Sergei Dovlatov facts for kids

Sergei Donatovich Dovlatov (Russian: Сергей Донатович Довлатов) was a well-known Soviet journalist and writer. He was born on September 3, 1941, and passed away on August 24, 1990. Many people around the world consider him one of the most popular Russian writers from the late 20th century.

About Sergei Dovlatov

Sergei Dovlatov's grave at Mount Hebron Cemetery in New York.

Sergei Dovlatov was born in Ufa, a city in the Soviet Union. His family had moved there from Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) to stay safe during World War II. His mother, Nora Dovlatova, was Armenian and worked as a proofreader. His father, Donat Mechik, was Jewish and directed plays for the theater.

After 1944, Sergei and his mother moved back to Leningrad. Sergei went to Leningrad State University to study Finnish. However, he left the university after about two and a half years. While there, he met many creative people. These included poets like Joseph Brodsky and artists.

His Time in the Army and as a Journalist

Sergei Dovlatov was drafted into the Soviet Army. He worked as a guard in high-security prison camps. This experience later influenced some of his writing. After his army service, he became a journalist. He wrote for different newspapers and magazines in Leningrad. Later, he worked for a newspaper in Tallinn.

To earn extra money, he also worked as a tour guide in the summer. He gave tours at the Mikhaylovskoye Museum Reserve. This museum is dedicated to the famous Russian poet Alexander Pushkin.

Challenges with Publishing His Books

Sergei Dovlatov wrote many stories and novels. However, he found it very difficult to get his books published in the Soviet Union. The government often controlled what could be printed.

Because he couldn't publish his work officially, Dovlatov used other ways. He shared his writings through "samizdat." This was a secret way for people to copy and share banned books. He also had his stories secretly sent to Western Europe. There, they were published in magazines for Russian speakers living outside the Soviet Union. Because of this, he was removed from the Union of Soviet Journalists in 1976. The government even tried to destroy the printed copies of his first book.

Moving to the United States

In 1979, Sergei Dovlatov left the Soviet Union with his mother. He moved to New York City to live with his wife and daughter. In New York, he helped edit The New American. This was a newspaper for Russian people who had moved to the United States.

In the early 1980s, Dovlatov finally became well-known as a writer. His stories were published in the famous magazine The New Yorker. Sergei Dovlatov passed away on August 24, 1990, in New York City. He was buried at the Mount Hebron Cemetery.

Sergei Dovlatov's Books

Sergei Dovlatov published twelve books in the United States and Europe. This happened during the twelve years he lived outside the Soviet Union. In the USSR, people knew his work from secret copies (samizdat) and from Radio Liberty. This was a radio station that broadcast his stories. After he died, and after big changes happened in Russia, many of his short stories were published there too.

Here are some of the books he published during his lifetime:

• The Invisible Book (1977)
• Solo on Underwood: Notebooks (1980)
• The Compromise (1981)
• The Zone: A Prison Camp Guard's Story (1982)
• Pushkin Hills (1983)
• The March of the Single People (1983)
• Ours (1983)
• Craft: A Story in Two Parts (1985)
• A Foreign Woman (1986)
• The Suitcase (1986)
• The Performance (1987)
• Notebooks (1990)
• Affiliate (1990)

His Unique Writing Style

Sergei Dovlatov had a very special way of writing. He once said he had a rule that limited his writing, "just like rhyme limits the poet." His rule was to make sure that no two words in a sentence started with the same letter. This made his sentences usually short and simple. They rarely had complicated parts.

He admired the writer Ernest Hemingway when he was younger. Dovlatov's own stories were often about his own life experiences. This was similar to Hemingway's style. Later, he was also greatly influenced by Joseph Brodsky, a poet he knew well.

His Legacy and Recognition

A memorial plaque on Dovlatov's house in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Sergei Dovlatov's work is still important today. On June 26, 2014, a street corner in New York City was named "Sergei Dovlatov Way." This happened after 18,000 people signed a petition asking for this honor. The corner is at 63rd Drive and 108th Street. A ceremony was held there on September 7, 2014.

In 2018, a movie about Sergei Dovlatov's life was released. It was called Dovlatov. This film was shown at the Berlinale, a big film festival.