Arkady Weiner (01/13/1931-26.04.2005) - a famous Russian writer, master of the detective genre, whose name is inextricably linked with his brother George. It was in a duet that the writers created works that to this day cause genuine interest in the readership. The books of the Weiner brothers, whose total circulation was about three hundred million copies, were published in many countries of the world.
Detective genre of Weiner brothers
The success of the works, which the authors themselves called psychological prose with a criminal plot, cannot be explained only by the love of the public for impressive pursuits, loud skirmishes, exciting intrigues. There is something deeper here: human relationships, which are much more important than the famously twisted plot. Indeed, the Weiner brothers managed to raise the detective genre to the height of real literature.
In numerous interviews, Arkady Weiner, whose books are in demand among the readership, often emphasized that he not only did not write on generally accepted writing stencils, but did not even have a teacher who could be imitated. Yes, and it did not make sense to imitate: a huge experience in the criminal investigation gave the author powerful ground for future novels.
Arkady Weiner: biography
Arkady came from an ordinary Moscow family: my mother worked as a teacher, my father worked as a driver and mechanic. He did not really know the letters, since he had finished only one class, he was an excellent storyteller. Weiner brothers used numerous fatherly stories in their novels. Parents instilled in their sons qualities that helped them a lot in life. The most important instruction of the father: in all situations, always remain human.
In his life, Arkady was persistent and purposeful: a school with a gold medal, then a law faculty of a metropolitan university, work as an investigator in one department of the capital’s militia, and the post of head of the investigation department of the MUR.
At the same time, Arkady did not consider his own situation significant, since high status was not the main thing for him in life. According to the writer, the main position on Earth is to remain a Man (father’s words embedded in Weiner's heart from childhood).
Investigative work of Arkady Weiner
At work, Arkady Weiner was investigating a variety of cases: from petty thefts to brutal murders, and he brought each of them to a fair decision. He didn’t take bribes, they didn’t act on him, for his integrity he was expelled three times from the party, which in the USSR was considered like death.
Arkady and his brother George began to engage in writing activities by chance. In 1967, their friend Norman Borodin, in the course of a debate on the topic “who is more difficult to work as an investigator or a journalist,” suggested writing a small work for which he promised an excellent fee. The brothers accepted the offer and a month later presented the novel “Watch for Mr. Kelly”, which amounted to 600 pages. The work in a somewhat abridged version was immediately published in two magazines: “Soviet Police” and “Our Contemporary”.
Vast experience and a large amount of material during the course of the investigative work prompted Arkady and George, who worked as a journalist, to create further works: “Loop and Stone in the Green Grass”, “Visit to the Minotaur”, “Medicine for Nesmeyana”, “Groping at Noon”, "Testament from Columbus", "Racing vertically." The brothers also have scripts for such films as “I, the investigator”, “The city accepted”, “Victims have no complaints”, “Night visit”, “Poverty certificate”, “Entrance to the labyrinth”.
About the most famous work
The Era of Mercy is the most famous novel that formed the basis of the feature film The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed. The background story of his film adaptation is as follows: the Vainers brothers once upon a meeting with Vladimir Semenovich Vysotsky presented the famous poet and singer with the book “Era of Mercy”. The next morning a bell rang in Arkady's apartment. On the threshold stood Volodya Vysotsky. He said that he had read the novel over night and really wanted to play Gleb Zheglov. Since then, Vysotsky and Weiners have become friends for life; Volodya dedicated two of his songs to his brothers-writers. Stanislav Govorukhin, who knew the novel by heart, became the director of a cult series with V. Vysotsky and V. Konkin in the lead roles.
In addition to searching for the Black Cat gang, which kept the whole of post-war Moscow in fear, the story of the complex relationship between two strong personalities: Zheglova and Sharapova, runs through the work as a red thread - this is what Georgiy Viner and Arkady Weiner tried to convey to the reader. Quotes from the movie quickly penetrated the people. The most famous of them, uttered in a hoarse voice of Volodya Vysotsky: "A thief should be in prison."
The value of each person is dignity
Arkady and George were true humanist writers: they constantly responded to letters from places of detention, helped the arrested as much as possible, and even managed to secure the release of several illegally convicted people. Later, Arkady began to deal with the issues of prisoners in a more official status, being a member of the Clemency Commission.
Full of enormous plans for life, Arkady Weiner, a master who possessed deep humanism and real writing talent, did not manage to fully realize them: the disease prevented him, lingering and serious. Weiner hid his shaky health from everyone. In April 2005, while in hospital, he left the hospital with the aim of taking part in the opening of the VII International Detective FEST Film Festival. From the stage, the famous author addressed a large audience with words of respect: to the Law, to those around him and to himself, in a word - about dignity. The next day, April 24, 2005, Arkady Weiner was gone.