In the new book of Tamara Ilyina-Shaykevich fleeting supervision, casual sketches, sketches, autobiographical novels from the third person, epistles, lapidary notes concerning and without. Original tutti-frutti. All this also is read with not weakening interest, as it is written keen and fascinatingly, alive, sincerely, openly, confidentially, confessingly. By the man uncommon, not indifferent, active, with kind and clever heart, with sensitive soul, observant eye. By the talented, light person, with which, undoubtedly, is about what to tell to the people and able to tell simply and convincingly.

This book is about the past. About unadorned past. About the past which does not pass. Tragic and wonderful. Ugly and. lofty. Sometimes nonsensical and mean. But more often rich on events and different adventures, that, clearly, depends mainly on keenness and mobility of an individual, from soul statement of the person in a context of time.

The author lived in difficult time, it is possible to tell, in vague epoch of a cult of the person, voluntarism stagnation and reorganization, with interest has tested great injustice and fear, but has not cracked, not grew hard, did not become exasperated, has kept in itself alive soul and kind, generous heart, managed to make out, to experience and adequately to apprehend pleasures of life.

"Who has the right to write the memoirs?" set with question Hertzen and has answered shortly: "Everyone".

But author of the given book - Tamara Ilyina-Shaykevich - is "not everyone". She is known in republic and outside of it the doctor - phthisiatrician, doctor of medical sciences, professor, irrepressible traveler, inquisitive interlocutor interesting and the charming woman, gained for the considerable, active life set of eminent friends among the writers, scientific, musicians, and public figures.

Hertzen specifies: "Life of the ordinary man also may cause interest, if not in relation to the person, then in relation to the country and epoch, in which this person lived".

So, the author of the book "Unadorned past" is rights that person, who lived - alas! - in the any more not existing nowadays large country also was the witness all cataclysms and mess of original epoch.

About that she informed with the reader. Tamara Ilyina - the fan of the true literature and itself has talented pen. I only recently have got acquainted with two her books - "Were XX century" (Almaty: Baur, 2003) and "Israeli diary" (Almaty: Iskander, 2005) - also had an opportunity to be convinced in it.

Her given book - is a truthful document of epoch. The narration of Ilyina-Shaykevich covers an interval of time approximately of 60 years. Certainly, and I lived at this time, and I was familiar with many people, about which there is a speech in the book, and I was in all described houses of creation of the writers, and I read the same books "Samizdat" and "Tamizdat", and I visited many from those countries and places, where was the author. And with belfry I can testify, that everything is transferred, seized, noticed precisely, is authentic and it is picturesque. I am only amazed, that, living in one city, having it is so much common familiar, having similar peripeteia of a vital way, we have got acquainted only this year. Though, I recollect, a name of the author I have heard much earlier from mine senior, nowadays deceased friend Moris Simashko.

Narration the author conducts, basically, in an optimistic key, without anguish and pedaling of a negative. However, much, about what is spoken in the book is enveloped with veil of light grief.

"How is your life? It is in the order. It comes to an end," - quotes Tamara Ilyina ironic I. Guberman.

Speaking about the time, the author as though recollects known line of N. Korzhavin:

"My generation leaves from a stage".

Yes, leaves. Only it is not necessary to feel as "mossy oil lamp" in computer century. For remain - as a precept - amanat - kindness, memory and acts in glory of life. And pathos and super task of the book are expressed in a final phrase: "the connection of times should not interrupt". The true, may be and banal, but age-old and absolutely fair.

And for the sake of this immutable true costed (and costs!) to live and to create. And right this successfully proved the author of "Unadorned past".

Gerald Belger