"They want to line everyone up and force them to march." The GOST standard for Russian writers will come into effect in September.
Starting this fall, only those who meet state standards will be able to work as writers in Russia, according to a report from the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media. The ministry stated that the development of GOST standards was "one of the important steps in supporting the literary process."
For now, it's known that only those with knowledge of Russian history and culture, as well as the main trends in Russian and foreign literature, will be able to apply for official status, the report states. Those who hold the status will be able to receive social support, but the exact nature of this support remains unclear. It's also unclear who will "examine" potential writers and why the Ministry of Digital Development is the one developing the official status for writers.
The new standard will come into effect on September 1. Some renowned writers have already appreciated the innovation.
"What makes a writer a writer isn't knowing Russian history, but writing good books. There needs to be an understanding of literature, but here they just want to line everyone up and force them to march. If they really only publish those who've passed these 'GTO standards,' things will be even worse than they are now." - expressed writer Shamil Idiatullin.
The author of "Night Watch" Sergey Lukyanenko called the idea "an attempt to reduce the work of writers to some kind of schemes" and "utter stupidity."
NeMoskva has written repeatedly about the restrictions and censorship that have effectively been introduced in literary publishing. Books have disappeared from free sale. "It" Stephen King, Summer in a Pioneer Tie Malisova и Silvanova, Children from the Storage Room Ryu Murakami and even "Bad Advice" Grigory Oster - humorous advice was considered truly harmful. And due to laws on "foreign agents" and "undesirable organizations," up to 70% of books may be confiscated from Russian libraries.
