The life of Sergei Donatovich Dovlatov, spent in a creative search, was rather short. He died in 1990 at the age of 48. Sergei Dovlatov is one of the most widely read contemporary Russian writers around the world. His works are based on facts from his own biography, he conveys the attitude and lifestyle of the 60s, writes about the absurdity of Soviet reality and the life of emigrants in America.
Brief biography of the writer
Dovlatov was born on September 3, 1941 in the city of Ufa, where his family was evacuated at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. His mother was Armenian by nationality, and his father was Jewish, his parents belonged to the creative intelligentsia of pre-war Leningrad (his mother worked as an actress, his father worked as a director). In 1944, the family returned to the northern capital.
Throughout his life, Dovlatov tried to find a profession that could be his vocation. He lived most of his life in Leningrad. Here he studied at the Leningrad State University at the Finnish department of the philological faculty, but was expelled. Then the writer was called up for military service, which took place in the system of forced labor camps in the north of the Komi ASSR, and then near Leningrad. This world showed for the writer another side of life, which he later depicted in his story "The Zone".
After demobilization, Sergei entered the Faculty of Journalism. The young man combined his studies with work as a newspaper correspondent. During this period, he begins to write his first stories. Dovlatov joined the Leningrad group of writers "Citizens" and for some time worked as a personal secretary for the writer Vera Panova. He described his richest experience in his works "Compromis" and "Preserve" ("Pushkin Hills").
However, nothing came of his many attempts to publish his books in the Soviet Union. The writer's opponents could not forgive his strong feelings towards everything that was absurd in life. His characters were weird in many ways, but they had personality. The writer did not look down at them, instead it seems that he was watching them, avoiding any categorical conclusions. His works were full of humor, irony, love and compassion.
Emigration
In 1976, Sergei Dovlatov's stories were published in three Western magazines Time, US and Continent. For this reason, he was expelled from the Union of Journalists. The writer took this news with ironic calm. After much deliberation, he made the painful decision to emigrate. In 1978 he left the Soviet Union. He lived in New York, where he published the liberal newspaper The New American and worked for Radio Liberty. He lived, worked and listened to jazz, which he adored.
One of his best novels, written in the United States, is Inostranka, in which Dovlatov vividly portrays his environment, commonly referred to as the “third wave” of Russian emigration. He knew very well the relationships, conflicts and problems of his characters.
Sergei Dovlatov's life in the United States was not easy and carefree. But he had the opportunity to write what he wanted without thinking about the consequences. And he used this opportunity to the fullest. During the twelve years that he lived in the United States, Dovlatov has achieved tremendous success. He published twelve books in Russian, which have since been translated into 29 languages. Sergei Donatovich Dovlatov died in 1990, just a year before the collapse of the USSR.
