- Summary
- Strugatsky brothers
- Roadside Picnic
The work “Roadside Picnic,” written by Russian writers the Strugatsky brothers, tells the story of the consequences left on Earth after alien spaceships landed there.
After such a visit, Zones were formed in which phenomena inexplicable by science happened to people. Strange objects of unknown purpose also appeared in these mysterious places.
Only stalkers—people with supernatural senses—could go to the Zones. Such qualities helped stalkers get into different places of anomalous places and take out various items that were usually sold. The daredevils lived on this money.
The main character of the science fiction story, Redrick Shewhart, used to go on trips to the Zone. And then he got a job in a laboratory headed by Professor Kirill Panov. In scientific silence, the men studied the artifacts left behind by the aliens.
Kirill spent a long time trying to persuade his former stalker to take him to mysterious places, but was refused. Then one day Redrick made up his mind and went with his superiors to the Zone. The men wanted to find one item called a pacifier. But a strange event occurred in the anomalous territory - a substance resembling a cobweb stuck to Kirill’s body. After returning to the laboratory, the man suddenly died. This event deeply touched Redrick, because, as a professional, he had to think through the consequences of the incident with the web.
Then Shewhart again began to engage in dangerous work in order to feed his family. The man went on a hike with another stalker, Burbridge, who went by the nickname Vulture. At first everything went well, but then Burbridge fell with his feet into a substance of a strange consistency. His limbs changed shape, and the man could not go further. He persuaded Redrick to take him to the hospital, promising to tell him how to get to the Golden Ball - an artifact that, according to stalkers, can fulfill any wish. Shewhart did not trust his partner, but still carried the man to safety.
Soon Redrick was arrested for trying to sell items taken from the Zone. The man had to serve the required term in prison. And when he returned home, he saw what grief awaited him there. The stalker's daughter was not an ordinary child; her entire body was covered with fur. The girl looked very much like a monkey. But if before she developed normally, then during the man’s absence, strange changes occurred with the child. The girl deteriorated and ceased to understand human speech.
Redrick, who loved his daughter very much, decided to go to Burbridge and ask him to draw a map of the path to the Golden Ball. Shewhart wanted to ask for health for his child. The old stalker did not deceive his savior, he described to him all the difficulties of the upcoming road.
Shewhart learned that at the very end of the path the stalkers would find a trap called a meat grinder. To continue the path, it is necessary for someone alive to fall into it. Redrick took his son Burbridge with him for this sacrifice. The unsuspecting young man went with the stalker.
The men had to overcome a very difficult path, but they successfully completed it. In front of the Golden Ball, the naive young man rushed towards his desired goal, uttering out loud the words of his desire - prosperity for all people, and died in a meat grinder. Only then did Shewhart realize what atrocity he had committed. He stood in front of the ball and didn't know what to ask.
In the fantastic story, the Strugatsky brothers urge their readers to be more merciful towards others, not to take revenge even on those people whom they consider guilty of something.
You can use this text for a reader's diary
Heroes of the work:
- Alois Makno
is an authorized agent of the Bureau of Emigration. He agitated Harmont residents to leave the vicinity of the Zone. At the same time, the Bureau provided lifting equipment, employment, and the opportunity for young people to study. Subsequently, with the establishment of a connection between the increase in the number of emigrants from the Zones in certain regions and the increase in the number of natural and man-made adverse incidents and disasters in them, emigration was prohibited. - Arthur Burbridge
(
Archibald in some versions of the book)
is the son of Burbridge the Vulture. Was “begged” by dad from the Golden Ball. Young idealist. Redrick Shewhart had an extremely low opinion of him - another romantic fool who was “fascinated by the Zone” without knowing what it was. But after Arthur’s death at the Golden Ball, Shewhart had to repeat his phrase... What this led to, and whether “happiness for everyone” is even possible, the authors are silent - the book ends there. - Benny
is a worker in Richard G. Noonan's glove compartment. The exact occupation is not mentioned - something between a doorman, a waiter and a bouncer. He doesn't hear well. Noonan himself considers him an old man and is considering whether to retire him. - Mr. Lemchen
is Richard Noonan's boss as an agent. Noonan himself alludes to his general rank. He leads the secret service that controls the flow of artifacts from the Zone. Knows each stalker by name and nickname. - Guta Shewhart
is Red Shewhart's wife and the object of his constant concern. She can hardly withstand the troubles that befall her. - Gutalin
is a huge black man, Red's friend, coordinator of the Militant Angels society. “Reverse Stalker” - buys artifacts and returns them to the Zone. - James Catterfield, Butcher
- Surgeon, luminary of his state. The world's first doctor - a specialist in non-human human diseases. I was able to achieve this when I studied previously unknown diseases, deformities and damage to the human body on crippled stalkers. He took payment not only in money, but also in “swag” (artifacts), which he used in his medicine. - Dinah Burbridge
is the daughter of Vulture Burbridge. A beautiful and very cynical, in contrast to her romantic and open brother, a young woman who “leads an absent-minded lifestyle.” - Dr. Valentin Pilman
is a researcher of the phenomena of the Zone, a Nobel Prize winner in physics, allegedly the discoverer of the “Pilman radiant,” although he himself denies this. - Dr. Kirill Panov
is a Soviet researcher who proved that the “dummy” is a magnetic trap. He was friends with Shewhart during his work at MICC. Tragically he died of a broken heart after one of his trips to the Zone (presumably as a result of contact with the “silver web”). Redrick blamed himself for his death and, probably, it was after this that he quit his job at the Institute. - Dr. Sam Douglas
is an employee of the MICC. Died under unspecified circumstances 12 years after the Visit. Kirill “pinned” the information on him about finding a “complete dummy” in order to remove Redrick’s suspicions that he was a stalker. - Captain Willy Herzog
is the head of security at the institute. - Captain Quarterblood
is one of the police officers protecting the Zone from visits by stalkers. Constantly tries to convince Shewhart to quit stalking. Both times Red ends up in jail, he is caught by Quarterblad. - Bony Phil
is an artifact buyer. - Creon the Maltese
is a stalker. At the beginning of the book he tried to become Shewhart's student, but was refused. Later, he became the most experienced stalker alive, contacted Vulture Burbridge and, under the guise of “officers’ picnics,” prepared new stalkers. Courted Dinah Burbridge, but without much success. - Madame
is one of the workers in the brothel (apparently, "the mother"), whose owner is Noonan. - Maria Shewhart
is the daughter of Redrick Shewhart.
Monkey
is her nickname: the children of stalkers were not full-fledged people, and Shewhart’s daughter looked like a monkey. In early childhood, she behaved like a normal girl, differing from other children only in appearance. By the end of the book, she loses the ability to speak or communicate with people in any way. She apparently enjoys the company of the resurrected Father Shewhart, one of the Zone's creations (see below). - Mosol Katyusha (real name Raphael )
is the manager of Richard G. Noonan's glove compartment. His duties also included buying swag from “tamed” young stalkers, as well as monitoring the actions of veteran stalkers. He was nicknamed Moslom for his monstrous fists, and he called himself Katyusha in full confidence that this was the name of the great Mongol kings. - Austin
is Dr. Panov's laboratory assistant. - Papa Shewhart
is Redrick’s father, a local factory worker who died before the Visitation and later returned home as a “dummy” (a living dead man from the Zone, see below). - Richard Herbert Noonan
- works undercover, the official legend is a representative of electronic equipment suppliers at the Harmont branch of the MICC. In fact, he is an employee of a company or, possibly, a special service that secretly controls the activities of stalkers. Befriended Redrick in order to obtain information. It was Noonan who told Redrick about the customers who wanted to get a sample of the “witch’s jelly.” It is also very likely that he was the one who framed Redrick when he was arrested for the second time. This is supported by the fact that he scheduled a meeting with Shewhart at Borzhch precisely at the time when an ambush led by Captain Quarterblad was waiting for him there. - Redrick Shewhart (Red)
is the main character of the work. A strong man, embittered by a difficult life. He has the highest sense of danger and therefore successfully walks into the Zone. He loves his family and friends very much, but cheats on his wife with Dina Burbridge. Due to constant stress, he abuses tobacco and alcohol. - The Burbridge vulture
is one of the first stalkers.
He is the owner of the discovery of a unique artifact - the Golden Ball. Initially nicknamed Bityug
,
the Vulture
received the nickname because he often returned from the Zone without partners (apparently, abandoning them to their fate, leaving them to die in various anomalies or deliberately sacrificing them to “traps”, using them as “master keys”) . - Gopher (formerly Handsome) Dixon
is a half-crazed cripple, a former stalker who fell into the so-called “meat grinder”, but survived after that. In a mutilated state, he was carried out of the Zone by the Vulture Burbridge (who probably feared reprisals from other stalkers if he returned alone again), for which he was subsequently grateful to him for life and worked in his house as a servant. - Tender
is Dr. Panov’s second laboratory assistant. - Hoarse Hugh
is an artifact buyer. - Ernest
is the owner of the Borzhch establishment (Kirill insisted on the name Borscht), and a buyer of artifacts. He handed over Shewhart to Captain Quarterblad and later went to prison. - other stalkers
-
Bob Gorilla
, Gundos Geresh,
Callogen
, Chicken Tsapf, Midget Tsmyg,
Lyndon-Shorty
, Moslaty Ishak,
Norman Barnacled
(real name
Stefan Norman
), Nosy Ben-Halevi,
Pete Sore
,
Poodle
,
Slug
, Lucky Carter, Cactus (real name Jonathan Miles),
Pharaoh Bunker
,
Khlust
Quotes from the book “Roadside Picnic”
The trouble is that we don’t notice how the years pass. I don’t care about the years, we don’t notice how everything changes. We know that everything changes, we are taught from childhood that everything changes, we have seen with our own eyes many times how everything changes, and at the same time we are completely unable to notice the moment when a change occurs, or we are looking for change in the wrong place, where it should be.
And it should...
It’s a terrible thing, why do we like it when we are praised? This will not add money. Glory? What kind of glory can we have? “He became famous: now three people knew about him.” Well, let's say four. Man is a funny creature!.. It seems that we love praise as such. Like kids - ice cream. It's an inferiority complex, that's what it is. Praise pleases our complexes. And very stupid.
Still a phenomenon!
– Well, what about the fact that man, unlike animals, is a creature that experiences an irresistible need for knowledge? I read about this somewhere. “Me too,” said Valentin. – But the whole trouble is that a person, at least a mass person, the one you mean when you say “about us” or “not about us”, easily overcomes this need for knowledge. In my opinion, there is no such need at all. There is a need to understand, but for this you do not need knowledge. The hypothesis about God, for example, provides an incomparable opportunity to understand absolutely everything without learning absolutely nothing... Give a person an extremely simplified system of the world and interpret every event on the basis of this simplified model. This approach does not require any knowledge. Several memorized formulas plus so-called intuition, so-called practical intelligence and so-called common sense.
