The Island of Charon. Playing Another Reality. Antoine de Saint-Exupery Award

member of the Union of Writers of Russia,

laureate of literary awards

The newspaper “Poetograd” No. 4 (400), 2022.

http://www.poetograd.ru/arch.html

https://reading-hall.ru/publication.php?id=30662

L. Koroleva, “Ocean, wind, sand and stars”

Oh… sea, sea, sea, islands…

The books of Alexander Grin inspired and continue to inspire many poets and writers, and almost every girl dreams of seeing the “Scarlet Sails” on the horizon[2 - The most famous novel of Alexander Grin is called “Scarlett Sails”. The main character, named Assol, lives in a seaside village and believes that one day a ship with scarlett sails would come to their pier, and the captain of the ship, named Gray, would marry her.]! The main character of “The Island…” is not an exception, but, unfortunately, it doesn’t often happen in reality that all girls whose fate is initially similar to Assol meet the real Gray, even if he calls himself by this name, being the captain of a ship in fact.

“The Island of Charon” is a temptation, an exam that each of us has to go through. In “The Island” (as well as in “A Trap for a Thought-Form”) Alexandra Kryuchkova is filigree-laconic, much remains behind the scenes, being hidden as the real treasure between the lines. The reader feels an understatement that draws him further and further to explore “The Island” in search of answers and clues to the next charades until in the end he is left alone with… himself, or rather, with his Spirit…

It must be said that the author of “The Island of Charon”, despite the difficult fate, or, perhaps, thanks to it, has an iron will and an extraordinary strength of the Spirit, and she doesn’t only write books, but she has been active in the field of literature for more than 15 years: holds literary evenings and seminars for contemporary poets and writers, organizes collective projects, including foreign ones, helps new authors on their way to recognition, repeatedly serves on the jury. <…>

Since the Open Literature Club “Response” always welcomes and encourages active members of the club, Alexandra got many diplomas of our Club for her contribution to the development of literature and the preservation of cultural traditions, for faithful service to literature and achievements in the field of poetry and prose, for a significant contribution to the development of Russian-Hungarian and other foreign relations in the field of literature and culture, for a significant contribution to the development of book publishing and active creative and organizational activities within the framework of the Year of Literature in the Russian Federation, etc.

However, one of the distinguishing features of Alexandra Kryuchkova’s prose, despite her own positive image in literary circles, is her obvious dislike of “positive” heroes. So, we find out in “The Island” that the main character, on behalf of which the narrative is conducted, although not a witch, is far from being a saint. In an utterly frank conversation with the reader, leafing through her memories and dreams, Alexandra (because all her prose is autobiographical, as she often mentioned at literary evenings) shows us life as it is without embellishing it and, this is important, without judging anyone. Although, in my opinion, the most important thing is not even that. The author takes the reader by hand and leads him away from the Darkness into “the Ocean of the Divine Light” to cleanse the soul of everything “lower and selfish”, to “separate the wheat from the chaff”, so that in the end “The Spirit would absorb worthy to be a part of the Creator.”

The book makes you look at your own life differently and understand yourself, recognize your Higher and Lower Selves. I was personally impressed by the unexpected ending, the “second death” in the Cemetery of Memories turns everything inside…

The “sea” poems in the book as well as the miniature “The Girl and the Sea”, starting the novel, are successfully built into this bright but sad fairy tale, adding refinement to the narrative and allowing the reader to feel the soul of the main character[3 - All poems are published only in the original edition. Only one of them was included by the author into English version of the book.]. These works were presented by Kryuchkova to the competition after Alexander Grin “Running on the Waves” 2021, organized by the Moscow City Organization of the Union of Writers of Russia together with the MBUK “Feodosia Literary and Memorial Museum of A. S. Grin” and the House-Museum of A. S. Grin in the town of Stary Сrym (Republic of Crimea). According to the decision of the jury, Alexandra was declared the winner of the competition, and this is no coincidence, because her “Island” is one of the few books that you can read in just a day, getting food for your mind for many years.

It should be noted that Alexandra Kryuchkova is a true master of words, whose prose is not only metaphysical and mystical but also poetic. She repeatedly became the winner and laureate of literary competitions and awards, including those of the Open Literary Club. So, the novel “Guardian Angel” received the “Silver Angel” award 2015 organized in honor of Francoise Sagan, the novel “Confessions of a Ghost”, in my opinion, close to “The Island of Charon” in spirit, got “The Creator of the Worlds” award 2019 after Daniil Andreev, and her bestseller “The Book of Secret Knowledge” (circulation exceeded 10,000 copies) became the winner of the “Magical Realism of the XXI century” competition after Carlos Castaneda and George Gurdjieff in 2020.

However, as for me, “The Island of Charon” is more associated with Exupery, therefore, on behalf of the Open Literary Club “Response”, I am pleased to announce Alexandra Kryuchkova the laureate of the literary award “Ocean, wind, sand and stars” 2021 after Antoine de Saint-Exupery!

Lyudmila Koroleva,

member of the Union of Writers of Russia,

Head of the Open Literary Club “Response”,

laureate of literary awards

The newspaper “Poetograd” No. 3 (399), 2022.

http://www.poetograd.ru/arch.html

https://reading-hall.ru/publication.php?id=30502

The book in original:

ISBN 978-5-0056-0964-9, 2022. – 218 pages.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SLSKYN1

The booktrailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r19bfyosC9o (https://ridero.ru/link/-KjAdUjXhGi7xB)

Dedication

I dedicate my Island
to every reader!

As well as to:

my son Andrey and our cat Josephine,

the prototypes:
Boris, Grigory and Sergey,

my Greek friends:
Dimitra Drosinos and her husband Dimitris,
Nikos Lageris, the beekeeper, and his wife Nikoletta Firai,

my beloved:
Ouranoupolis, a village
on the border of Mount Athos, Greece,
the real Paradise on Earth,
where I wrote this book,

the Islands:
Ammouliani, Greece,
Camotes, the Philippines…

with thanks…

The ISLAND of CHARON

“Then the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and each one was judged according to his works…” (Rev. 20:13—14)

“Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection: over them the second death has no power…” (Rev. 20:6)

“Do not pity the victims and do not condemn the executioners, because they don’t exist on Earth by themselves, they unmistakably calculate each other, even being in opposite parts of the planet, and go towards each other all their lives to fulfill the destined for them from Above…”

PROLOGUE. The VICTIM and the EXECUTIONER

0.1. The Girl and the Sea

Аmmouliani[4 - Ammouliani is the only inhabited island of Chalkidiki. Located near the peninsula of Athos (Aion-Oros), until 1922 it belonged to the monasteries of the Holy Mountain. It was electrified in 1973. It has ferry service with the villages of Trypiti and Ouranoupolis. The population is about 540 people, the area is 4.5 square kilometers.],

Greece