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“Man is unhappy because he doesn’t know he’s happy. It’s only that.”

Dostoevsky wrote these words in The Possessed (first translation of the original work, then replaced by The Devils or Demons) in 1872. Aside from the political themes of the novel, this very quote says a lot about the author who inspired VM Productions’ movies. As I once stated, knowing and understanding Dostoevsky is not an easy task, but one must try in order to grasp the deep connection between the author and the adaptation movies presented by Vitaly Sumin and his team. I would like to guide you step-by-step on this path, leading you from Dostoevsky to VM Productions and vice versa.

Today, I’ll just leave you with these beautiful words (someone would probably call them sad, but I disagree), they convey a strong feeling of hope, after all. They seem to mean it’s only enough for human beings to understand that our life, our present, our dreams, our plans, the people around us and ourselves are the source of our happiness, that happiness is here and now and in our past and in our future as well, we just need to open our eyes and realise it. We need to stop standing in the way of our own happiness with our pessimism or rudeness or mean words or actions.

I’ve mentioned that these words belong to a novel written in 1872, I find that absolutely extraordinary. At that time, life in Russia and worldwide must have been much tougher than it is today for any of us, and yet Dostoevsky was able to understand this simple and amazing concept of happiness and express is through powerful words, in one sentence. What better writer to inspire movies than one who is able to sum up the secret to happiness in less than 15 words?

As soon as I read this quote I felt stronger: I said to myself, I just needed to see my happiness beyond all the layers of false unhappiness I had put on it and I immediately felt better, fulfilled, closer to the happiness that is already around me and in me. And with that epiphany, a song came to mind, as it often happens when I’m thinking. I want to dedicate this one to you all and hope you’ll stay tuned for next week’s blog, a surprise with capital S … literally!

 

Have a great day!

Anna