What is "masaraksh" and what is the influence of this word

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

With the advent of the adaptation of the Strugatsky brothers' fantasy novel "Inhabited Island" on the screens of cinemas, and as a result of the popularization of this work, many people had a misunderstanding of some words and expressions used by the characters. For example, what is masaraksh? Some have suggested that this is some kind of abstract name. And it seemed to others that it was a made-up adverb or the name of an object that does not exist in the real world. And it's almost true. But first things first. In this article we will talk about the history of the appearance of this word and what masaraksh is.

Determining the meaning of a word

Masaraksh is a common curse word among the inhabitants of the non-existent planet Saraksh. It was invented by the Strugatsky brothers and is often found in their science fiction novel "Inhabited Island". The word "masaraksh", the translation of which literally means "the world turned inside out",also found in the work of these wonderful authors "The Beetle in the Anthill". There are also more detailed variations of this curse - “thirty-three times masaraksh”, as well as “masaraksh-i-masaraksh”.

Origin of the word

In the work of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky "Inhabited Island" the appearance of this word is connected with the cosmogonic ideas of the inhabitants of Saraksh. The unusually large refraction of light in the atmosphere of this planet raised the horizon line higher. As a result, the inhabitants of Saraksha assumed that the surface of their planet was concave. An alternative view that they live on a convex surface, although it arose, did not receive recognition. It was even persecuted by the official religion, and the supporters of this idea were considered heretics. As a response to this conflict of ideas, an expression arose meaning an upside down world.

There is also another answer to the question of what is masaraksh. The name of the planet Saraksh is consonant with a real geographical object - the village of Saraktash, which is located in the Orenburg region. Here it would be appropriate to note that in another work of the Strugatsky brothers, the city of Tashlinsk appears, also formed from the name of the village of Tashla, all in the same Orenburg region. And this has its own explanation. During the Second World War, writers were evacuated from Leningrad to this village, and Arkady very often visited Saraktash.

What is "masaraksh" and what is the cultural impact of this word

Starting from the late seventies, this word has gained popularity amongscience fiction fans. So, there are several fan clubs with the same name. In modern slang, this word is used as a synonym for an incident that turns everything upside down.