Pavlo Bondarenko is a writer who influences the worldview of readers through historical investigation. From his mystical thrillers on historical themes sometimes just take your breath away. We talked with Pavlo Pravyi about the origin of the eloquent pseudonym, moving from home, writing books and dreams on the eve of the holiday – Writer’s Day
«I lived almost all my life in the Donbass, grew up in the Donetsk region. From there I went to the army, and then to the mine. I later went to Luhansk to study, and from 1991 to 2014 I lived there, started my own family… Leaving my hometown with three bags was difficult. I am very grateful to my friends who sheltered me. Can I call Novohrad-Volynskiy my hometown? Probably not, because I am not a resident of it – I remain an internally displaced person who cannot even fully elect the government. I like the local people – they are tolerant, cultured in communication and behavior. My family likes to live here, but our roots are in Luhansk»
«I chose the pseudonym Pravyi because of my views on life and political considerations… Now there is a danger of losing my identity. It is the Pravyi, that is a pseudo that focuses on a more conservative culture»
«Writing came into my life a long time ago when I was still in university. My classmate wrote such incomprehensible texts, so I decided to try myself in literature. I have always had a normal work, and the first literary experience was not very successful. I sent my work to the competition of the Smoloskyp publishing house. The story «Unusual Adventures of Senior Lieutenant Rzhevsky’s Guard in Chechnya» fell into the hands of a reviewer, who wrote a devastating response, noting that it was the worst imitation of Voinovich and his Chonkin. This forced me to move forward… I began work on the novel The Hour of Black Communion. A very serious mystical thriller, written in the realities of the late 90’s. For the work I became a laureate of the Smoloskyp publishing house award. In 2001, the novel was published, and I was invited to a seminar for creative youth. Since then I continue my literary activity»
«I am very grateful to Smoloskyp publishing house, because they still support young authors – they give way to life. Then I published two more books published by the Kapranov brothers: «The Green Dog» is a mystical thriller «Shadow of Lucifer» and «The Curse of the Chosen». At the end of the 2000s, a niche was found: we had to step on the throat of our own song and write historical journalism instead of works of art»
«The idea to write books based on historical investigations came about because, unfortunately, we don’t know our own history. During the years of Soviet rule, the whole history was in fact falsified – from ancient times to modern times. People were forced to read then «historical novels», which were based on falsification. Soviet writers often wrote what the authorities wanted and ordered. Therefore, perhaps today readers have little interest in history, many have lost faith in the veracity of the printed word. In addition, few writers can teach history in a semi-artistic form so that the average reader with a basic education can read and see an alternative view of what actually happened»
«I am not a professional historian, I am a scientific hooligan, a provocateur. I ask myself questions that need to be answered, because when I talk to the professors about certain topics, they say, «Yes. Your point of view has a right to exist. There are a lot of facts about your versions, but we can’t state them, because it will be a blow to our professional reputation». You can disagree with me and my colleagues in many ways. And this is normal. Our task: to arouse interest in certain topics, because we need to understand that history penetrates modernity through the centuries»
«I do not leave fiction – the year before last I published the mystical thriller «Sunrise Day», but it was published in small editions. Now I am trying to create a Ukrainian image of the modern Sherlock Holmes, who investigates very interesting crimes. In the summer, the book «The Secret History of Moscovia in the Portraits of Its Rulers» was published, which explores the history of the emergence and formation of the Moscow state from the emergence of Moscow to the times when Moscovia became the Russian Empire. The book has many interesting details that are little known to the general public»
«Among my favorite authors, who rely on research in the field of history, have an individual style of writing, it must be humorous – Victor Suvorov, famous for his research on World War II. Mark Solonin also writes on the subject of World War II and the postwar years. And I am always treated by Arthur Conan Doyle’s book «Sherlock Holmes». My daughter presented a complete collection»
«My books are like children for me, although the first book did not cause a terrible euphoric emotion. It was the «Hour of Black Communion», which won the competition of the publishing house «Smoloskyp». That is, I knew that it would come out, I was waiting for it. By the way, the book was born 9 months later (smiles) after the announcement of the results and the award ceremony. Over time, the release of new books began to be philosophical for me. The most emotional thing is when you put the last point in the book and sign it. It’s like the end of childbirth. Now I am calmer about the release of the book. Probably also because two new books are published in a year»
«Each of my works is special in its own way. The book «Volodymyr. The Baptism of Lies» required the most work and verification of the facts, I analyzed a whole mountain of information, because each thesis must be supported. The book «Volyn Massacre: A Truth Nobody Needs» is special to me in that it analyzes the motives of the terrible massacre, tells the details that are real facts, and not a fiction that was imposed on us. «Cardboard Heroes» is a book about fake heroes, on which whole generations were brought up. And very often these heroes were just fictional. For example, Olexandr Matrosov. No one can still find out who he is and where he comes from. Fake heroes were pushed in, on which people were equal, and some still continue to do so, not knowing the real truth. In the book I wanted to show vivid examples of «agitprop» – agitation, propaganda. It was necessary to dispel myths and tell the truth about the so-called «heroes». Ukrainian heroes need to be shown»
«I actively attend the capital’s literary events, I have good friends – writers: Serhiy Pantyuk – one of the best writers of our time, in my opinion, Borys Humeniuk, Dmytro Pylypchuk. There are many authors with whom it is interesting to communicate, for example with Dmytro Bilyi, who researches the subject of the Holodomor and writes books for teenagers. There are many interesting authors in Ukraine»
«Of course, there are times when you can`t write. To deal with it, I just sit down and start working, and then I get involved. In fact, writing is difficult: when you understand that you need to write 12 chapters before the end of the book, where you need to work hard in each of 20 pages, you don’t want to (laughs). There are times when I can’t get to work for two or three weeks, and then I can write 15 pages a day without sleeping at night»
«Over the last five or six years, a survey of publishing houses has shown that young people read more, especially Ukrainian writers. New authors have appeared who write about the events in the East, the fighting. … I hope that this return to reading is the formation of a new young elite»
«To get off work, I go to the kitchen and cook borscht or cook something interesting. I turn on the audiobook, listen to and cook meatballs, Georgian meat, salad and other delicacies. I can watch a good movie, go out to the river to sit with a fishing rod. I have been picking mushrooms since May, although I know that there are no mushrooms in this area in May yet – the season starts only in September. But I still go – looking for and picking berries»
«For several years, Tanya Sheptytska and Serhiy Pantyuk have been offering us to collect two or three recipes from familiar writers and to publish a «literary cookbook» There are really many people among us who cook. There is an idea, but hands do not reach it»
«If I weren’t a dreamer, I would have died a long time ago (laughs). A person cannot live without a dream. Without a dream, like a plant without water, a person withers and dies very quickly. My dream is for my eldest daughter to find herself in life, the younger one to finish school well and also follow the call of her heart. I dream that my family was healthy, I dream of buying my own home, because everything was left in Luhansk. My dream is for foreign customs officers to treat them with admiration when they take Ukrainian passports. My dream is to finally have excellent medicine. My main dream is for people to think with their heads, not their stomachs. Unfortunately, many of us live as adapters and consumers»
«I will celebrate a professional holiday in Kyiv, because in a week the layout of a new book will begin. I have technical issues to solve in the capital, and most likely we will celebrate International Writer’s Day there and talk to friends. I traditionally wish my colleagues good texts, large editions and a grateful reader!»
From the editors Although belatedly, we join in congratulating on professional holiday – Writer’s Day. Qualitative literature shapes the worldview of the people and the future of the nation. Therefore, we responsibly declare that writers are people who fulfill the Mission. We wish you health, inspiration and new creations!
