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.

Translated by: Alexander Rojavin