Разыскивается цитата из Бродского
Я не нашел, кто знает, подскажите
Subject: Brodsky quote
Date: 15 Dec 1997
From: John Burgan (burgan@hdk-berlin.de)
To: moshkow@ipsun.ras.ru
Dear Maksim,
I'm an English documentary film director based in Berlin and I'm trying to find the source of a Brodsky quote I found in a newspaper, and came across your website. The quote is something like: "You cannot return to a country which no longer exists". Do you recognise it? I'm sure he wrote it in English anyway. If you know which book it's from I would be very grateful for any information.
Best wishes,
John Burgan (burgan@hdk-berlin.de)
Answer
From: Revaz Ramazashvili
Dear John and Maksim,
Chances are that you already know a better answer to John's question than the one I am about to offer. (If you do, please let me know.)
Just in case if you have not found it yet: in the "Conversations with Joseph Brodsky" by S. Volkov (the Free Press 1998, ISBN 0-684-63572-X) on p. 287, (Соломон Волков. Диалоги с Иосифом Бродским) Brodsky says: "Well, we know, after all, that you cannot step twice into the same river, even if that river is the Neva. ...", which is pretty close to the quote John encountered in a newspaper.
Although very far from being a Brodsky expert, I vaguely recall seeing Brodsky quoted as saying something like "You cannot return to the place of love" ("Nel'zya vernut'sya na mesto lyubvi"), which is also somewhat close. Finally, I also recall noticing Brodsky reiterating the same thought or an observation in two different essays, so it may well be that Brodsky said something similar more than once, possibly with some variations.
I hope this helps.
With best regards,
Revaz Ramazashvili.
