The novel about the construction of the Palace of the Republic presented in the National Library
Belarusian architect Anatoly Shabalin presented his fiction novel “Melody of frozen music” at the National Library of Belarus on September 29.

Belarusian architect Anatoly Shabalin presented his fiction novel “Melody of frozen music” at the National Library of Belarus on September 29, the correspondent of the Minsk-Novosti agency reports.

The idea of building the Palace of the Republic was supported by the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus Pyotr Masherov. Places for construction and the construction of the building itself began under his successor, Tikhon Kiselev. He gave instructions to build the Palace of the Republic in the heart of Minsk – on the Central Square (now October Square). At an early stage, the idea of building the city center was developed by the Belarusian architect Yuri Grigoriev. The construction of the final project of the palace was led by Mikhail Pirogov. Author's components of the interior and bas-reliefs of Ivan Misko became the hallmark of the interior halls of the building.
The author himself was one of the main architects of this cultural site.
Architecture, music, literature are all interrelated. Everywhere there is a composition, and the basis is taken rhythm. There is a melody in music that can be found in architecture. So it's all perfectly compatible. The most difficult direction I consider architecture, because it includes many professions: plumbing, electrician, designer. You also need to be able to calculate everything. Of course, creating music is also not easy - to find soloists, record sound. The easiest thing from this list is to write a novel, said Shabalin.

After musical activity, the author began to write poetic verses, then moved on to humorous stories, stories - and entered the taste. So came the novel about the design and construction of the Palace of the Republic. The plot traces the fate of friends-architects, the change of era, the transformation of worldviews and human values.
- I decided to write a novel about the Palace of the Republic, because not everyone knows the history of this architectural object. At first I tried to go into documentary, but it did not work. I decided to change the genre to an artistic one, where scrupulous work on historical facts and events is not so important, it was possible to add author's fiction. Some of the figures who participated in the event were replaced by generalized images. He left only Pyotr Mironovich Masherov and our current Head of State, as he played an important role in the resuscitation of this cultural object after freezing for a long time.
The main character of the novel was the Palace of the Republic. All events and intrigues unfold around him. Of course, there was no book without a love line.

The author invited many significant people to the presentation of his work: writers, politicians, athletes.
- It was with great pleasure that I read the novel. I want to note that the story is written in an accessible language, it was very easy to read. The book is permeated with light, soul, warmth. Readers face the Soviet era, with its special charm, friendliness, sincerity, hard work, the desire to create something new. The Soviet Union united many nations. We were all brothers and sisters, no one looked at nationality. Together they built, believed, loved life, homeland and land. And despite the difficulties of that period, the author speaks with gratitude about the USSR. Another aspect of the book is human relationships, love, envy. This novel highlights many significant topics and will be interesting for a wide audience. It is a pity that the work came out in a small circulation, only 99 copies. I believe that this novel should be the handbook of every builder, architect and ordinary citizen of Belarus, said Mikhail Pozdnyakov, Chairman of the Minsk City Branch of the Union of Writers of Belarus, Honored Worker of Culture.
Readers would like to see other novels dedicated to architectural objects created by A. Shabalin. But the author himself does not plan to write a new book, after all, the work is not the easiest.
The musical atmosphere of the holiday was supported by leading bands and pop soloists of the country, who performed the songs of the author.

Photo by author



