NEW YORK, September 7 (RIA Novosti) - A New York street is to be named after a famous Soviet dissident writer Sergei Dovlatov on September 7, the widow has told RIA Novosti the fact brings both joy and sadness.
Elena Dovlatova has noted that she feels joy "from the fact that this was made possible by those who loved his books, that is, the readers, for whom the author writes his works."
"All this makes me proud that I was lucky to be a part of his life," she said. At the same time, the writer’s widow acknowledged that she is still saddened "by the fact that he didn’t live long enough to see it for himself, [that he] could not imagine how he would be appreciated."
Sergei and Elena’s relationship lasted 27 years and was not always easy, as the widow herself said. Still, replying to a question whether she regretted anything, Elena said: "It is these last few years that made me believe I have nothing to regret about."
On July 9, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed the act of naming 63 streets of the city in honor of some remarkable men, among them Sergei Dovlatov as well. This was made possible due to the grass-roots campaign on Change.org, whose organizers “appealed that they wanted “to commemorate Dovlatov’s legacy, to show appreciation for his talent, and to express the enormous gratitude from his readers.”
Dovlatov was born on September 3, 1941 in Russia to Jewish and Armenian parents, grew up in St. Petersburg, and worked in a variety of Russian and Estonian newspapers. He was friends with famous dissident poets and writers, including Joseph Brodsky, Evgeni Rein and Alexander Ney.
Dovlatov was expelled from the Union of Soviet Journalists for publishing unauthorized literature. He soon immigrated to New York City, where he wrote novels and short stories that were translated into English. In the mid-1980s, The New Yorker magazine published Dovlatov’s work, which resulted in him gaining notoriety and respect among English-speaking readers.
His most famous books include non-fiction novels “The Zone”, “The Suitcase” and “Sanctuary.”
Sergei Dovlatov is the first Russian writer to be honored with a street named after him in New York City.
