The writer died in the night of Wednesday. Daniil Granin was considered one of the oldest writers, but even at the age of 98, he continued to communicate with readers and to speak in public. “StarHit” gathered the most vivid expressions of the author of the Siege book.

Tonight in St. Petersburg, died one of the most famous Russian writers Daniel Granin, the author of the “Blockade book,” the works “My Lieutenant” and “Going to storm”. For Russia, Granin is brilliant, a great thinker, a philosopher. He shocked the world with its blockade in the Bundestag in 2014, and in early June the President of Russia met with him to present the award for outstanding achievements in humanitarian activities.

The correspondent of the “StarHit” many times met with Daniil Alexandrovich, who even at the age of 98 continued to work actively, to speak in public and to impress readers and listeners with interesting thoughts that will remain for centuries. We recall the most vivid statements of the writer.

“I often say that I’m not a blockade, I’m a veteran. But everything to do with the blockade is very important to me in life.

For the participants of the war, the Reichstag was like in the mist – a final point of the war. Yes, he existed: first disbelief, then disappeared, then appeared again. When I was invited to speak to Germany many years later, and I went to the Reichstag, I had the strangest feeling – it’s the final huge event related to my war. I did it and made it to the end!

Speaking in Germany, I felt that the Germans do not know or understand what happened to the people in the besieged Leningrad. They lived in unusual conditions, it wasn’t even cave and not the primitive terms, and conditions incompatible with human life. So I tried to tell the Germans about water, about food, about light, about the sewer and about the intolerable situation in which he found himself suddenly ordinary people in their homes.

Today the problem of reading is very serious, because young people established klipovoy consciousness – they want to learn things quickly and concisely. Want writers or not, but our works should be reduced to a minimum, to us at least someone read it.

We live in a very difficult time experienced because of the constant insults, stupidity, rudeness. People forget that life is short, fragile and at any moment it could fall. Granted we forget to see life as a miracle and a miracle can not be a misfortune, a miracle is always a good thing.

I learned and continue to perceive his own life as a blessing. Is it possible to live happily or in misery, to torment yourself and enjoy.

Once we have with a young woman I was talking about happiness, which, argue with me, suddenly said: “I understand what happiness is!” And uttered the phrase: “Happiness is me now!” And, indeed, that I exist, that healthy that you can laugh, I can love…. These faces of happiness! But we usually associate happiness with the past: “That’s when I was happy.” Or – with a bright future: “I wish you happiness, I hope that he will be happy.” But agree: this is lost now.

For me, Pushkin was always a model of kindness, he never scolded colleagues, all were happy and all were welcomed. Many say that I love Pushkin, even though sometimes I do not understand – and for what? If you grasp: for the love of life!

About our with Ales Adamovich “Blockade book” is written very much – for me it’s hard work, because I didn’t agree with Ales. The blockade is already so much had been shown, told, written, so it seemed to me that nothing new is impossible to say. But the memories of the blockade rocked his truth, high feelings, a striking detail. It is not surprising that the then party leadership, the book did not cause joy, it felt that the book is too naturalistic, candid that it reduces the intensity of the feat of the Soviet people. And when they found out that we are describing the horrors of hunger and suffering of the townspeople, outraged: why, why do these authors attempt the heroism, the resilience, the value of the feat of Leningrad.

I 98 years old, but I don’t want to be an example and try not to think about age and about your health in General. Of course there are difficult moments, but I have no recipes health and performance. I just try to live so today was the happiest day of my life.

I am often asked: “How are you in this age of work?” And for me, that’s life, I can’t live without it, write every day. And what writing a book – until the mystery, know everything”.