Metronomicon – a world in which people from different countries want to live

The Russian cultural code and mythologization of the image of the late Soviet Union are becoming increasingly popular in the world. This was announced at a press conference where the literary and artistic universe “Metronomicon” by Pulsart Publishing House and the Union of Writers of the Russian Federation was presented. The event took place on September 11 in the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation. Whether this trend is connected with the success of Atomic Hearth or has deeper roots, we figure it out in the blog of the HSE Graduate School of Business.

Opening the press conference, member of the board of the Union of Writers of Russia, moderator Sergey Chekmaev thanked the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, members of the Commission of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation on Culture and Preservation of Spiritual Heritage Anna Revyakina And Sergei Lukyanenko for help in organizing the meeting. He noted that the task is not just to tell about the world of “Metronomicon” and its achievements, but to share the experience of creating and promoting a unique project.

Sergey Chekmaev explained that, according to the authors' idea, “Metronomicon” is an alternative version of the existing world, which was invaded by an unknown entity, a whole group of phenomena called infiltration. It changed the very structure of the universe. And only a large, strong state can resist this invasion. The fantastic universe, embodied visually and filled with stories by writers, is the result of the joint creativity of the author of the illustrations, an artist from St. Petersburg Alexey Andreevthe Union of Writers of the Russian Federation and the Pulsart publishing house.

After the project was launched, it became clear that the created image corresponded to a stable demand existing in the world, the emergence of the conventional genre of sovietpunk. “Metronomicon” not only caused an explosive readership interest in Russia, but also attracted the attention of publishers in the Global South (Brazil, China, Cuba, Arab countries).

“This is a request for a mythological, slightly embellished image of the late Soviet Union, not based on real facts, but with the mood, or, as the youth say, the vibe, of a departed giant who helped all people socially and who can come and save the world. A nostalgic image of a Soviet future that never happened. Yes, we are in a state of a special military operation, we are resisting Western influence, but in countries far from the “decision-making center”, there is a request for a global center responsible for keeping everything quiet and calm, which can solve all problems. And we have found this request. People from different countries say that this is the same world, even if it is not ideal, even if there are external dangers in it, but people want to live in it,” noted Sergey Chekmaev.

In his opinion, the project can compete with Hollywood franchises like Marvel, Star Wars, Game of Thrones in the domestic market of literary and artistic publications. As for international attention, the book trailer of the first book has already been viewed by more than 5.2 million people.

“This is our response to Western cultural influence. We often hear calls to ban something. Why? The forbidden will only generate even more interest. We should not ban what we consider wrong, but provide our own good alternative. Our Russian cultural code is such an alternative,” Sergey Chekmaev is convinced.

The universe has potential in international book markets, says the director of the Eurasian Book Agency, head of the international direction of the Association of Creative Workers Alexander Ostroverkh: “Soviet nostalgia has found fertile ground in a world saturated with global bestsellers. Our cultural codes are embedded in the Metronomicon universe; they may not be so obvious, but they are there. I am sure that millions of people around the world, having become acquainted with the Metronomicon, will begin to take an interest in modern Russia and the history of our country. And this will help promote narratives that are important for our state, and will help counter the information agenda that comes from outside. There should be more books like this.”

Chairman of the Union of Writers of the Russian Federation Nikolay Kalinichenko reminded that in recent years there has been a demand to focus on young people, including when creating various creative projects. It is impossible, the expert is convinced, to make young people like what they do not like, there is only one way out – to offer something that will be interesting.

“According to statistics, it is young people from 12 to 25 years old who intensively read science fiction. Mostly, it is translated literature, and we are trying to create an alternative, and we are succeeding – we have hit the mark: today, the talk about the bad USSR that has been circulated for many years has disappeared, but what remains is the feeling of a positive, powerful country that is able to cope with any challenges,” says Nikolai Kalinichenko.

Director of Pulsart Publishing House Andrey Duksin said that it was important for him to publish a book that he himself would want to pick up and read. This is exactly what the Metronomicon universe turned out to be. And most importantly, the speaker believes, the book not only brings joy to the reader – with its help you can convey the right thoughts about what is right and what is wrong.

The Metronomicon universe has proven that in the multimedia age, paper books are still in demand, added the executive producer of the Pulsart publishing house Daniil Bolkhovitin“It is thanks to projects like ours that the paper book will live for many, many years to come,” he is convinced.

Answering journalists' questions, the press conference participants said that their immediate plans include promoting a completed cycle of audio performances based on stories from the book, filming a short film in the Metronomicon universe, creating computer and board games, and a number of art exhibitions by Alexey Andreev with elements of augmented reality throughout the country. The authors emphasized that their project is an opportunity for the growth and development of young authors, and invited aspiring writers to collaborate.

Anna Revyakina commented on the results of the press conference: “We in the commission decided to provide a platform for a meeting between the creators of “Metronomicon” and journalists, because the experience of working on such an unusual project among colleagues from the Union of Writers is truly unique. And it should be scaled up to other media. It is no less important that the creators of the universe are domestic writers, artists, publishers. The Russian science fiction school is known throughout the world, and therefore the creative initiatives put forward by domestic authors arouse interest in a variety of countries, and therefore can be considered part of soft power. Russian power, part of the image of our country, people and society.”

Sergey Chekmaev is not only a screenwriter for over 100 gaming products, but also a guest lecturer at the HSE School of Business. You can learn more about the collaboration between professional screenwriters and video game developers, as well as talk to a representative of the Union of Writers of Russia at the annual festival “I want to be in gamedev!”which will take place in Moscow on October 5, 2024. Want to get into game development!