Leningrad of Sergey Dovlatov through the lens of a camera

The work of Sergey Dovlatov is inextricably linked to Leningrad: the plots of many of his works are integrated into the city's topography, its cultural environment, and everyday life. Streets, avenues, apartments, stores, museums, cafes and restaurants, theaters and cinemas, various social and administrative institutions — all of these and many other urban realities have become important components of Dovlatov's prose. It can be said that Leningrad itself is one of his favorite characters. The rare photographs included in this album were taken in the 1960s-1970s.

They not only allow us to see what the city was like several decades ago, but also serve as illustrations for Dovlatov's works: accompanied by quotes with the "voice-over" of the narrator, together they form a kind of overarching plot, while the works of outstanding masters of Leningrad photography — Natalia Sharymova, Valentin Baranovsky, Ilya Narovlyansky, Vsevolod Tarasevich — remind us of the characters and situations from the stories and novellas of Sergey Dovlatov, of the amazing and enduring charm of his talent.
The publication also includes several stories written by Dovlatov at different times. The book opens with an article by literary scholar and critic Andrei Aryev.