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However, that was just the first meeting. I did not run the literary agency at the time. In fact, I have just quitted my engineering job to translate SF full time. I did translate a lot of stuff since that time, I corresponded with writers, and I remember how unhappy everybody was that Russian publishers do not pay. Basically, that is how the idea to start a literary agency in Russia was born. I am proud to say it was the first one in Russia. It was not easy at first to make publishers pay, but little by little it started working, and we are still around despite all the economic problems in Russia. I have written to Harry in my new quality in 1991, I think, and he likes to repeat that I called him "the most popular and the most pirated SF writer in Russia" in that letter. So I became his agent for the ex-USSR. The funny thing was it became legal to buy hard currency with roubles about the same time, but there was no way to wire them abroad yet. And when my wife Tania and me went to the Worldcon in San Francisco in 1993, we had a thick wad of one hundred dollar bills for Harry for his first authorized publications in Russia. When we met there, I asked Harry if he wants me to pass the money to him quietly, or he wants to make noise... I guess everybody who knows Harry already knows his reply. So we went to the Green Room party where almost all invited writers have been at the time, and after everybody had a couple of drinks and started talking loudly, Harry went to the middle of the room and shouted: - All right, everybody! I have got an important anouncement!.. This guy here, Alex Korzhenevski, is my literary agent in Russia, and this is MY FIRST REAL GREEN MONEY FROM THAT COMMUNIST COUNTRY!!! Shouting this, he spread the wad of one hundred dollar bills above his head, and you can imagine how many SF writers decided they wanted to get acquainted with me... Three other agencies have appeared in Russia since that time, so not all of them are my clients here, but still, that was unforgettable moment - for which I am really greateful to Harry. The third picture is related to Harry and Joan's trip to Russia in May 1998 - this visit was sponsored by EKSMO, Harry's current publisher, and we had endless book signings, press conferences, and interviews the whole week Harrisons have been here. And the crowds of fans wanting to have their book signed - this is the stuff for Guinness Book of Records. During this visit, Harry and Joan have also been to Interpresscon, pretty informal SF convention traditionally held in St.Petersburg in May. For this occasion, fans even have produced an exclusive brand of STAINLESS STEEL VODKA with Harry's picture on the sticker. (Of course, it was just a regular brand of Russian vodka with the new sticker pasted instead of the one it had before.)
The fourth picture is also related to that visit.
May 9 is WW II Victory Day in Russia, and it is traditionally
celebrated by everybody whose relatives took part in that war. The
white-haired gentleman with military awards in the picture is my
uncle, and - since Harry is also WWII veteran - his family thought it
could be a good idea to invite Harry and Joan to join the celebration
with home food and some vodka, and that is how all of us got there
after enormous crowd of Russian Esperantists tortured Harry for hours
in my office. Harry and Joan charmed everybody, and everybody still
has fond memories of that evening, but the its highlight was Harry's
toast: "F*** communism, f*** capitalism - the important thing is we
fought nazies together, and we won! To the Victory!"
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