Dear Readers!

Today’s guests are old friends and fellow fantasy writers. Dmitry Gromov and Oleg Ladyzhensky (working under the pseudonym Henry Lion Oldie) are Kharkov-based writers, dramatists, poets and publicists working in tandem. Awarded “Best Author” at Eurocon 2006 among many others. Oldie have published more that 230 books (including translations and new editions), selling two million copies in various languages. They also published some musical albums based on their books, and a rock opera.

The topic of today’s conversation is the art of epigrams – humorous rhymes and quips – something the Oldies are well-known for. Since these are rhymed, a translation is unlikely to do them justice, so we offer a short digest instead. Here’s a link to the original interview in Russian: https://vk.com/theworldinsideout?w=page-62438024_52815647

We discuss the art of humor, its place in the literary world and life in general. It’s fitting that this conversation happened on April first, although we did touch on serious subjects, such as the future of fantasy, cinema and television – how they’re threatened by low-quality blockbusters and a lack of depth in mainstream entertainment.

Even so, hope is not lost for good art, and it’s great to talk to our old friends!