The Nature of the Phenomenon
A master of transforming distinctive cultural phenomena into their official-approved form.
The abbreviation was recorded by philologists in the slang of artistic and quasi-political circles during the Stagnation era, and with the onset of Perestroika it entered everyday usage as well: public attention was drawn to the fact that a significant portion of the "zasrak" corps consisted not of arts workers at all, but of bureaucrats and administrators professionally engaged in the destruction elimination of creativity and the distinctiveness of regional cultures.
Quotes
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In the past year alone, the title of Honored Worker of Culture (popularly known as "zasrak") has been awarded to several hundred people. Zasraks are a special caste. They are envied more — their ambition and vanity are, to a degree, satisfied. Nezavisimaya Gazeta-Kulisa (Moscow). 13.11.1999
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The titles formed a stepped hierarchy. At the top of the pyramid stood the People's Artists of the USSR; on the very bottom rung dwelt the so-called "zasraks," that is, the Honored Workers of Culture (the title was then, as now, a consolation prize). Each title was not handed out on a whim — it had to be waited out, earned, and begged for. Izvestiya (Moscow). 28.07.2001
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