Dovlatov
and Surroundings is a literary ode by one of the most
consequential late 20th-century Russian writers, Alexander Genis, to
another: Sergei Dovlatov. Though the book’s focus is ostensibly the man
himself, the text unfolds as a comprehensive look at the Soviet, post-Soviet,
and American cultures that shaped him and which he shaped. Dovlatov and Surroundings constantly, but effortlessly shifts its
focus from the intimate to the sweeping, as Genis’s reflections on his
friendship with Dovlatov organically give way to recollections about diaspora
life, which transition smoothly into analyses of language, culture, politics,
and literature. Characterized by Genis as an obituary, this book makes plain
the significance of Dovlatov to Russian literature and the nuances of the
Soviet cultural heritage.
Author Biography:
Alexander Genis is an established writer, literary critic, and radio broadcaster. Born in 1953, he grew up in Riga, Latvia, and immigrated to the US in 1977. Alexander Genis is a true cosmopolitan, full of passion for world culture that influences his texts. A shrewd and observant writer, Genis pioneered the trend of cultural essayism, a specific genre combining lyrical narrative with methods used in cultural studies. Alexander Genis is probably the best essayist at work in the Russian language today. In his work Genis has incorporated traits from both the Western European and American traditions– wordplay, wit, and precision. His essays are dynamic, informative, and consistently delightful. Alexander Genis’s essays have been translated into English, Japanese, German, French, Italian, Serbian, Hungarian, Latvian, and other languages, and included in various anthologies and academic studies. “It is a common knowledge," Genis says, "that literature tends to repeat itself. What is unique, however, is the soul that is located between the body and the text”.
Alexander Rojavin is a multilingual intelligence, media, and policy analyst specializing in information warfare. He is currently editing a book on modern Russian cinema as a key battlefield in the Kremlin’s information war (forthcoming Routledge). At the same time, literary translation has always been one of his first loves.
