Man to dog - poet, artist and editor

"The Secret life of dogs" - this is the title of an unusual book published by the Neva Publishing House. Firstly, it is a small encyclopedia about 50 popular dog breeds. Secondly, it is a unique encyclopedia in verse and humorous verse at that. And thirdly, the authors of the book are three generations of a well-known family in Dubna. The author of the poems is physicist and poet Genrikh Vardenga, the editor is his daughter playwright and screenwriter Maria a and his granddaughter architect and designer Elena is the artist.

As it is known, there are more than 400 breeds of dogs today. The book includes poems about the most common breeds in Russia: it is impossible to cover them all at once. As a result, the neighbor of the Vardenga family, the owner of a huge black corso coney, was terribly upset when she heard that her pet was left without a poem. "And how can I tell it about it!" she exclaimed in disappointment. Therefore, the authors apologize in advance to the owners of dogs whose breeds were not included in the fifty selected. Do not lose optimism! Wait for the continuation!

The Publishing House is going to hold the presentation of the book at the Non/fiction book fair in Gostiny Dvor in the first ten days of December. The presentation is also expected in Dubna. And today, we present to readers the poems from this book and the drawings for them.

Irina LEONOVICH

Dalmatian

It is a dandy - from the withers to the heels,
It is all - from the ears to the tail
In splendidly scattered spots -
And its beauty is in this all.

And even it was born albino,
It keeps its unearthly spirit,
Attracting us with its pink nose
And its delicate whiteness.

Chinese Crested Dogs

This ancient breed
Amazes those that don't know it
With a naked body
And a luxurious crest.

These little dogs are like toys,
And their character is gold.
But if to touch them softly-
They are like velvet and dandy.

They are a gift for the freezing cold -
They are a warming pad for the bed:
The dogs, without hair,
Have a gift - to warm with their breath.