Lilya never pushed her LUCK…

Abstract

E. Pogorelaya's interview with the author, essayist and critic A. Ganieva discusses Ganieva's own work, as well as the general situation with contemporary culture. They talk about literature produced by a generation of writers in their thirties, the modern principles of literary criticism, contemporary performance art, and Ganieva's documentary novel about Lilya Brik which provoked torrents of enthusiastic as well incensed critical reviews. Contemplating the reason why she finds her heroine attractive, Ganieva says that Brik constitutes an undisputed fact in the history of Russian Avant- garde. But what appeals to Ganieva the most is Lilya Brik's taste for life, at all times, at any age, which she considers a rare gift. At the same time, Ganieva is far from idealizing Lilya Brik and carefully notes any potential overlaps between the modern era of performance and the early 20th c., which provides the background for the life of ‘her Lilexcellency' in the aforementioned biography.