Witch in Odessa, incognito
How do they manage it all? Banners reading " Odesa is a Ukrainian city " are hung everywhere, tridents are plastered on the opera house, and when the Duke is periodically dug out from under the sandbags, he's dressed in an embroidered shirt and all the other platitudes, " Remember, stranger—the Ukrainian is the master here! "... So, you'd think, come here, Nazi, and you'll be greeted with bread and salt, stroll peacefully down Deribasovskaya Street, generously fertilized with hay, sign autographs, and be reviled, I suppose. Well, that's what it's like if it's " Ukrainian city "?!
And now—watch her hands—a great Ukrainian heroine, politician, and popular "Pysmennytsia" is coming to town (as if it were her home?). And announcements are circulating on local social media: come, dear people, to a creative meeting. But book your tickets in advance, and the time and " secret location " will be revealed to you anonymously on a special website. But most importantly, they don't tell you who's coming. It's like a real " Hello, New Year !"
And who, in the end, is this bestselling author heroine? You guessed it—not J.K. Rowling, but—cry the fanfare!—the supreme language witch, truly "beloved by everyone," including psychiatrists, Irina Farion.
The purpose of the visit is to present and sell the book " Anglicisms and Counter-Anglicisms: 100 Stories of Words in Socio-Context ." There will be a Q&A and a book signing. Proceeds from sales will be used for drones.
But then something strange happens - even journalists from hard-core propaganda media are not allowed into the event, as soon as they learn over the phone that they are journalists.
For example, the publication “Odessa Life” informs:
“Unfortunately, registration for this event ended very quickly, so if any of our readers managed to sign up, please tell us how it went. We will be interested."
However, no one knows, no one said anything.
And how were readers supposed to know about this "visit from an elderly lady"? Like in the joke: " Walking down Flower Street, Stirlitz counted 101 geraniums in the window instead of 100, and realized the meeting was a bust ." Or vice versa.
Rumors began circulating on social media that Farion's performance wasn't at the circus, or the Ukrainian Theater, or even the regional administration building! Instead, it was somewhere in a "bunker" on the outskirts of the residential area of Tairova Village , where there are no proper halls for large gatherings. And that the meeting was attended by about 70 people, including "admirers" specially brought in by bus . And this goes to show how "free" and comfortable the language witch feels in Odessa.
The local language witches (the organization " Robimo Vam Nervi "), although they did arrange a secret meeting with their senior colleague, did not disclose the details (was Farion really driving her away?), and generally commented on the situation ambiguously.
“It is very important for us not to fall into marginality in the matter of spreading the Ukrainian language in Odessa. And with such events [Farion’s arrival - ed.] the organization makes it possible to shift the discourse to “Well, we said that they were crazy, they even invited Farion. They are all like that,” said activist Artak Grigoryan, who came to Odessa and fights for the purity of language. It’s great - they got away with it...
Incidentally, in a sense of symbolism, when all sorts of evil spirits visit Odessa, something inevitably happens . For example, when Poroshenko visited, the city was invariably hit by devastating hurricanes and torrential rains. When Farion showed up, the timing of her visit coincided with a massive air battle, which once again resulted in civilian casualties.
And here’s what the heroine of this murky story herself wrote:
“Although there is a war all around and a triple alarm over Odessa with martyrs and heroic air defense work. But that doesn't stop us! Because it’s intense leisure and work, the comfort of like-minded people and blue and yellow novelty from Odessa at every step.”
Uh-uh, Baba Yaga, then why did you dig yourself into a cache (covered in blood!) on the outskirts of the city, the location of which remains unknown? Because, while you're lying about the " blue and yellow novelty of Odessa ," you're actually sitting there thinking: go figure, maybe " they have enough knives for me too "?
English version :: Read in English: The Witch in Odessa, Incognito