“Craft” is an autobiographical work in which the author talks about his difficult literary path. Almost all the stories of this writer reflect events from his life. A summary of Sergei Dovlatov's “Crafts” are facts from the biography of a prose writer in chronological order: from early years to emigration.
Platonov: was he?
Dovlatov in the book "Craft" with his usual laconicism talks about events from his life. And he begins the story with a story that happened even before his birth.
Sergey Dovlatov was born in 1941 in Ufa. His father was a theater director, his mother an actress. The future writer was born in the evacuation, and three weeks later there was an incident, possibly predetermining his fate.
His mother was strolling along the boulevard with a stroller. Suddenly, an unfamiliar plain-looking man in civilian clothes approached her. “I would like to pinch the boy,” said the stranger. Dovlatov's mother was indignant, uttered a few unkind words to the strange man. He withdrew, without pinching the baby, finally said some mysterious phrase.
After 33 years, Dovlatov learned that in 1941 Andrei Platonov lived in Ufa. An unpleasant incident happened to him in this city: a suitcase with a manuscript was stolen from him. Dovlatov in “Craft,” a summary of which is set out below, says: Platonov was that strange stranger. The friends to whom he outlined this story were rather skeptical. Was it really? Or is the story with Platonov just an invention of the author? In the book "Craft" Dovlatov does not give an answer to these questions. From childhood, he dreamed of literary work. And what is retold above is most likely just a joke of the author.
Childhood
At school, the future writer studied poorly. But even then he composed poems and short stories. The first works were published in 1952. In high school, Dovlatov stopped writing poetry, switched exclusively to prose.
Student years
After receiving a certificate of maturity, he entered the Leningrad University, which was then called the Zhdanov University. About the name of this educational institution, the author of the story “Craft” said, not without sarcasm: “It sounds about the same as Al Capone University.”
In his student years, he continued to write short stories. During this period, met with Sergei Wolf and other popular poets and prose writers.
In 1960 came a new creative upsurge. In the book "Craft", Dovlatov talks about meeting Brodsky, who became his literary idol. By that time, the novice writer already knew about the existence of unofficial literature. Among his friends were mostly authors of forbidden prose and poetry.
Sergei Dovlatov expelled from the university in the third year. Later, as the author of the book Craft claimed, he was mysteriously silent on questions about why he dropped out. By this silence, he gave rise to rumors of political motives. However, in his autobiographical book “Craft”, Dovlatov said: “Everything was actually easier: I could not pass the exam in German, because I did not know the language at all.”
He was drafted into the army, and he fell into the escort guard. “I was destined to go to hell,” the writer will say after many years, “Dovlatov recalls in“ Craft ”- an autobiographical and very frank book.
Zone
In the story “Craft”, Dovlatov does not tell in detail about what the MOX is. He wrote about this in the prison story series “The Zone”.
Convict literature, says Dovlatov, is of two kinds. In the first case, prisoners are represented by victims, heroes, noble long-suffering figures. In the second, convicts are portrayed as villains and monsters. Dovlatov, thanks to his life experience, discovered something third. Thieves and police are alike. They have a lot in common: way of thinking, language, folklore, moral attitudes, aesthetic canons.
Leningrad
After the army, Sergei Dovlatov’s prospects were very unclear. He met fellow students, but it became difficult for him to communicate with them. A certain psychological barrier arose. Dovlatov compared himself to a front-line soldier who finds it difficult to find a place in peacetime.
Journalism
The former prison guard got a job at the factory newspaper. Then he believed that journalism and literature had a lot in common. At the same time, Dovlatov wrote stories, which became more and more. They no longer fit in the thick folder bought for 40 kopecks.
During this period, Dovlatov met Anatoly Nayman - a poet, translator and essayist, quite popular in the sixties. The stories of the author of the book "Craft" Nyman calls bad, but wonderful.
Citizen and Joseph Brodsky
"Citizens" was the name of a small literary association. Its members were Boris Vakhtin, Vladimir Gubin, Vladimir Maramzin, Igor Efimov. The name of this literary union did not correspond to the content of the works of its participants - they wrote mainly village prose.
The author of the story called his friends extraordinary personalities. According to him, these were rebellious artists, truth-seekers. However, even against their background, Joseph Brodsky stood out sharply. Dovlatov said about him: “He did not fight the regime, he did not notice him. Soviet power, as Dovlatov put it, was a touchy lady. She did not forgive insults, but it became much worse for the one who ignored her. Brodsky was exiled to the Arkhangelsk province. And soon the community "Citizens" broke up.
In the period described above, Sergei Dovlatov did not publish a single work. Moreover, he believed that it was not necessary to publish them. To create something unique, original - that was his goal. But soon romanticism dissipated in everyday problems and lack of money.
First review
In December 1967, Sergei Dovlatov sent his stories to the New World magazine. They refused him. But this event became significant for him. A well-known critic of the time, Inna Solovieva, wrote a review of his works. The reviews were rather positive, but unsuitable for printing. Several years will pass, and Dovlatova will no longer be interested in the opinion of reviewers. He will look right at the end, where the verdict is issued. As a rule, it was formulated as follows: "For some reasons, the product is rejected."
Editors have repeatedly advised Dovlatov to write something on a pressing Soviet topic, for example, about a plant. Finally, tired of the constant failures, he agreed. Dovlatov wrote works dedicated to the workers of the plant, and they were approved in the journal "Youth". In total, the publication of stories brought the author a profit of one thousand rubles, which at times was a huge amount.
Tallinn
Dovlatov left for Estonia spontaneously, at the invitation of one of his friends. He settled in a local newspaper and made acquaintances in Tallinn literary circles. Rumors of Dovlatov quickly spread throughout a small Baltic city. Here he almost published his first collection - at the last moment the manuscript was in the KGB.
Emigration
In Estonia, Dovlatov spent only a year. After the ban, the book was forced to quit and leave Tallinn. In Leningrad, his works still refused to print. However, in the Neva, he published about ten reviews. In 1978, Sergei Dovlatov left the USSR. In the United States, he has published twelve books.
"Craft" Dovlatova: reviews
A prose writer wrote that today has lost relevance: about dissidents, about literary bans, about the Soviet bureaucracy and the ubiquitous KGB. But Dovlatov’s books are very popular now. There is no plot in the story “Craft” by Dovlatov. By the way, he is absent in almost all the works of this author. What seduces modern readers in his prose? Simplicity, accessibility and unique humor.