With the advent of the film 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 began to misunderstand some of the words and phrases used by the characters. For example, what is masaraks? Some have suggested that this is some abstract name. And it seemed to others that this was a made-up adverb or the name of an object that does not exist in the real world. And that is almost true. But first things first. In this article we will talk about the history of the appearance of this word and about what masaraksh is.
Definition of a word
Masaraksh is a common abusive 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 "masaraks", the translation of which literally means "the world turned upside down," is also found in the work of these remarkable authors, "The Beetle in the Anthill." There are also more detailed variations of this curse word - “thirty-three times masaraks”, as well as “masaraks-i-masaraks”.
Origin of the word
In the work of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky “Inhabited Island” the appearance of this word is associated with the cosmogonic representations of the inhabitants of Saraksh. An unusually large refraction of light in the atmosphere of this planet lifted the horizon line above. As a result, the inhabitants of Saraksh assumed that the surface of their planet is concave. The alternative opinion that they live on a convex surface, although it arose, has not received recognition. It was even persecuted by official religion, and supporters of this idea were considered heretics. As a response to this conflict of ideas, an expression arose that signified an inverted world.
There is also another answer to the question of what is masaraks. The name of the planet Saraksh is consonant with the real geographical object - the village of Saraktash, which is located in the Orenburg region. It will be appropriate to note here that in another work of the Strugatsky brothers the city of Tashlinsk appears, also formed from the name of the village of Tashla in the same Orenburg region. And there is an explanation for this. During the Second World War, writers were evacuated from Leningrad to this village, and Arkady very often visited Saraktash.
What is “masaraks” and what is the cultural influence of the word
Since the end of the seventies, this word has gained popularity among fans of science fiction. 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.