About the Book
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.
About the Author :
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.
Review :
"Appearing almost a quarter of a century after the publication of the Russian original, Rojavin's translation into English of Aleksandr Genis's Dovlatov i okrestnosti, an ambivalent tribute to Russian literary historian Sergei Dovlatov, is flawless. ... Including (often-unattributed) witticisms... this book... provides a sociohistorical record of the Russian immigrant life and elements of the diaspora trying to maintain the identity of their native land. ... Recommended.
-- D. Hutchins, CHOICE
"Dovlatov and Surroundings in this new translation offers a cocktail of brilliant spirits: An informative introduction by accomplished scholar Mark Lipovetsky, then Alexander Genis's striking and influential study of beloved (and tremendously funny) émigré author Sergei Dovlatov. Bilingual translator Alexander Rojavin has brought Genis's work into precise and idiomatic English, hitting every note right."
-- Sibelan Forrester, Susan W. Lippincott Professor of Modern and Classical Languages and Russian, Swarthmore College
"A famous Russian émigré writer and a sharp Russian literary critic meet in this blend of a literary biography and a memoir. Sergei Dovlatov's massive personality is portraited by Alexander Genis sympathetically and with keen observations. In this book, life and literature intertwine seamlessly, as was the case for both Dovlatov and Genis. Those interested in a detailed account of the aspirations and mind-set of the Soviet immigrants' literary milieu in New York will find this narrative educational and fascinating. The book works as a perfect entrée to Dovlatov's simple, but exquisite prose."
-- Olga Bukhina, Translator, Author, Children's Books Specialist
"Genis achieves the same effect that Dovlatov did: he simultaneously makes the Third Wave of immigration more intimate and more mythological. On the one hand, Dovlatov and Surroundings is the best possible memorial to a generation of immigrants who left the Soviet Union on a Jewish visa and created a new Russian literature abroad. On the other hand, it is a house, filled with joyful and dramatic life, whose doors are open to all who wish to enter. The fact that Genis's philological novel is coming out in English today is proof of this project's success. When all is said and done, Genis's book is an inexhaustible source of optimism..."
-- Mark Lipovetsky, from the preface
