All fans of his work consider Sergey Dovlatov to be his, Russian writer, a native of the Soviet Union, despite the fact that he lived part of his life abroad, in America. Dovlatov himself once said that the writer’s nationality is determined precisely by the language in which he thinks and writes. And thanks to the efforts of fans, a monument to Dovlatov was unveiled in St. Petersburg on his 75th birthday. The Dovlatov generation gratefully recalls those times when everyone was read out by the works of his contemporaries - Eugene Rein, Joseph Brodsky, they were surrounded by the writer.
Monument to Dovlatov in St. Petersburg
The official unveiling of the monument to Sergei Dovlatov took place in St. Petersburg on the second day of the Day D festival, which took place on September 4, 2016. At such a significant event for the family from America, the daughter Ekaterina and the widow of the famous writer Elena Dovlatova specially flew in. The distinguished guests attended the opening: Sergey Boyarsky, Dmitry Nikitin, Andrey Aryev, the creator of the composition Vyacheslav Bukhayev, and, of course, Lev Lurie, who headed the Dovlatov Movement. Where did the event take place? On Rubinstein Street, near the house number 23, a monument to Dovlatov in St. Petersburg was erected. This address was the place of residence of the writer's family. As Elena Dovlatova noted, it was as if there had not been those forty years that she spent in America, the feeling that she had not left this house. Since 2007, a memorial plaque has been fixed on the wall in memory of the writer's activities.
Day D
On September 3, 2016, the famous writer Sergei Dovlatov would celebrate his 75th anniversary. To this day in St. Petersburg, where he lived in Soviet times, fans of the festival organized the festival "Day D". A large role in the organization was played by the Dovlatov Society of Lovers, led by Lev Lurie. It took place at various venues of the city from September 2 to 4. On the Fontanka school number 206, where the writer studied, there was an excursion. On the same day, a film festival opened, at which films about the life and work of Dovlatov were broadcast. A photo exhibition of Mark Serman and Nina Alovert was also planned. A round table was held at the Alexandria Theater. Behind him were Tatyana Tolstaya, Andrei Aryev, Anatoly Nayman, Valeria Popova and Igor Sukhikh. Well, on the last day of the festival, September 4, a monument was opened to Sergei Dovlatov in St. Petersburg.
Life in the Soviet Union
From the faculty of Leningrad University Sergey Dovlatov was once expelled. But after some time he was overtaken by the glory of the most widely read writer, not only in the Union, but also abroad. His biography is amazing. Rarely did anyone manage to leave the cordon in those days, find themselves in the work and become recognized and loved by many readers. Later, Dovlatov graduated from the same university, and now he is considered one of the best graduates of LSU, which everyone remembers. Confirmation of this is the monument to Dovlatov in St. Petersburg.
Sergey Dovlatov was born on September 3, 1941 in Bashkiria in Ufa, since in the very first days of the war his parents were evacuated there from Leningrad. Only three years later they were able to return to their homeland. After graduating from school, Sergei entered the university, studied for 2.5 years, where he met Joseph Brodsky. After Dovlatov’s expulsion, he was drafted into the army. He served in the Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Upon returning, he entered the journalism department, while studying, worked in newspapers. So I got the experience of journalism. Then he lived in Estonia for three years. It was during this period that the KGB destroyed the first typesetting of his "City Stories", considering the writings anti-Soviet. In the Soviet Union, the writer did not have the opportunity to publish, he was tired of lack of money, constant persecution and decided to emigrate.
America
First, Dovlatov went to Vienna, and later to New York. Here his career began to take shape more successfully. His works were quickly recognized and began to be published at a time when manuscripts were still circulating throughout the Union. He worked for Radio Liberty and published the New American newspaper. A huge role in the work of Dovlatov was played by his wife Elena. She was always there, supported the writer, was his muse. That was his literary career. In general, during the period of emigration, the author published only twelve books.
The writer died on August 24 in 1990 at the height of his creative powers from heart failure. Already in 1995 in St. Petersburg they began to award the Sergey Dovlatov Prize for the best story. Well, in 2016, a monument to Dovlatov was opened in St. Petersburg.
Creativity Dovlatova
The author turned his biography into a large work. In his books, every stage of life is traced. The cycle "Ours" reflects the history of the family, the book "Zone" - years of military service, "The Invisible Book" - experience and literary meetings, the cycle "Compromise" describes the time when Dovlatov worked in Estonia as a journalist. "Notebooks", the collection "Suitcase", "Foreigner", "Demarche of enthusiasts", "Branch" and others were published.
The author always wrote his masterpieces in the first person, which immediately attracted the reader, became closer and captured from the first lines. 26 years after his death, a monument to Dovlatov was unveiled in St. Petersburg. Photos from the event only confirm how many fans of creativity remember, love and honor their favorite author. Dovlatov always revealed in his works his author's “I”, which fascinated, attracted and gave a feeling of something unknown, especially to the Soviet reader, when much was forbidden.