George Koldun’s Alphabet: The Healing Power of Solitude in Small Doses
George Koldun’s Alphabet: The Healing Power of Solitude in Small Doses
George Koldun is always in the spotlight, yet he prefers to keep his personal life private. A successful singer, TV, and radio host with an incredible sense of humor, George Koldun holds a prestigious spot on the list of Belarus’s most eligible bachelors. In our “Alphabet” section, we had the pleasure of getting to know him better.
B – BT
Smoking is bad, especially for your health. To avoid harming others, my classmate and I, back in the 6th grade, sneaked into a kindergarten near our school. There, we took a few puffs of a Bulgarian BT cigarette that I had swiped from my dad. We argued for a long time about who would go first. In the end, it was neither pleasant nor satisfying. I had thought it would be more enjoyable and tastier.
G – George (Koldun)
There’s a legend that my parents named me after George Harrison. While this somewhat comforts me, I’ve always had questions about my nickname since childhood. “George” sounds fine, but “Zhora”… I’ve heard the joke about “he’s Zhora, he’s Goga, he’s Gosha…” so many times that it’s enough for several lifetimes ahead.
E – Extremes
That line which makes you doubt a person’s mental abilities. Especially if it manifests in everything possible. Black and white. Good and bad. As practice shows, arguing with such people is pointless, and constant communication is nearly impossible.
W – Weightlessness
I’ve always dreamed of experiencing it, preferably in space. Free fall is a bit scary. I can’t even bring myself to jump with a parachute yet. And with my vestibular apparatus, they’re unlikely to let me into space. As a child, I read “Dunno on the Moon,” where they learned to create weightlessness on Earth. I was very disappointed when I grew up and found out that it’s impossible to trick gravity that way. It’s a shame.
S – Solitude
Like silence, solitude in small doses has a healing effect. But in large quantities, it can be destructive, oppressive, and deadly. I can’t endure solitude and inactivity for long. It’s a very heavy and anxious state.
S – Strugatsky Brothers
To my great regret, I discovered their works at a fairly mature age. Such books develop the imagination. My favorite works are “Roadside Picnic,” “Hard to be a God,” and “Hotel “At the Sign of the Distracted Monk.” I’ve always envied people who can build their own worlds and create entire stories in their minds.
S – Silence
Silence is absolutely essential for me. I suffer greatly from its absence, especially after emotionally draining events with many people, like a solo concert. I need time, solitude, and silence to recover.
U – Ufology
My childhood was filled with publications about extraterrestrial civilizations, flying saucers, and photos of aliens in secret American laboratories. Newspapers sold in commuter trains especially loved this topic. Such articles were interspersed with headlines like “Grandson Ate Grandma” and corresponding illustrations.
F – Faina Ranevskaya
In my opinion, she is one of the brightest examples of quality humor and sarcasm. This is a case where profanity enhances rather than detracts. She is one of those personalities with whom I would like to communicate in person at least once in my life.
Y – Jahrbuch für Psychoanalyse und Psychopathologie
The name of a non-existent journal mentioned in “The Golden Calf” by Ilf and Petrov. It’s one of the expressions consisting of German or German-like words that I keep in my head for some reason. Rarely used in life, but for some reason, they are not forgotten. “Ayn und tsvantzih fir und zibzih.” I know these are numerals, but I’m not even sure about their correct pronunciation.
Prepared by Elizaveta Khmelnitskaya
Photo: Alexander Arkhipov
