the narrator’s worldview, which can be not only the main character, but also, for example, the main antagonist. This kind of choice occurs most often in works. Less often, the narrator is a “left” person - a random passer-by, a distant relative or friend of the protagonist/antihero, the options are varied. The narrator may be reasoner author. In this case, the hero directly expresses the thoughts and views of the author himself (not to be confused with Mary/Marty-Sue) on this or that situation, on this or that hero, or on life in general.

Use: in classical literature this type is not used so often, but among novice authors it is the most popular (the conclusion was made based on personal observations on this resource and not only). Perhaps this can be explained by the fact that it is simply more convenient for a novice writer to merge with the main character and describe everything that happens from one point of view. More experienced authors also use the first type, approaching it with advanced knowledge and, as a rule, avoiding the obvious mistakes and cliches that beginners make.

Advantages:

1) the first important advantage of this type is that the narrator is a direct witness to what is happening. Most often, he does this sincerely and honestly, which adds credibility to what is happening. At this time, the reader feels directly “drawn” into the story (can be compared to first-person games, which add an immersive effect to the atmosphere and action);

2) the list of advantages is also supplemented by the following: the author shapes the perception of certain heroes, social phenomena from the reader through one character, and not all at once, who has already formed his own views and opinions. This advantage can be called a “life hack”. It is much easier for the reader to concentrate on one character and all the components of his personality/appearance/abilities, etc.;

3) maximum rapprochement with the reader is facilitated not only by evidence of events, but also open world emotions and feelings of the hero. His condition may be hidden from all or some of the other characters, while the reader always sees him “through and through” (but cannot always immediately understand the motives for his actions; it depends on the character himself, first of all, and on the author’s idea; and, of course, , on the breadth of views and ability to think critically and analyze the reader). If this does not happen at all throughout the entire work, then the meaning of the first-person narrative is lost;

Disadvantages/errors:

1) subjectivism. Direct parallel with the second item of the previous list. When narrating from the first person, the image of everything external and internal surrounding the character, except for himself, is sharply limited. The reader sees only one facet of what is happening (or rather, is concentrated mainly on it), just like one facet of the character of the other participants in the events;

2) the second drawback is closely related to the first. A common mistake For some writers, the idea is to transfer the character to those events or places where he a priori cannot be. If there is an urgent need to describe events outside the invisible boundaries of the narrator’s actions, this will have to be done through abstract scenes. For example, through a conversation between two strangers, during which the narrator accidentally (or intentionally) happened to be nearby. The main thing is that it does not look too forced and simple;

3) the same with the thoughts and considerations of other characters, into whose consciousness the narrator cannot get into either physically or morally. He can only guess what is going on in the head of this or that hero, but is fully responsible only for his own conjectures. This is another common mistake: authors, narrating in the first person, often make the character-narrator an All-Seeing Eye, capable of scanning every person through and through. To avoid this, you should make guesses and theories on behalf of the character with varying degrees of reliability.

Conclusion from all of the above about the first type

First-person narration is a convenient and authentic way to reveal the psychological/physical state of one character in works. This type not at all suitable for dramatic works, where the main plot and essence are built on conflict, because in in this case the author is obliged to explain both positions of the characters: affirming and refuting (as, for example, in the work of I. S. Turgenev “Fathers and Sons”). Do not confuse an obvious conflict situation with a phenomenon when the narrator is in difficult relationships with society, but the emphasis in the work is precisely on his perception of reality ( shining example- “The Catcher in the Rye” by D. Salinger).

It seems to many that writing in the first person is not so easy, because the author faces an incredible number of tasks that he must certainly complete in order for his work to become in demand and well received by readers.

2. Third person narration

What is it: the widest range for realizing the author's fantasies. Each character is called either a third-person personal pronoun, a first/nickname/last name, or even a numeral or noun. In short, as much as your imagination can handle. Unlike the first type, here the reader is in no way a participant in the events: he observes the picture from the side, “runs around with the camera.”

Use: is the most common type of narrative among both classical literature, and among modern ones. This is explained simply: the narrative framework and canons are practically absent here, which gives complete freedom to reproduce a multifaceted picture of the world and the heroes within it (which, of course, does not relieve the author of responsibility for the madness that occurs in the work).

Advantages:

1) the opportunity to follow the history of all the characters who participate in the work, to reveal their character more fully (if the idea suggests this) than in the first type, where the author is limited to the worldview of one character - “I”. Thus, the reader (if necessary) will receive the whole picture conflict in the work, relationships between people and all the events that occur;

Disadvantages/errors:

1) sometimes in a book there is either an initial or gradual oversaturation of characters and actions, half of which turn out to be completely abstract and in the end completely disappear from the plot (hello to Tolstoy). Among the "left" storylines there may be something particularly important that determines the essence of the entire work, but if there are so many of them, will the reader pay attention to it, will he remember it?

2) sometimes it happens that the author introduces a personal opinion into his creation. It immediately stands out in the general context and is sometimes perceived by the reader with a questioning raised eyebrow. Hence the conclusion follows: it is important to remember that the author in this case acts as a reteller of events, he cannot insert his thoughts and judgments precisely as the author (again, if the plan does not imply this), there are separate genres for this;

3) the author, of course, knows everything. But it often happens that he too hastily reveals all the details that he himself main character has no idea yet. Moreover, the author strives to get into the character’s mind, to describe in detail his sensations and feelings. This is most suitable for first person narration. If necessary, the character himself will explain in dialogue with someone (or even in a monologue with himself/his second self) or through his actions what he thinks and how.

Conclusion from all of the above about the third type

Third-person narration is in most cases the most advantageous type, as it is suitable for almost all genres of prose and lyrics. Writing in the third person does not seem difficult after some practice, if you take this matter seriously and want to achieve the desired result.

Finally…

This article examines two main types of storytelling. In fact, of course, there are much more of them, for example, a mixed or transitional type, but they all originated from these two, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the competent use/disposal of each of them is left to an inexperienced (and even trained) author It’s worth working on if the quality of his creation is important to him. The article deals with general cases (otherwise it would be ten pages long).

At the very beginning, I raised the question: is it so important to keep in mind which type is best to choose when writing your work? The answer is obvious: yes, it is important.

And remember: everything comes with experience.

First person narration

The first-person narration is more lyrical and always subjective, one-sided. Such a narrative, by its nature, is directly opposite to a court hearing, in which conflicting parties, lawyers, witnesses, experts, a prosecutor are heard... and the verdict on the case (about literary history) is made by an objective or biased judge. The narrator knows everything about one character's thoughts and feelings because he is one himself. The narrator can take on the role of any character, he can be the main character, maybe minor character or an antagonist. For example, in the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Ken Kesey the story is told from a person's point of view minor character, an Indian named Chief Bromden, and in the novel “Lolita” Nabokov- on behalf of the main character, Humbert.

There are many benefits to first-person narration, especially for new writers. In the “from I” form, the aspiring writer feels more confident, because all people, to one degree or another, paid tribute to the epistolary genre - they communicated in writing with friends, relatives and loved ones - so writing in the first person is simply more common. Moreover, the first-person narration is perceived as an eyewitness account and looks more believable.

But to write a large work in the first person, you need to have remarkable skill. In such a work, it is impossible to move to a place where the narrator is unable to be, and the author will not be able to tell about events that the narrator was not a witness to. Otherwise, you will have to indulge in lengthy, boring explanations that slow down the development of the main plot.

Here's an example. Let’s say the novel is narrated from the perspective of a wife whose husband is a big fan of winter ice fishing. One day he falls through the ice, fights for life in icy water for half an hour, miraculously escapes, dries out by the fire, but still catches a severe cold and soon dies. He doesn’t tell his wife that he fell into the wormwood. The author wants to convey to the reader the tragic scene of hypothermia, which is important for the plot, but how to do this if the narrator is his wife? She wasn’t fishing, she doesn’t know anything. Maybe before his death the husband will tell the doctor, and he will tell his wife? But in this case, you won’t get a tragic, colorful scene; you’ll end up with a dry statement of fact: “Your husband fell into the wormwood and caught a cold.” This is not a novel, but a police report.

If the story is told in the first person, the author will have to reveal inner world other characters only through their actions, through their views and words. This will be very difficult for a novice author to do.

Another danger in first-person narration is that the reader will become bored. When it comes to a character's feelings or actions, endless "I's" are often perceived as either complaints or boasting. Unless, of course, these are complaints or boasting dictated by the genre - remember Baron Munchausen.

Biographical and pseudo-biographical satirical things are written beautifully in the first person, for example, the great novel “Confessions of the Adventurer Felix Krul” Thomas Mann. Bestselling novel "The Catcher in the Rye" American classic Salinger also brilliantly written in first person. The novel "Jane Eyre" has become a classic Charlotte Bronte. First person Raymond Chandler A brilliantly written series of stories about the private detective Marlowe. The world famous "Gulliver's Travels" was created "from me" J. Swift and the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" Harper Lee.

First-person narration creates a greater illusion of verisimilitude psychological picture, because a person talks about himself. In a number of cases, such a story takes on the character of a confession, which strengthens artistic impression. This narrative form is used mainly when there is only one main character in the work, whose consciousness and psyche are followed by the author and the reader, and the remaining characters are secondary, and their inner world is practically not depicted: this is “Confession” J.-J. Rousseau, autobiographical trilogy Leo Tolstoy, "Teenager" Dostoevsky. Many newcomers followed in the footsteps of these authors, but their attempts were not crowned with success.

IN modern novel"Ruins of Lace" by Iris Anthony (seven points of view) - seven first-person narrators from among the characters, including a smuggler dog. This poodle is an active participant in the main plot line: with its help, expensive lace is smuggled across the border between France and Flanders. So that the reader does not get confused in points of view, Anthony named each chapter of the novel after the name of the hero-narrator and gave a subtitle indicating the location of this narrator: chapter 1 - “Katherine Mantens” (one town in Flanders is named) chapter 2 - “Hilwich Mantens” (another town in Flanders is named) ... Such clarifications were made, however, for a very “simple” reader, because the hero-narrators in the novel are quite different from each other and the attentive reader does not have to guess which of them is in this moment leads the narrative “from me.”

I believe that the first-person form still requires from the author a little more skill in general and elegance of style in particular, so it is better for beginning writers to write the first one or two works in the third person, and only after mastering the writing tools to take on the first person. In addition, works in the first person will be more difficult for an aspiring writer to sell to a publisher, since traditionally both publishers and readers prefer third-person narratives.

The benefits of first person narration

1. Subjectivity

In genres where subjectivity is necessary or especially important, the first person should be used. These genres are: memoirs, autobiography, memoirs, travel notes, mysticism, horror, confession. However, subjectivity sometimes goes off scale: the narrator can take on a didactic tone, which greatly irritates the reader, or slip into the category of “unreliable narrators.”

1. Emotionality

If a literary story requires a special emotional coloring, it focuses on description inner life character, and he stands at the center of the narrative, or the author’s creative task is to give the work personal emotionality, then the first person should be used. The pronouns “I”, “my”, “mine”, “me” inflame the reader’s emotions. He reads the phrases: “I mumbled something in response,” “I remembered the threats,” “I felt pain,” “I couldn’t sleep for a long time,” “I’m finished!”; in terms of emotional intensity, these phrases are not at all equal: “he mumbled something in response,” “he remembered the threats,” “she felt pain,” “she couldn’t sleep for a long time,” and the phrase “I’m finished!” has no worthy emotional equivalent in the third person at all. To many readers, third-person narration seems dispassionate, unemotional, artificial, and dry. And the first-person form makes it possible to ride an emotional roller coaster, sometimes rising and falling in the course of literary history.

1. Realism. Reader Complicity

The first-person narrative looks more lively, realistic, rich, close, because it is easier for the reader to associate himself with one specific, seemingly living person, participant or witness to the events described, rather than with a distant, intangible image of a third-person narrator. The events of literary history are told as if “first hand”, all scenes are filtered through unique perception this narrator. Reader tries on literary history on himself, gets into the skin of the narrator “from me”, “sees” the literary story through the eyes of the narrator. The first person certainly brings the narrator closer to the reader: he feels the narrator as a close friend, telling openly personal history, a friend next to you - on the sofa at home, on the beach, in a train compartment, in a ship’s cabin, where he is now reading a novel. The reader can identify with the character and feel strongly about positive hero while experiencing the deepest feelings. It is the form “from me” that is capable of arousing the most innermost thoughts in the reader and prompting him to sit down to write the “same” novel.

1. When the target reader is teenagers

According to American literary agents, young readers prefer first-person narration. The first person provides the intimacy the teenager seeks with the main character.

1. Prose form ― story And story

IN small(story, novella, sketch, essay) and in average(story) forms of prose, first-person narration is more easily perceived than in large form (novel, epic, series).

1. Genres in which it is advisable to use the first person

Memoirs, autobiographical and biographical literature, religious literature, mysticism (ghosts), gothic, “stream of consciousness” literature, genres with intrigue, mystery at the center of the plot (detective, etc.); in novels designed primarily to excite the reader’s thought processes and emotions regarding one (perhaps the only) hero.

1. Narration is possible in the present tense

The entire topic “First-person narration: advantages and disadvantages” is posted in the lesson file of the Likhachev School of Writing. Come study to the fullest extent.

*****

Likhachev School of Writing - an alternative to 2-year Higher literary courses And Literary Institute named after Gorky in Moscow, where students study for 5 years full-time or 6 years part-time. At our school, the basics of writing are taught in a targeted and practical manner for no more than 6 months. Second and main stage training - individual mentoring: a literary mentor (developmental editor) works with a novice writer on the latter’s new work - a novel, story, poem, a cycle of stories or poems.

Pseudorules of first and third person narration

and other myths

Whatever form of storytelling you choose, remember that the narrator is one of the characters and should be treated as such. Don't believe the pseudo-rules that say you can do things in first person that you can't do in third person, and vice versa.

Take Camus' novel The Stranger, where the narrative is told in the first person to give it so-called "intimacy." You've probably been told that third-person storytelling doesn't have the same effect. In the scene below, the narrator enters the morgue where his late mother lies:

“The watchman came in after me; He must have been running, because he was completely out of breath. Stuttering slightly, he said:

He had already approached the coffin, but I stopped him. He asked:

You do not want?

I answered:

He interrupted his preparations, and I felt awkward, I felt that I was not supposed to refuse. Looking at me carefully, he asked:

- Why? - But without the slightest reproach, but as if out of curiosity.

I said:

I don't know myself.

And then, rubbing his gray mustache, he said, without looking at me:

Well, I see.”

The episode is written impeccably and the tone of the story really hits the intimate, intimate notes. This perfectly captures the feeling of awkwardness and sadness that is common in such a situation, let's see what happens if we write this scene in the third person.

“Following Meursault, the watchman entered; He must have been running, because he was completely out of breath. Stuttering slightly, he said:

We closed the coffin, but I will now remove the lid so you can look at the deceased.

He had already approached the coffin, but Meursault stopped him. The watchman asked:

- You do not want?

No, answered Meursault.

He interrupted his preparations, and Meursault felt awkward, he felt that he was not supposed to refuse. Looking carefully at Meursault, the watchman asked:

Why? - But without the slightest reproach, but as if out of curiosity.

I don’t know myself,” said Meursault.

And then, rubbing his gray mustache, he said, without looking at

Well, I see.”

Have we lost in "intimacy"? Nothing happened. Not a bit. The version written in the third person evokes the same feeling of awkwardness and sadness as the scene described in the first person.

Let's give another example. Now let's take an excerpt from the novel Carrie, which is written by Stephen King in the third person, which supposedly makes the tone of the story less intimate:

"...He, without letting her finish, bent over and began to kiss her, crawling his hands along her waist and chest. He smelled sharply of tobacco, brilcream and sweat. Chris finally broke free and, taking a breath, looked at herself. The greasy stains on her blouse were added to new stains of dirt. Twenty-seven fifty at the Jordan Marsh store, but now the blouse was fit only for the trash can. However, Chris felt only a sharp, almost painful excitement."

Let's try to change this episode, which, according to the theory of "intimacy of the first-person narrative", will give its tone an appropriate shade:

"... Without letting me finish, he bent over and started kissing me, crawling his hands along my waist and chest. He smelled sharply of tobacco, brilcream and sweat. Finally, I pulled away and, taking a breath, looked at myself. The greasy stains on my blouse added new stains of dirt. Twenty-seven fifty at the Jordan Marsh store, but now the blouse was fit only for the trash can. However, I only felt a sharp excitement."

Switching to first person wasn't too difficult. I had to remove the word “painful” - it is clearly not from the vocabulary of this heroine. Nevertheless, not a single detail valuable to the reader is lost in this version. The first person did not add any intimacy to the fragment.

So be it, you say, but if the narrator is a more colorful character, you can’t switch to third person without losing that flavor. Well, let's look at the narrative, which is told on behalf of such a character:

“My name is Dale Crow Jr. I told Kathy Baker - she's my inspector, she watches over those who received a suspended sentence - that I didn't do anything wrong, I just popped into the bar to see a friend and, while I was waiting for him, I drank a glass of beer, just one mug, I was sitting and didn’t touch anyone, and then this slut came up to my table and started dancing for me, although no one asked her to do so.

They spread your knees, start pressing you, and then you can’t get rid of them. Her name was Irlin. I told her I wasn't interested in her. But she didn’t let up, and I got up and went to the exit. She yelled that I owed her five bucks, and then the bouncer came up to me and took God knows what. I motioned to him once, just once, I went out, and a car with a flashing light was already waiting there. Then the bouncer decided to show how tough he was and began to show off. I hit him one more time to straighten his brains out and so that the deputy sheriff would understand that he was the first to start this mess. But before I could even open my mouth, these scoundrels handcuffed me and put me in the car. It turns out that then they will enter my data into a special computer? Then one of them says: “Hey, look at this! It turns out he was given a suspended sentence. He hit a police officer.” It’s okay, the time will come, I’ll arrange it for them. It’s clear that I was framed!”

It seems that such an episode cannot be told in the third person without losing the flavor of the character. But in fact, I changed the author's text, and in the original the narration is in the third person. This is the beginning of Elmore Leonard's Bob Maximum.

Dale Crow Jr. told Kathy Baker - she's a probation officer - that he didn't do anything wrong. He just popped into the bar to see his friend and while he was waiting for him, he drank a mug of beer, just one mug, he sat and didn’t bother anyone, and then this slut came up to his table and started dancing for him, although no one asked her to do so .

“They spread your knees, they start pressing you,” Dale said, “and then you can’t get rid of them. Her name was Earlene. I told her I wasn’t interested in her. But she wouldn’t let up, so I got up and walked towards the exit. She screamed. that I owed her five bucks, and then a bouncer came up to me and said God knows what. I hit him once, just once, I got out, and a car with a flashing light was already waiting there. Then the bouncer decided to show how cool he was, and started show off. I told him one more time to clear his head and so that the deputy sheriff would understand who first started this mess. But before I could even open my mouth, these scoundrels handcuffed me and put me in the car. It turns out that later they will enter my information into special computer? Then one of them says: “Hey, look at this! It turns out he was given a suspended sentence. Hit a police officer." It’s okay, the time will come, I’ll make it up to them. It’s clear, I was set up! "

Note that the author uses a long quotation to give the reader an opportunity to appreciate Crowe's manner of speaking. So what? This is a completely acceptable technique that allows you to get to know the character better. This is just another way to maintain intimacy while narrating in the third person. The trick is to convey the unique character of the character, looking at what is happening through his eyes. But even this rule is not immutable. Thus, in Ken Kesey’s novel “The Sailor’s Song” (1992), the narrator, narrating in the third person, expresses himself very juicy tongue:

"Billy Squid was a disgusting, pompous bastard, but he made a good president. He revitalized the order, fertilizing it with his irrepressible creative energy and supporting it with chemicals."

So, the pseudo-rule that says a first-person narrative brings us closer to a character and allows us to make him more colorful is sheer nonsense. In fact, any merits of the work, intimacy, atmosphere, color, or anything, can be preserved with equal success in both versions.

But the opposite is true, you say. Everyone knows that when you tell a story in the first person, you can't describe the scenes that happen without the narrator. Exists iron rule– first-person narration imposes significantly more restrictions than third-person narration.

This is also nonsense.

Aspiring writers are constantly told that they should not write a book in the first person because it will prevent the reader from being shown scenes that take place without the narrator. But that's not true. Here's an example of omniscient third-person narration from a Stephen King novel:

"There's not a sound in the house.

She left.

Looking at night.

Margaret White walked slowly from her bedroom into the living room. First there is blood and dirty fantasies that the devil sends along with the blood. Then this hellish power that the same devil endowed her with. And this happened, of course, when the time came for bleeding. Oh, she already knows what it is Devil Power: It was the same with her grandmother. It happened that she would light the fire without even getting up from the rocking chair by the window. .."

The pseudo-rule states that if a book is written in the first person (in this case, Carrie's point of view), the narrator cannot see into the mind of Margaret White, which the third person allows, let's see if this is true. All you need is a little practice. Let's imagine that the story is told from the perspective of Carrie, who has just gone to the prom against her mother's wishes:

“When I left, there was most likely complete silence in the house.

Mom is probably sitting in her bedroom, thinking about only one thing: “She’s gone. Looking out for the night. Gone.”

Then mom will come out of the bedroom into the living room, thinking that first there was blood and dirty fantasies that the devil sent to me, her daughter, along with the blood. Then this hellish power that the same devil endowed me with. And this happened, of course, when the time came for bleeding. She is convinced that she already knows what the Devil's Power is: it was the same with her grandmother. Mom remembers how her grandmother lit the fireplace without getting up from her rocking chair by the window.."

All the merits of the work have been preserved - atmosphere, intimacy, imagery - nothing has been lost. Now you see that by choosing any approach, you are not limited by anything. Of course, losses are possible if the character on whose behalf you are telling the story is distinguished by vigilance and insight or expresses himself in a vivid, unique language. Or he dies before the book ends.

Regardless of the form and tone of the narrative you choose, you need to make the most of its advantages without dwelling on the shortcomings. Some writers have a natural inclination toward one form or another, and the demands of the genre must also be taken into account. In tough guy detective stories, the narrator is often one of the tough guys, and the story is told in the first person. At the same time in romance novels the narration is almost always told in the third person in flowery, melodramatic language.

First-person text can give you a lot and take a lot away. It all depends on why and why you decided to choose this particular method of storytelling. How are you going to use it and how skillfully do you differentiate between the personality of the author and the personality of the character. How much does this game turn you on?

Japrisot, for example, plays with the first-person narration flawlessly. I understand what limitless possibilities He opens up his talent so much. A writer's dream: to play one game for everyone, to show the same thing from different sides, from different angles, from people of different ages, education, mentality... Let's say nine. And let them all be women. (Japriso. “Favorite of Women”). Plus it keeps the plot going: it’s clear why this detective story couldn’t be written in the third person.

But the authors of manuscripts for children, when choosing an “I” narrative, use other motives. Main motive, as far as I can tell, cause the child to feel that the text was written by someone his own age. (Without awareness: why is this necessary?) Secondary: Nosov did it - all children read. And this is what happens:

“Today for breakfast grandma cooked semolina porridge, dad ate it with pleasure and did not wipe off all the mustache - the strip remained. He looked like a circus clown, only he lacked a red nose. Grandmother said: “It doesn’t hurt to fall into childhood at any age” and began to wash the dishes. I said the same thing: I don’t blame myself for the fact that dad is always in a hurry and doesn’t look in the mirror, I think his colleagues at work will appreciate him, otherwise everyone says that dad is a very serious person.”

Firstly, the author fails to convince the reader that the story is being told by a seven-year-old. Complex sentences, vocabulary, introductory words and the phrases from the first lines betray the deception. Secondly, it is unclear why and for what purpose this option was chosen. In order to allow yourself to use strange designs and lack of plot?

“Soon the doorbell rang: it was Vovka, a neighbor, and we went to school. My neighbor is a great friend, although he’s older than me.” Or “Today was great in physical education class. We were given wooden shovels and told to pump up our muscles by removing snow in the school yard. The car came: we, the kids, scraped up the snow, and the grown-up boys threw it into the car.”

I have many such manuscripts in stock. But I won't give any more quotes. I’d better say right away: in children’s literature, first-person narration is extremely rarely appropriate. Relevant ones require significant intellectual investment, a young soul and a special perception of the world.

If you don’t have a young soul and special perception, as an author you lose more: you limit yourself by vocabulary, you impoverish your work by refusing literary devices and funds artistic expression. At the same time, you are always tied to one view of events - the view of your character. If it's not very original, it's not that interesting. If you are original, there is a danger that you will not be able to find a response in the reader’s soul.

In my opinion, the idea of ​​a story from the point of view of a teenager could be interesting for the author. It is during this period that significant, world-changing events occur in life. And in general, it’s fantastically exciting to be in the skin of a teenager again, with your own adult experience. At the same time, even if you write like God, no one will accuse you of fraud: everyone will easily believe the story about a genius from hormones. (Except me, haha.)

In my editorial practice, there was one very successful experience: tens of thousands of teenagers cried over the novel-diary of a teenage girl. It was pure hoax, without which the meaning of the novel would be lost. All meetings with the author took place on online forums and never offline. Our deception was revealed “at once.” We waited with bated breath for discovery... However, we were not discovered. No one was even embarrassed by the death of the heroine, of course, from the first person...

But still, I consider the most advantageous option in children’s and teenage literature to be the “I” story about a long-past event by an already grown-up character. This makes it possible not to always be on the edge nervous breakdown, as in the case of text from the perspective of a teenager, sometimes stop and exhale. Look at things from the outside. See the situation ahead.

1. Always ask yourself: why and why I need a first-person narrative. Whether the text wins or loses from this.
2. Calculate whether you can give the reader in the first person the completeness of the picture that the usual form of narration allows you to give.

1. Never start a story with early morning, breakfast, or the alarm clock—every editor has read a hundred million manuscripts that start like that.

1. Don't forget that the author and the character work of art- this is not one person.
2. You can give the text “in the first person” not in the entire work, but in parts, where it is really necessary to better represent the hero, develop the plot or express the idea of ​​the work. This eliminates the need to be “in character” all the time. The most obvious move: the character writes letters to someone, broadcasts on the radio, or writes stories.

1. There is nothing stopping you from wearing a mask in the usual “by the author” form of storytelling. In this case, your author’s text will turn into a kind of narration not from you personally, but from a “voice-over character”. All you need for this is to come up with it for yourself, asking: “who is he, what kind of author is he?” This often helps the texts a lot.

Please send all comments, wishes, counterarguments to my email,

How Vladimir Semyonovich saved us

Late sixties. Long hair, cotton trousers with lavsan with a strictly measured flare (25 centimeters, no less!), seven string guitars and Vysotsky. My guitar (Chernigov music factory, 7 rub. 50 kopecks) comes to me through huge connections (“from Uncle Joseph”), it is heavy, dark red with yellow tan. The neck is terribly uncomfortable, the strings are high and it is difficult to press them, but suddenly it turns out that it can be raised higher simply with the help of the key to the large black clock standing on the secretary in the living room. Instead of the usual metal strings Soon we manage to get nylon ones - this is also a big shortage. I take care of the guitar - for some reason I rub it with a viscous, strong-smelling wood polish, found in my mother’s closet, thus fighting existing and non-existent scratches on its beautiful sides. I almost never part with her, I even carry her with me to school, but not during the day, but to extracurricular gatherings. Five “main” chords have already been learned - “stars” in D minor and several variations of “strike” right hand. Vysotsky has memorized a terrible number of reels, two hundred songs, no less. Everyone likes it, and I am always and everywhere the center of attention, and adults, surprisingly, accept this singing with no less enthusiasm than my peers. This attention from others to me is stronger and more pleasant than even port wine and cigarettes, which I have already tried many times, so bad habits do not stick to me at all. Only crazy songs, hard calluses on the fingers, a hoarse, sometimes really a little broken voice - you know who.

Autumn, everywhere on the city streets there are posters “All-Union Population Census”, and every evening we wander around with a guitar and my friend Vitka from neighboring yard along these streets, squares and the Dnieper embankment. I manage to shout songs even while walking, he doesn’t know how to play at all, but he enthusiastically sings along to something. And - a feeling of constantly high spirits...

One day we were sitting with him on a bench, among the willow trees, in the depths of a wide green planting on the embankment. This bench should have stood decorously on the alley in front of the river parapet, but someone brought it here, in discreet place, dragged it to us, and apparently a large company did their best: a heavy, wooden, white bench with black curved cast-iron legs and the same side supports. It’s almost dark, and cozy shadows cover us, and in front of us by the river is the dim bluish light of rare high lanterns on concrete pillars. I'm playing something.

Suddenly, a group of strong guys, much older than us, looking thieves, tipsy and clearly fun seekers. There are five of them, but it seems like ten. They quickly surround our bench, and one of them, the main one, in a cap and with a raised thick upper lip, begins to pester Vitka with questions. The case smells like a very serious fight, and besides, Vitka is sharp and hot-tempered - although he was no less scared than me, he was already scowling and was about to say something contrary. And around, on the embankment, there was not a soul, so it seems that we were stuck with our love of evening walks in risky places. They may not kill you, but they can severely cripple you, especially since Vitka is the only fighter among us, and I am a frail, bespectacled boy, exempt from physical education since the 5th grade due to heart murmurs (there was such a popular children's class back then). diagnosis). And now this heart is beating wildly somewhere in the limbs, with or without noise - I don’t know anymore, but the feeling of complete unreality is growing.

Then the leader notices the guitar on my lap and says condescendingly:

Come on, do something for us...

And I do. I don’t know what he expected, but I, surprising myself, did not forget a single word and, as it were, even in a calm voice(at least it seems so to me), I sing:

That evening I did not drink, did not sing,

I looked at her with all my might,

How children watch, how children watch.

But the one who was with her before...

I sing “Ninka”, “Your eyes are like a knife”, “The bride will weep honestly for me” and two or three more songs. Our surroundings somehow go limp and relax. They gradually sit around on the grass and on the bench and listen very quietly, without interrupting with a word or sudden movement. The leader pulls out a started bottle of some wine from the inside pocket of his jacket and says, addressing only me, respectfully:

I politely decline and, sensing the moment, stand up:

We will go...

They quite calmly tell us “bye” - almost everyone, in turn, and we, as if slowly, retreat first to the illuminated alley, then, a little faster, we cross the road - to the shops, to the crowded streets. We walk faster and faster, almost running, and only after a few blocks Vitka stops and says, tells me something enthusiastic. And I already know that I am a great fellow. However, it’s not just me. And it’s not even me at all - Vladimir Semyonovich...

And still in wild delight from the unexpected salvation and from myself, I stop at an intersection near one of the posters about the census, as I go I come up with something punning, cocky and obscene and just as senseless as this poster, and immediately recite loudly, to to his friend's new delight:

There will be a rewrite soon!

Beauty - at least give a damn!

The Egg Problem

Excerpt from the essay “Chicago Cops”

...At lunchtime I often walk in the nearby forest park along asphalt paths among lawns and ponds. One day a police Ford is driving towards me along the path: such patrolling is, in general, a common thing. The car is wide, we won’t be able to separate from it. Naturally, I go to the side, onto the grass - this is the Government, and even on transport, moving towards me...

After three years life in America, we, following the example of others, decided to move from the city to the suburbs - calm, clean, spacious, with good schools. Growing up in our family younger son and, first of all, it was necessary to think about his safety and the quality of education. A small “townhouse”, purchased on credit in one of the Chicago suburbs, fully met our aspirations. And the fact that I had to travel a long way to work is the norm for life here. Everything is on wheels, for many hours every day...

Soon, unfortunately, we discovered that not everything was in order in our new abode. In the mornings, a large number of broken eggs began to appear on the large wooden veranda attached to our house from the backyard... hence flies, smell, dirt. It was not difficult to guess where the eggs came from in our yard: most likely, an over-aged kid from a neighboring family was playing around at night, testing us, the newcomers, for strength. At the same time, the little bastard deliberately greets us warmly when he meets us on the street.

We decided to report it to the police. The policeman arrived the next day, admired the traces of the “crime”, confirmed with a serious look that all this was unpleasant (as if we didn’t know this without him), assumed, like us, the guilt of the same character - and left... And broken eggs continued to appear on the veranda with the same consistency, especially after we carefully removed all this rubbish, washing it off with water from a garden hose.

We continued to call the police, our patrolman friend came a couple more times - with the same result. He, however, informed us that he had already talked with our young neighbor and that he was generally under police control for involvement in drugs and hooliganism, but in our case the police, they say, could not prove his guilt. Now, if you saw how the cute young man does this, then...

After such a story, we were seriously scared: when our son returns from school in the afternoon, no one is home. The school bus, of course, takes him right to the yard, but he opens the door himself, and usually there is not a soul around - everyone is at work. What if this hooligan neighbor teenager switches from throwing food to direct action - scares or hits the kid? Here's to a quiet life for you! And the police, it turns out, don’t want to do anything?

In short, we had to solve the problem ourselves, resort to cunning (well, just like in our homeland, where, unfortunately, we are used to relying only on ourselves). I started a conversation with a harmful guy on the street, near his house, and, as if casually talking about the problem (here is someone playing nasty tricks in our backyard - who could it be, do you know?), I said that I had installed with the help of the police, a surveillance and night vision system, and if someone gets caught, he will not be happy...

The flights of eggs stopped forever. And soon our young neighbor was taken away - and for a long time. Apparently, for those cases that the police considered more serious violations and were able to prove it. He's still there today.

Well, all is well that ends well, and we will consider the above described to be a minor and uncharacteristic problem that happened to one particular family that recently arrived in the country, who did not quite understand at the time English language and the local mentality, because the problem, in fact, was not worth a damn (literally, broken eggs)...

...At lunchtime I often walk in the nearby forest park along asphalt paths among lawns and ponds. One day a police Ford is driving towards me along the path: such patrols, as you know, are common. The car is wide, we won’t be able to separate from it.

Naturally, I go to the side, onto the grass - this is the Government, and even on transport, moving towards me. I am surprised to notice that a bulky black and white car also slides onto the grass, giving way... to me. Should I? I look around and make sure that there is no one on the path nearby, so the patrolman is doing this maneuver precisely because of me! I return to the path, proudly continue my walk, and, having become somewhat insolent, I even raise my hand in greeting when I reach the car. A policeman in a black uniform and black glasses also greets me. It turns out that I’m in charge here?..

Sour cream

There is a break between the first and second... Yes, yes, have a snack, but for now let me tell you something... gastronomic. Well, why “be silent, Yasha”, why? I won’t say anything seditious, especially since it’s no longer the 37th, and there’s no stagnation, and the KGB is long gone... And we are no longer there, in that country. So don’t shut my mouth, Comrade Beria.

I have special issues with sour cream. At the age of thirteen, in the summer, my mother sent me to the store “on Prospekt” (that, in contrast to several other grocery stores, was the name of a large grocery store located in a long Stalinist five-story building next to the central cinema on the main street of the city; the cinema, naturally, was called “ Rodina", the central street is Karl Marx Avenue; what else - in a Ukrainian city, in the sixties of the 20th century?). So, my mother sent me for sour cream. I agreed to go, but “with a fight” - and not because I was lazy, but because I was so shy that even in the store I was afraid to open my mouth - there I had to say something, ask. But my mother, of course, didn’t understand this, she thought that I was being lazy. Although, if she hadn’t sent me to the store, I would probably still have been afraid to talk to people and didn’t tell you anything about all this... It seemed to me that you said: “And thank God”?.. No ?

I mean, I trudged past the cinema to the grocery store, it was summer, it was hot, I was wearing thin light gray trousers (my mother sewed them), in fact I was very proud of them. In the hand - a string bag, in the string bag - clean glass jar and the lid, sour cream was then sold by weight... or by the bottle, how should I say it?

Surprisingly, there was no line in the store. Not very clearly, I asked the saleswoman in the dairy department for “a kilo of sour cream.” She scooped up sour cream for me from a large gray can, wielding a ladle with a long handle, and weighed it; I paid the stated amount to the cashier, returned and handed over the check. The saleswoman placed the filled jar on the tall refrigerator counter between us, and I reached up with my hands and tried to close the jar with the tight plastic lid. In a split second, the slippery can twisted out of my clumsy hands and spilled almost all of its cold, thick, white contents onto the front glass of the counter, onto my shirt and pants. The saleswoman looked at all this almost calmly for a while, then, without saying a word, she handed me a pack of sheets of thick brownish wrapping paper, and then, taking the jar to her side, she wiped it a little with a rag and closed it with my ill-fated lid. With a burning face, I began to clean up the sour cream flood from all the places available to me - from the glass, the floor, my pants... Then I collected the crumpled up wet pieces of paper in a trash can, put the unfortunate jar with the rest of its contents in my shopping bag and rushed home. But not along the avenue, but in the backyards, where possible, trying not to look at anyone.

They didn’t scold me at home, except for one quiet word “slam” 1 , said by my grandmother when I appeared at the door and my mother threw my pants into a bowl of hot water And washing powder“News”... and went for sour cream. Herself. The pants were saved, and I then showed off in them for a long time - until the end of the summer.

The following summer we vacationed with our parents in Berdyansk. How? You don't know Berdyansk? This is such a town in Ukraine... in Ukraine, yes, I remember, that’s what we have to say now. Absolutely right, on the Sea of ​​Azov. A quiet, hot place... A very tart, sweet smell of large tarred longboats, which lie in black shiny blocks everywhere on the shore. You can pick off a piece of resin from the side and smell it... How well, it turns out, I remember this smell. And hands blackened with tar. And strings of gray dry ram are everywhere: on fences, in houses, in summer kitchens... Well, yes, yes, we are talking about sour cream now.

Mom with younger brother had to return home earlier (she had to go to work), my dad and I stayed to rest in Berdyansk for another week. And my dad is no cook (by inheritance, I am the same). Therefore, for lunch we went to some dead local canteen not far from the sea, and dad composed breakfast and dinner himself. One of his creations was a plate of sour cream with coarsely crumbled bread - he said that in his childhood, during the war, during the evacuation, this was the most wonderful dish for him. Well, I probably wouldn’t have survived the evacuation, because after such a dish I felt, to put it mildly, sick... or maybe during the war sour cream wasn’t so rich. In general, I vomited - and more than once... excuse me, we are sitting at the table... and after that for a long time I only consumed sour cream in tiny portions. Then, however, it passed. Everything passes.

And here's something else. Do you know what my wife is like? maiden name? Smetankina. The surname, I tell you, is relatively rare. If you take the phone book of our city, you will find many, many different Smetankins, but the Smetankins are only her family. And in the yard, and at school, and at the institute where she studied, all her friends always called her not by name, but only by that - Smetana. Hello Smetana! Are you going to the cinema, Smetana? Let's go for a smoke break, Smetana... well, that's later. Now it probably sounds funny - our children are so big, and in general...

So, one might say, I was lucky again with this sour cream... You know it, it has the same character! No, it’s not that we live badly... In different ways. And who is good? Only now, when we have lived together for twenty years, I look at my wife and remember not very decent... yes, you already told me: we are sitting at the table, but you can’t erase the words from the song... in general, I remember this folk saying: “Your own shit is sour cream”...

Why are you boiling, again - “Yasha, shut up”! Everyone here is their own people, they should understand the jokes.

Are you asking if there is mayonnaise in Olivier? No, we don’t put it in, sour cream is better.

1. Unhappy, awkward, idiot (Yiddish).

Fight

Tell me, have you ever fought for real? - she asks unexpectedly.

Well, I don’t remember... probably not,” I answer, somewhat puzzled.

What - never fought at all? - She rises indignantly on her elbows.

Yes, it seems like never... - I sit down on the edge of the bed.

And why? I think that a real man must fight to earn respect. Here is Polyansky...

I didn’t have such a need to fight. - Lost in thought, as usual, I look somewhere to the side and stretch out my lips. - And why is the “realness” of a man defined in this way? There are other ways to earn respect...

And they never beat you?

They didn't beat me. Well, there were a couple of cases in childhood and youth when they could have beaten me, but I was lucky - it didn’t work out. For example, in my first year, a few months after the start of classes, I went with one girl to a dance in the gym of the institute. And before she met me, she managed to go on a date several times with another guy who was older - from the fourth year, a strong guy, an athlete. And as soon as the music started playing, he came up to me and called me outside. I got ready to go out (not out of great courage, but because I hadn’t really figured out what to do yet). But then one of our fellow students, Azerbaijani Mazi, a boxer, flies up to us. He, it turns out, really respected me for singing and playing guitar - I didn't even know it. I then carried a guitar almost everywhere, and Mazi repeatedly listened to my songs at parties in the dorm. “Nat,” Mazi says to my opponent, “he won’t go anywhere, I’ll go.” And they left. It turns out that there were several strong friends waiting behind the doors to deal with me. Mazi came out and immediately made it clear to them that I was his friend and, if anything happened, he was ready to stand up for me. Of course, they did not dare to get involved with Mazi: he himself was desperate, and there were many other guys from Azerbaijan who studied at the institute. God forbid someone touched one of them - all the guys from the East would take revenge for him, it wouldn’t be enough for the offenders. In short, in the evening after the dance, this strong guy and I calmly met in Mazi’s room and talked. We drank a glass. The strong guy says: “Come on, I don’t need her at all, go for a walk. I do this out of principle.” Well, we also drank to the principle, and also...

And if you still had to fight, wouldn’t you chicken out? - she interrupts.

Well, if only... - I drawl, - however, I think in many cases there is a way to avoid this and solve problems peacefully.

There are problems that cannot be solved peacefully, - in her thoughts, as usual, she looks somewhere to the side and stretches out her lips. - And Polyansky - he can definitely fight for justice...

And after a short pause he firmly adds:

And for me!..

Okay, we’ll talk about Polyansky tomorrow,” I get up and get ready to leave.

No, wait,” she continues insistently, “so you run every day in the morning and do exercises with dumbbells. What is this for? To be strong, right? So, are you still ready to fight? And punch some enemy in the face?

I've been doing exercises in the morning for many years - I'm used to it. And for health...

For the hell of it... - she drawls in disappointment.

That's it, sleep! - I declare decisively, flip the switch and leave her bedroom.

I find my wife in the room where the computer is. She sits with headphones on and enthusiastically looks at something on the monitor.

Well? She is sleeping? - my wife asks too loudly, seeing me out of the corner of her eye and without turning her head.

I try to say something, but she immediately continues:

I have to work late today, so tomorrow morning you take her... So what did you want?

Listen,” I finally say, “do you happen to know who they have there named Polyansky?”

Drawings by Andrey Rabodzeenko

Semyon Kaminsky, 2006-2013.

45th parallel, 2013.