Sergey Dovlatov - best quotes. Sergey Dovlatov - best quotes Famous quotes from Dovlatov

His everyday stories, based on his own observations, make the reader cry and laugh.

Being a freedom-loving person by nature, he was unable to settle down in the USSR and was forced to emigrate to the USA, where his talent was appreciated.

Dovlatov is one of the best minimalist writers. The comic and tragic, irony and humor, the funny and the absurd are closely intertwined in his short stories, anecdotes, and everyday sketches. The writer's life stories are laughter through tears.

The author of “The Reserve” and “The Zone” entered Russian literature with his inimitable light style. Sergei Dovlatov's style not only fell in love with readers, but also became a kind of antithesis to cumbersome Soviet rhetoric. He wrote about a living person in a false world. Therefore, his prose is funny and tragic at the same time.

Sergey Dovlatov - best quotes

…Envious people believe that women are attracted to rich men by their money. Or what can be purchased with this money. It's not money that attracts women. Not cars or jewelry. Not restaurants and expensive clothes. Not power, wealth and elegance. And what made a person powerful, rich and elegant. A power that some are endowed with and others are completely deprived of.

Family is if you can guess by the sound who is washing in the shower.

We endlessly scold Comrade Stalin, and, of course, for good reason. And yet I want to ask - who wrote four million denunciations?

More terrible than death are cowardice, cowardice and what inevitably follows - slavery.

Either this is temporary or fair...

When choosing between a fool and a scoundrel, you will inevitably think about it. If you think about it, you will prefer the scoundrel. There is a kind of egoistic reason in the actions of a scoundrel. There is selfish and base logic. There is common sense. His actions are predictable. That is, you can and should fight a scoundrel... With a fool everything is different. His actions are unpredictable, chaotic, illogical. Fools dwell in the foggy, swirling chaos. They are not subject to the laws of gravity. They have their own biology, their own arithmetic. They don't care. They are immortal...

Mediocrity is more than balanced by obedience.

I remember Joseph Brodsky spoke as follows:
- Irony is a descending metaphor.
I was surprised:
- What does this mean - a descending metaphor?
“I’ll explain,” said Joseph, “listen.” “Her eyes are like turquoise” is a rising metaphor. And “her eyes are like brakes” is a descending metaphor.

The possessive instinct is expressed in different ways. It could be love for one's own good. Or maybe hatred of others.

The desire to command in an area foreign to oneself is tyranny.

People around them love not honest people, but kind ones. Not brave, but sensitive. Not principled, but condescending. In other words, unprincipled.

Nobility is the willingness to act contrary to one's own interests.

Judged for character traits. Condemned for the properties of nature.

There are people of the present, past and future. Depending on the focus of life.

It would be nice to start your play like this. The presenter says:
- It was clear, warm, sunny...
Pause.
- The penultimate day...
And finally, clearly:
- Pompeii!

… Tigers, for example, respect for lions, elephants and hippos. Mandavoshki - no one!!!

It's crazy to live with a man who doesn't leave just because he's lazy...

Are there extraterrestrial civilizations?
- Exist.
- Reasonable?
- Very reasonable.
- Why are they silent? Why aren't contacts established?
- That’s why they don’t establish that they are reasonable. Why the hell did we surrender to them?!

I am absolutely convinced that you can conquer any woman by endlessly photographing her.

Pushkin chased after women... Dostoevsky indulged in gambling... Yesenin caroused and fought in restaurants... Vices were characteristic of brilliant people to the same extent as virtues...
“That means you’re half a genius,” my wife agreed, “for you have enough vices...

The world is in madness. Madness becomes the norm. The norm evokes a sense of miracle.

I love being alone, but close to someone.

The conversation turned into a discussion with a hint of massacre.

Humor is the adornment of a nation... As long as we are able to joke, we remain a great nation!

There is one painful moment in a conversation with a woman. You present facts, reasons, arguments. You appeal to logic and common sense. And suddenly you discover that she is disgusted by the very sound of your voice...

About the author:

Sergei Dovlatov was born on September 3, 1941 in Ufa. The set of his first book was destroyed by order of the KGB. Published in samizdat. In 1978, due to persecution by the authorities, Dovlatov emigrated from the USSR and settled in the Forest Hills area of New York, where he became editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper The New American. In Russia, his prose (“Solo on Underwood”, “Compromise”, “Zone”, “Reserve”, etc.) officially began to be published after the writer’s death. During twelve years of emigration, he published twelve books in the USA and Europe. In the USSR, the writer was known from samizdat and his author’s broadcast on Radio Liberty.

Sergei Dovlatov died on August 24, 1990 in New York from heart failure. He was buried in the Mount Hebron Jewish Cemetery in Queens, New York.

In memory of Dovlatov

In Russia, the first street named after Sergei Dovlatov appeared in the city of Ukhta, Komi Republic.

The literary Dovlatov Prize, awarded by Zvezda magazine, is named in honor of Sergei Dovlatov.

On September 3, 2003, in Tallinn, in honor of Sergei Dovlatov, a memorial plaque was installed on the wall of house No. 41 on Vabriku Street (until the early 1990s - I. V. Rabchinsky Street), where the writer lived in apartment No. 4 for almost three years (1972 -1975).

On September 3, 2007 at 15:00 in St. Petersburg, on Rubinshteina Street, building 23, a solemn opening ceremony of a memorial plaque to the writer took place. The author of the memorial plaque is Alexey Arkhipov, a member of the Union of Artists of Russia.

Dovlatov emigrated at the age of 37, and at 49 he was gone, dying of heart failure far from his homeland. He said more than once that he left in order to become a writer; he was not published in the USSR.

The best biography of Dovlatov was written by himself: “I was born into a not very friendly family. I studied mediocrely at school. I was expelled from the university. I served for three years in the camp guard. I wrote stories that I could not publish. I was forced to leave my homeland. In America I never became a rich or successful person. My children are reluctant to speak Russian. I am reluctant to speak English. A dam was built in my native Leningrad. It is unclear what is happening in my beloved Tallinn. Life is short. A person is lonely. I hope all this sad enough for me to continue writing literature...”

In exile, he published the newspaper “New American”, over 12 years he published 12 books, including the cycles of stories “Suitcase”, “Compromise”, the stories “Reserve”, “Foreigner”. He became the second Russian writer, after Nabokov, to be published in the reputable New-Yorker. Contemporaries said that his books are an anecdotal saga about a bygone time; many of his quotes, by the way, were later told as anecdotes. Today we remember the most famous statements of Sergei Donatovich.

About people…

Debts are the only thing that truly connects you with people.

Our memory is selective, like an urn...

They don’t ask God for more.

It is difficult to choose between a fool and a scoundrel, especially if the scoundrel is also a fool.

Love, friendship, and respect are not connected as much as by a common hatred of something.

There is no need to be like everyone else, because we are like everyone else...

Only death is irreparable.

More terrible than death are cowardice, cowardice and what inevitably follows - slavery.

Woman, as such, is a miracle.

Born to crawl, he doesn’t want to fly.

I prefer to be alone, but next to someone...

There is no geographical province, there is a spiritual province.

It is possible, when discussing hydatopyromorphism, to be a complete fool. Conversely, when ranting about fried mushrooms, being a very smart person.

He who suffers does not sin.

True courage is to love life knowing the whole truth about it.

A decent person is one who does nasty things without pleasure.

I was sick for three days, and it had a wonderful effect on my health.

Family is if you guess by the sound who is washing in the shower.

Any situation requires some degree of absurdity.

Humor is the adornment of a nation... As long as we are able to joke, we remain a great nation!

Irony is the favorite, and most importantly, the only weapon of the defenseless.

About politics and freedom...

We endlessly scold Comrade Stalin, and, of course, for good reason. And yet I want to ask - who wrote four million denunciations?

After communists, I hate anti-communists most of all.

What a joy it is to say what you think! What a torment it is to think about what you are saying!

Two are more than You and Me. Two are Us...

Poverty of thought gives rise to legions of like-minded people.

What is democracy? Perhaps a dialogue between a person and the state?

About money…

Money means freedom, space, whims... Having money makes it so easy to endure poverty...

For example, my money runs out quickly, but loneliness never runs out.

About creativity...

I'm not interested in what they write about me. I get offended when they don't write.

Talent is like lust. It's hard to hide. It's even harder to simulate.

In a foreign language we lose eighty percent of our personality. We are losing the ability to joke and be ironic.

If you give a rooster creative freedom, he will still crow.

All talented people write differently, all mediocre people write the same way and even in the same handwriting.

Any signature wants to be considered an autograph.

All normal people have complexes, only degenerates and skiers do not have them.

About alcohol...

I've read so much about the dangers of alcohol! I decided to quit reading forever.

Dozens of books have been written about the dangers of alcohol. There is not a single brochure about its benefits. It seems to me in vain...

Alcoholism is curable, drunkenness is not.

If we stop now, it will be artificial. We drank when we had no money. It's stupid not to drink now that they are available...

Sergey Dovlatov- one of the most read Russian-speaking writers of the late twentieth century. But while living in his homeland, he was unable to reach the reader with his works: they saw the light only after his emigration to the USA and began to be published in Russia only in the second half of the 80s, when they gained enormous popularity.

In his stories, absurdity acts as the basis of order in human destiny. His heroes, ordinary, seemingly unremarkable people, turn out to be bright and unique, precisely because of their carelessness and bad luck.

Dovlatov does not teach anyone anything and does not judge anyone. He does not have “positive” and “negative” heroes, it all depends on the point of view. Because this is the main truth of life. Dovlatov’s humorous and at the same time sad prose became a classic and, like any classic, went to the people in the form of proverbs and sayings:

There is one painful moment in a conversation with a woman. You present facts, reasons, arguments. You appeal to logic and common sense. And suddenly you discover that she is disgusted by the very sound of your voice.
Love, friendship, and respect are not connected as much as by a common hatred of something.
A decent person is one who does nasty things without pleasure.
Most people consider unsolvable those problems whose solution is of little satisfaction to them.
People around them love not honest people, but kind ones. Not brave, but sensitive. Not principled, but condescending. In other words, unprincipled.
Man is accustomed to asking himself: who am I? There is a scientist, an American, a driver, a Jew, an immigrant... But you should always ask yourself: am I shit?
It's not money that attracts women. Not cars or jewelry. Not restaurants and expensive clothes. Not power, wealth and elegance. And what made a person powerful, rich and elegant. A power that some are endowed with and others are completely deprived of.
All my life I blew into a telescope and was surprised that there was no music. And then he looked carefully at the trombone and was surprised that he couldn’t see a damn thing.
We endlessly scold Comrade Stalin, and, of course, for good reason. And yet I want to ask - who wrote four million denunciations?
The only honest road is the path of mistakes, disappointments and hopes.
Nothing else, but loneliness is enough. Money, let’s say, I run out quickly, loneliness never...
It's crazy to live with a man who doesn't leave just because he's lazy...
I walked and thought - the world is gripped by madness. Madness becomes the norm. The norm evokes a sense of miracle.
Do you know what is important in life? The main thing is that there is only one life. A minute passed and it was over. There won't be another...
The more hopeless the goal, the deeper the emotions.
Love is for young people. For military personnel and athletes... But here everything is much more complicated. This is no longer love, but fate.
The editor was a good-natured man. Of course, until the minute he became cruel and evil.
I only light up when I'm drinking. And I drink constantly. Therefore, many people mistakenly think that I smoke.
I felt disgusted and left. Or rather, he stayed.
Don't ask God for more.
I counted the money without taking my hand out of my pocket.
There is no greater tragedy for a man than a complete lack of character!
I prefer to be alone, but next to someone...
It’s been a long time since I’ve stopped dividing people into positive and negative. And even more so for literary heroes. In addition, I am not sure that in life a crime is inevitably followed by repentance, and a feat is followed by bliss. We are what we feel like.
I think love has no dimensions at all. There is only yes or no.
A person can give anything to a person... Depending on the circumstances.
It’s normal to go visit when called. It’s terrible to go on a visit when you don’t invite me. However, the best thing is when they call you and you don’t go.
Family is if you guess by the sound who is washing in the shower.
"Life is Beautiful and amazing!" - as Comrade Mayakovsky exclaimed on the eve of suicide.
I won't change the linoleum. I changed my mind because the world is doomed.

Sergei Dovlatov is one of the most talented Soviet-American writers and journalists. In his works, he spoke openly and simply about man and life - without metaphors or embellishments, exaggerations or omissions. His works have been translated into many languages around the world and enjoy deserved popularity.

Sergei Donatovich graduated from the Faculty of Journalism of Leningrad State University and moved to Tallinn, where he began working in his specialty. Until 1975, Dovlatov lived in Estonia, and then returned to Leningrad, however, his talent as a writer went unnoticed. Publications in samizdat and in emigrant magazines “Continent”, “Time and We” were followed by exclusion from the Union of Journalists of the USSR, persecution by the authorities and forced departure from the country in 1978. In America, the writer began a completely different life: his prose collections were published one after another, and by the mid-1980s he became one of the most popular writers in the USA.

For the basis of all his works, the author took only real stories, which, for the most part, he himself witnessed. Sergei did not like to call himself a writer; he preferred the position of a storyteller: “The storyteller talks about how people live. A prose writer about how people should live. A writer is about what people live for.” The task of all works, their main meaning, according to Dovlatov, was the restoration of the norm. Every absurd situation encountered in one or another work of the author, on the contrary, prompted the reader to feel the normal, natural flow of life. Behind lively dialogues, vivid sketches and subtle irony, Dovlatov hid his own vision of life.

In 1995, five years after the death of Sergei Dovlatov, a literary prize named after him was established in his native Leningrad, which is awarded either to a St. Petersburg writer for the best story or for a story published in St. Petersburg.

What did you steal, I wonder?
Zek waved it off embarrassedly:
- Nothing special... Tractor...
- One-piece tractor?!
- Well.
- And how did you kidnap him?
- Very simple. From a reinforced concrete products plant. I acted on psychology.
- Like this?
- I went to the plant. I got into the tractor. I tied an iron grease barrel to the back. I'm going on duty. The barrel rumbles. A guard appears: “Where are you taking the barrel?” I answer: “For personal reasons.” - “Are there any documents?” - "No". - “Unfasten the hairdryer...” I untied the barrel and drove on. In general, the psychology worked.

("Suitcase")

For a good man, relationships with women are always difficult. And I'm a good person. I declare without a shadow of embarrassment, because there is nothing to be proud of here. A good person is expected to behave accordingly. High demands are placed on him. He carries on himself the daily painful burden of nobility, intelligence, diligence, conscience, and humor. And then he is abandoned for some notorious scumbag. And this bastard is told, laughing, about the boring virtues of a good man.

Women only love scoundrels, everyone knows that. However, not everyone can be a scoundrel. I had a friend, a currency trader named Shark. He beat his wife with the handle of a shovel. Gave her shampoo to my beloved. Killed the cat. Once in my life I made her a sandwich with cheese. The wife cried all night with emotion and tenderness. I sent canned food to Mordovia for nine years. I was waiting...

A good person, who needs him, you ask?..

("Compromise")

Grandfather Isaac ate a lot. I cut the loaves not across, but lengthwise. When visiting, Grandma Raya constantly blushed for him. Before going to visit, grandfather had lunch. It didn't help. He folded the pieces of bread in half. I drank vodka from a cream soda glass. During dessert he asked not to remove the aspic. Returning home, I ate dinner with relief...

("Our")

There is, as we know, no equality in marriage. The advantage is always on the side of the one who loves less. If this can be considered an advantage.

(“Foreigner”)

All people are cruel in different ways. Men, for example, are rude and lie. They dodge as best they can. However, even the most cruel man will not shout to you: “Go away! It’s all over between us!..” As for women, they say all this with ease and not even without pleasure: “Go away! You disgust me! Don’t call me again! "At first they cry and sob. Then they get someone else and shout: “Go away!” Leave! Yes, I’m not even able to say that...

(“On the street and at home”)

They introduced me to the developed girl Frida Stein. We spent two hours in the restaurant. Music was playing. Frida read the menu like the Torah, from right to left. We ordered pancakes and coffee. Frida said:

We are all people of a certain circle,” I nodded.
- I hope you are also a person of a certain circle?
“Yes,” I said.
-Which one exactly?
“The fourth,” I say, “if you mean the circles of hell.”
- Bravo! - said the girl. I immediately ordered champagne.

(“I want to be strong”)

You won't meet a beautiful woman on a tram. In the twilight, taxis, leaning back on citrus seats, rush along, long-legged and heartless - they are expected everywhere. And ugly girls in mud-spattered stockings are rocked by the sea of trams. And the glass rattles disgustingly.

(“The road to a new apartment”)

A neighbor's boy went on vacation to Ukraine in the summer. Came back home. We asked him:

Have you learned Ukrainian?
- Learned it.
- Say something in Ukrainian.
- For example, Mercy.

("Solo on Underwood")

Envious people believe that women are attracted to rich men by their money. Or what you can buy with this money. I used to think so, but then I became convinced that it was a lie. It's not money that attracts women. Not cars or jewelry. Not restaurants and expensive clothes. Not power, wealth and elegance. And what made a person powerful, rich and elegant. A power that some are endowed with and others are completely deprived of.

("Branch")

Olenka was about to turn thirteen years old. Golovker didn’t exactly love this sad, fragile girl. He's used to it. Moreover, she, almost the only one in the world, had respect for him. When her mother punished her, she asked:

Uncle Borya, buy me poison...

(“We met and talked”)

("Reserve")

I met the economist Feldman. He says:

Is your wife's name Sofa?
“No,” I say, “Lena.”
- I know. I was joking. You have no sense of humor. You are probably Latvian?
- Why Latvian?
- Yes, I was joking. You have absolutely no sense of humor. Maybe see a speech therapist?
- Why to a speech therapist?
- Just kidding. Where is your sense of humor?

("Notebooks")

Is it you again, Piradze? - Natella says sternly. - So I knew it. How long can this go on?! I said a long time ago that I would not be your wife. Why are you doing it? Why do you shoot at me every day? Once you already served fifteen days for rape. Is this not enough for you, Archil Luarsabovich?
- I became a different person, Natella. Do not believe? I went to college. Moreover, I am a student.
- It is hard to believe.
- I have notebooks and books. There is a textbook called "Chemistry". Would you like to take a look?
- Did you give anyone a bribe?
- Imagine, no. I am a part-time student for free.
- I'm happy for you.
- So come back, Natella. You will have everything - a gramophone, a refrigerator, a cow. We will travel.
- On what?
- On the carousel.

("Blues for Natella")

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