Arkady Vainer: biography and career

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Arkady Vainer (13.01.1931-26.04.2005) is a famous Russian writer, a master of the detective genre, whose name is inextricably linked with his brother Georgy. It was in the duo that the writers created works that still arouse the sincere interest of the readership. Books by the Weiner brothers, with a total circulation of about three hundred million copies, were published in many countries around the world.

The detective genre of the Weiner brothers

The success of the works, which the authors themselves called psychological prose with a criminal plot, cannot be explained solely by the public's love for impressive chases, loud skirmishes, and exciting intrigues. There is something deeper going on here: human relationships that are much more important than a twisted plot. Indeed, the Weiner brothers managed to raise the detective genre to the heights of real literature.

In numerous interviews, Arkady Vainer, whose books are in demand amongreadership, often emphasized that not only did he not write according to generally accepted literary stencils, but he did not even have a teacher who could be imitated. Yes, and there was no point in imitating: the vast experience in the criminal investigation department gave the author a powerful basis for future novels.

Arkady Vainer: biography

Arkady came from an ordinary Moscow family: his mother worked as a teacher, his father worked as a driver and mechanic. Not really literate, since he graduated from only one class, he was an excellent storyteller. Numerous paternal stories were used by the Weiner brothers in their novels. Parents instilled qualities in their sons that helped them a lot in life. The most important instruction of the father: in any situation, always remain human.

In life, Arkady was persistent and purposeful: a school with a gold medal, then the law faculty of a metropolitan university, work as an investigator in one department of the metropolitan police and the position of head of the investigative department of the MUR.

At the same time, Arkady did not consider his own position significant, since high status was not the main thing for him in life. According to the writer, the main position on Earth is to remain Human (the words of his father, embedded in the heart of Weiner since childhood).

Investigative work of Arkady Vainer

At work, Arkady Vainer was investigating a variety of cases: from petty theft to brutal murders, and he brought each of them to a fair decision. He did not take bribes, threats had no effect on him, he was excluded from theparty, which in the USSR was considered like death.

Arkady and his brother Georgy began writing by accident. In 1967, their friend Norman Borodin, in the course of a dispute that arose on the topic “who is more difficult to work: an investigator or a journalist,” offered to write a short work, for which he promised an excellent fee. The brothers accepted the offer and a month later presented the novel "Hours for Mr. Kelly", which amounted to 600 pages. The work in a somewhat abridged version was immediately published in two magazines: "Soviet militia" and "Our contemporary".

Huge experience and a large amount of material during the investigative work prompted Arkady and Georgy, who worked as a journalist, to create further works: “A noose and a stone in green grass”, “Visit to the Minotaur”, “Medicine for Nesmeyana”, “Touch at Noon”, “Testament from Columbus”, “Vertical Racing”. The brothers also wrote scripts for such films as I, Investigator, The City Accepted, Victims Have No Claims, Night Visit, Certificate of Poverty, Entrance to the Labyrinth.

About the most famous work

"Era of Mercy" is the most famous novel, which formed the basis of the feature film "The meeting place cannot be changed." The prehistory of its film adaptation is as follows: the Weiners brothers once, when meeting with Vladimir Semenovich Vysotsky, presented the famous poet and singer with the book “The Era of Mercy”. The next morning, the bell rang in Arkady's apartment. Volodya Vysotsky stood on the threshold. He said that he had read a novel overnight and was verywants to play Gleb Zheglov. Since then, Vysotsky and the Weiners have become lifelong friends; Volodya dedicated two of his songs to his fellow writers. Stanislav Govorukhin, who knew the novel by heart, became the director of the cult series starring V. Vysotsky and V. Konkin.

In addition to the search for the Black Cat gang, which kept all of post-war Moscow in fear, the story of a complex relationship between two strong personalities: Zheglov and Sharapova runs like a red thread through the work - this is what Georgy Vainer and Arkady Vainer tried to convey to the reader. Quotes from the movie quickly penetrated the people. The most famous of them, uttered in the hoarse voice of Volodya Vysotsky: “A thief should be in prison.”

The value of every person is dignity

Arkady and Georgy were true humanist writers: they constantly answered letters from places of detention, helped those arrested as much as possible, and even managed to secure the release of several illegally convicted people. Later, Arkady began to deal with the issues of prisoners in a more official status, being a member of the Pardon Commission.

Full of huge plans for life, Arkady Vainer, a master with deep humanism and real writing talent, did not have time to fully realize them: a protracted and serious illness prevented him. Weiner hid his shaky he alth from everyone. In April 2005, being hospitalized, he left the hospital to take part in the opening of the VII International Detective FEST film festival. From the stagethe famous author addressed a large audience with words about respect: to the Law, to those around him and to himself, in a word - about dignity. The next day, April 24, 2005, Arkady Vainer passed away.