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Dovlatov suitcase summary. Sergey Dovlatov - suitcase

Dovlatov suitcase summary. Sergey Dovlatov - suitcase

04.01.2021

LITERARY INSTITUTE
Them. A.M. GORKY
Control work on discipline
"MODERN RUSSIAN LITERATURE"

S. DOVLATOV'S SUITCASE: STRUCTURE AND POETICS.
(Volume 15,354 characters, which corresponds to 8.5 pages of typewritten text)
Completed by a 2nd year student
Karelin Alexey Anatolievich.

Moscow 2005.

1 FOREWORD………………………………………………3

2. STRUCTURE OF THE WORK
2.1. SPECIFIC FEATURE…………………….........4

2.3. THE DRIVING FORCE OF DOVLATOV'S STORIES….9

2.4. DOVLATOV A FOLLOWER OF CHEKHOV’S TRADITIONS………………………………………………..…..10
2. POETICS OF THE WORK
2.1. FIVE MOTIVES -
FIVE DOLMATOV WHALES OF POETICS…………12

2.2 ZEST OF DOVLATOV POETICS………16
3. CONCLUSIONS…………………………………….…………..17
4. Literature……………………………………………..19

1. FOREWORD

Earlier, when I heard the name Dovlatov, I reacted something like this: “What nonsense! I will not read this nonsense! .. "
But then the "Suitcase" (!!!)
And now, maybe I have grown up, that is, I have grown to the age of the hero of the suitcase, and he, at the time of emigration, was not much less, but thirty-six, almost like I am forty!
But now I often re-read Dovlatov, and especially when I’m in a bad mood, because the author of “Suitcase” has a brilliant attitude to life and to the nasty things that take place in it!
So in "Suitcase" the theme of freedom (non-freedom) of a person is extremely important (more precisely, the most important) for Dovlatov.
The path to freedom lies through an act - departure, a journey that marks the departure from the world of unfreedom.
An important attribute of such a trip is a suitcase.
In Dovlatov, this subject takes on the binding function of the plot throughout the whole book.

2. STRUCTURE OF THE WORK
2.1. SPECIFIC FEATURE

A specific feature of Dovlatov's story is the writer's use of an anecdote as the plot-forming basis of the work: thanks to this, the life story takes on an unexpectedly vivid form. At the intersection of the sharpness, the paradoxical development of the plot and the extreme reliability of what is happening in the story, the artistic effect arises.
Dovlatov's anecdote, entering the text, informs it of dynamism, mobility, mobility, while the author's idea is expressed especially sharply and succinctly.
Dovlatov subtly captures the specifics of the anecdote as a genre that essentially belongs to oral speech: brevity, the appropriateness of the appearance, the unexpectedness of the ending. And most importantly: within the framework of this particular genre, everyday nonsense, life's rubbish turns into literature. At the same time, one where there are no long speeches, boring teachings, long explanations, and the narrative is dynamic, ends effectively. The anecdote is at the heart of the plot of many of the narratives that made up the book "Compromise", occupies a clearly dominant position in the "Craft". Even in the more traditional "Reserve" and "Branch" the plot develops by moving from one anecdotal situation to another - they are held together by the figure of the narrator.
Thanks to the anecdote, in a short story, several microplots can be found, with their own characters, action, climax and denouement.
Among the genre properties of an anecdote, one should first of all single out its brevity and comic effect. One of the components of the comic category is humor (along with irony and satire). Dovlatov uses humor as a way of artistic research into the state of the described world, revealing "the serious under the guise of the funny." Humor is a collective action, and for Dovlatov it is the organic element of his prose. The writer did not invent funny things, but found them in the life around him, many of his friends became characters in anecdotes.
With outward simplicity, Dovlatov’s stories, causing the reader to laugh, affirm an extremely important idea about the advantage of universal human values, freedom and emancipation of a person over the dominant official system of priorities, in which social frameworks, dogmas, generally accepted clichés and clichés do not allow human individuality to be revealed, suppressing in the bud her self-worth. A life devoid of meaning is the source of the comic in Dovlatov's stories, where reality is distorted, its absurdity becomes obvious. Each of these stories, remaining completely independent, within the framework of the book was perceived as an element of the whole, which had its own parameters (merits): the principle of complementarity came into force here, a holistic - ever expanding - picture of the world arose, there was a feeling of a single artistic text.

The genre specificity of the Dovlatov story, to which Dovlatov remained, is true throughout his work - this is an inseparable feature between the literary hero and the author.
His story acquires the significance of content and sometimes in this sense is not inferior to the works of large genres, and even surpasses them. In Dovlatov's works, the author acts simultaneously as an actor, as an observer, and as a narrator, which is due to the position of the writer, who refuses to look at the world from the outside, deliberately emphasizing his involvement in the reality reproduced (or even created by him) in the text. Such a story is often perceived almost as documentary, but Dovlatov himself spoke of his (story) pseudo-documentaryism. At the same time, such a story is emphatically subjective, and therefore acquires increased persuasiveness, which again enhances the effect of the narration's reliability at all levels - from thematic (meaningful) to emotional.
The plots (conflicts, situations, etc.) that Dovlatov draws from everyday reality ultimately serve to reveal the absurdity of being. Dovlatov claims to be more than the role of an everyday writer or chronicler of an era - he reveals its essence, exposing the senselessness of the search for happiness and harmony in a disharmonious world.
Autobiography (even if it is just an apparent, carefully disguised artistic device) enhances confidence in the writer's word: what he says, his judgments about life and literature, each time turn out to be secured by their own fate, they are perceived not as a figment of fantasy, but as a fact of a writer's biography. However, only at the first - inattentive - glance, such a story is artless, perceived as the result of a very simple process: experienced (felt, discerned) - remembered - told (recorded), as if "quoting" this or that episode that left a memory of itself. But the persuasiveness of factography in Dovlatov is multiplied by the artistic effect, and one of the most important means of achieving it is an orientation towards oral speech: Dovlatov precisely tells, and this last word should be understood in its original sense.
The writer consciously strives to ensure that the reader perceives the author and the narrator as one person: at the same time, the narration is conducted by a completely specific person who has his own speech manner, behind which is his biography. This alone makes us look at the problem of the tale in a new way: its boundaries are clearly expanding, it absorbs speech elements that are characteristic of the writer himself.
From microtexts, Dovlatov compiled texts, and they, in turn, formed a single metatext, sealed by the intonation of the story.
The relative independence of the stories is achieved due to the autonomy of the event being told. Each story raises one of the problems of the life of the protagonist - the lyrical double of the writer, the stories are combined (in a cycle or book) in the form of a narrator-narrator. Not the least role is played by the closeness of the principles of organizing the artistic whole: in this case, let us pay attention to the method of framing the story so often found in Dovlatov - his last lines allow us to rethink everything previously told. At the same time, the ending of the story can be unexpected, violate the expectation created by the movement of the plot, or even simply cause a feeling of incompleteness.
An essential feature of Dovlatov's story is the ambivalence of the ratio of the comic and the tragic in it, which is also closely intertwined with the lyrical empathy of the author-narrator. That is why it is extremely difficult to define this genre structure in one term: it is perhaps most accurate to define it as an anecdote story, adding that within the framework of this genre, the writer finds a peculiar expression of the search for the harmonics of human existence, especially characteristic of the artistic searches of the era of the late 20th century. Dovlatov's anecdote story has a truly philosophical meaning, for it reveals the universal significance of everyday life, which has always been the focus of the writer's attention.
Thanks to this, the reader sees, realizes how the consciousness, worldview of the hero is formed, and, ultimately, his personality.

2.3. THE DRIVING FORCE OF DOVLATOV'S STORIES

The driving force in the works of Dovlatov, like Shukshin, is not an event or a chain of events. The event itself is just an excuse to start a conversation in which one episode snatched from life prepares (generates) the next one, etc. , not going to the place details. In such a story, detailed landscapes and portraits are rare: the character of the characters is revealed mainly in dialogues in which various shades (individual and social) of live colloquial speech are extremely colorfully recreated. It is in the dialogues that the sincere spontaneity, enthusiasm and pressure inherent in the characters are revealed: serious and playful, sad and cheerful, high and low - all this is intertwined and interconnected. Usually exposition is neglected here - the story begins with an introduction to the essence, the situations that arise here are distinguished by rare truthfulness, have the highest reliability. This is ensured, first of all, by a subtle understanding of the nature of the human soul, the ability to explain the motives of the actions of their characters.

2.4. DOVLATOV A FOLLOWER OF CHEKHOV'S TRADITIONS

Dovlatov could not pass by the experience of A.P. Chekhov - the great master of the short story. Here, first of all, it should be said about Dovlatov's inherent sense of proportion, the refinement of style. But also about following Chekhov's principles of plot development: the maximum reduction in exposition (which, however, may be completely absent), a detailed motivation for the action, a clear dislike for descriptions of nature, the apparent unmotivation of individual episodes introduced into the text. Like Chekhov, the action in Dovlatov's story is extremely concentrated, the conflict, despite the simplicity of the plot, is aggravated, its development is due to events that seem to upset the balance in the world where the characters live, and at the same time allow to reveal in them (characters ) something significant. Chekhov's experience also affects the way the story ends in a story that seems to be not outlined by the plot, can be perceived as unfinished, unfinished: the ending remains open and this creates the effect of the story's impartiality, in the center of which is only one of the episodes of life snatched from the endless
(or - the limited life of the narrator himself) chains. The movement of the plot in this case is subject not to the artist's intention, but to the logic of reality itself. The lessons of M. Zoshchenko also turn out to be extremely significant for Dovlatov: here, first of all, it should be said about the democracy inherent in the work of the writer, which is already reflected in close attention to the most ordinary person - who does not perform heroic deeds (and is hardly capable of doing them) - a person. The position taken in this case by the artist can be characterized by the words "one of his own".
But Dovlatov does not repeat his predecessor, preferring to a satirical mask, the narration from his own face, of course, not identified with the writer himself.

2. POETICS OF THE WORK
2.1. FIVE MOTIVES -
FIVE DOLMATOV WHALES OF POETICS

There is no shortage of works where Dovlatov's work is studied in one aspect or another. And, however, the task of comprehending what he wrote as a whole, and, first of all, the study of the genre specificity of his works, their nature and structure, genre evolution, etc., does not lose relevance. Of course, the analysis of the writer’s worldview, the features of his artistic system - only under this condition can one try to characterize its place and significance in modern Russian literature.
A necessary condition for turning to Dovlatov's work is an exit to the problem of finding the harmony of human existence, which became so aggravated precisely in those years that fell on Dovlatov's lot.

“You are interested in everything except marital duties. My wife is sure that marital duties are, above all, sobriety.”

1 The motive of alcohol.

Sergei Dovlatov, for example, was not allowed to drink. But he drank, and heavily. As are his heroes. The motif of alcohol is present in all of his books. The heroes simply bathe in a sea of alcohol: "they drank a lot, indiscriminately, to the point of self-forgetfulness and hallucinations - then they fought" (from "Craft", which describes how Bitov and Voznesensky fought).
So, to one of the old questions "What to do?" Dovlatov's hero replies: "Don't think. Drink vodka."
Dovlatov usually met his birthday with the slogan "35 years in shit and disgrace" (Dovlatov left the Union at 35) and got drunk until he passed out. He had a catastrophic consciousness, his heroes are also in a constant stressful situation: a zone, emigration, marriage or divorce. And "if alcohol saves a person from disaster, then you have to drink."
Dovlatov's alcohol brings out the human in a person. For example, it is impossible to be friends with low-drinking Americans. They are naive, callous, heartless. "They drink vodka in microscopic doses - it's the same as from toothpaste caps." Drinking, on the contrary, can humanize even a Soviet KGB officer. A drunk policeman is also a person.

2 The motive of indifference.

S. Dovlatov in every possible way emphasizes the indifference of his hero to material wealth, to reality, to his own wife, to his appearance: "... I eat anything. I cut my hair when I lose my human appearance ...".
To be wise means not to butt heads like Solzhenitsyn with oak, not to come into conflict with life. This is already a way out into the field of freedom in the highest sense: "Freedom is divine, and not worldly indifference, for the sake of which it is only worth honing one's speech, defending one's honor" (S. Dovlatov).

3 The motive of laziness.

"My wife says it's crazy to live with a man who doesn't leave just because he's lazy."
The Dovlatovsky hero still does not want to do a lot of things. He is too lazy to emigrate, because "a decisive step imposes responsibility. So let others answer. Inactivity is the only moral state. So laziness, if you look at it, is a completely creative and even moral state. It is a natural defense of the writer's body from unnecessary, illogical actions for him. Completely understandable and legitimate self-defense.

4 The motive of immorality.

The Dovlatovsky author is not an angel at all, and his heroes are far from decent people. But Dovlatov's amoralism is not militant; there are no victims left of it. And Dovlatov's scoundrels are natural, "like rain and snow." On the contrary, it is immoral to force oneself, to adjust oneself to the pattern of standard morality. It is immoral to always be polite, because it's not sincere. It is immoral to register a marriage, because love does not tolerate pressure. It's immoral not to be yourself.
And dovlatov's heroes fall in love with people like them, wayward, absurd, immoral, like children, and, like children, direct heroines. And they are friends with every rabble.
Who said that literature should lead to good? Good and evil in literature are inseparable, as in nature. "It is useless to divide people into good and bad. A person changes unrecognizably under the influence of circumstances, which means that there is no progress. There is only movement."
Hence the rejection of the judge's position: "- Do you have any political ideals? - I don't think so. - And what about the most seedy worldview? - No worldview. - What do you have? - World outlook."

5 The motive of freedom.

Drunkenness, indifference, laziness, one's own dubious system of values - all this is an outrageously exaggerated form of protest of an authorized émigré hero who defends his right to have flaws (in defiance of the sugary-positive official Soviet hero) and to be himself. Most of all, Dovlatov loves precisely those characters who are capable of taking an insanely sensible step towards their freedom. When there is no longer the strength to bend your back, Dovlatov's heroes scandalize. Scandal is a spontaneous rebellion, the destiny of natural, open, sincere people.
A person capable of unbiased communication, of sincere self-expression, is a free person.

2.2 THE ZEST OF DOVLATOV'S POETICS

In Dovlatov's "Suitcase" speech is in the first person, and therefore the relationship between him and the characters of the story is built differently than in objectified prose, where the narrator, so to speak, remains behind the scenes.
At the heart of this feeling is the immutability of the position of the author who never changed himself, who did not adapt to anyone's requirements: everything written by him is like a constantly lasting story about what happened to the narrator himself or people close to him.

3. CONCLUSIONS

1. S. Dovlatov managed to say something very important about his era and the people belonging to it; remaining true to domestic literary traditions, he managed to gain popularity not only in his native land (where his works began to return only when the writer's life path, as it soon became clear, was already coming to an end), but also beyond its borders. The need to comprehend this bright literary phenomenon seems not only timely, but also relevant.

2. In the depiction of Dovlatov's characters, two traditions dating back to classical literature are synthesized: this character is both "superfluous" and "small". We emphasize: Dovlatov loves this person - this is the reason for the writer's attitude to his characters, his soft humor in the story of their - not at all simple destinies.

3. Following Chekhov, Dovlatov bases the plot of his story not on the biography of the hero or the solution of some common problem, but on the everyday situation, without falling, however, into everydayism: Chekhov introduced the anecdote into literature, and Dovlatov made the story sound like an anecdote, without reducing its (story) aesthetic intensity. In his Notebooks, speaking about reverence for the mind of Tolstoy, about admiration for the grace of Pushkin, about the high appreciation of Dostoevsky’s moral searches and Gogol’s humor, Dovlatov admitted: “I only want to be like Chekhov”

LITERATURE

1.Vlasova Yu.E. Sergey Dovlatov: storyteller, prose writer, writer. Philologist, Sat. works of young scientists Northern flowers for 1999. - M. - 1999. - S. 24 p.l).
2.Vlasova Yu.E. The language of the works of Sergei Dovlatov. Postgraduate student and applicant. -2001. - No. 1 (2). - S. 43 - 50
3.Vlasova Yu.E. Genre originality of Sergei Dovlatov's prose.
4.Vlasova Yu.E. A study of the work of Sergei Dovlatov. -M.: Company Sputnik +. - 2001. - S. 11 - 16
5.Vlasova Yu.E. Place of an anecdote in the work of Sergei Dovlatov.
6.Vlasova Yu.E. Research of Sergey's creativity
Dovlatov. - M.: Company Sputnik +. - 2001. - S. 17.
7. Lyudmila Safronova - M .: Dovlatov's work - 2002
8.I. Sukhikh "Sergey Dovlatov: time, place, fate" (St. Petersburg, 1996)
9. A. Genis in the book "Dovlatov and environs" (M., 1999).10. 10. O.A. Voznesenskaya "Prose Dozlatov: Problems of Poetics" (Moscow, 2000)

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Introduction

story suitcase dovlatov hero

Today Sergei Dovlatov is one of the most widely read Russian writers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. His novels, short stories and notebooks have been translated into many languages, filmed, studied at school and universities. “Reserve”, “Zone”, “Foreigner”, “Ours”, “Suitcase” - these and other surprisingly funny and piercingly sad Dovlatov things have already become new classics. It is read even by those people who do not read anything at all. And this popularity is growing every year. Surprisingly, it is loved by a wide variety of groups of people. Among the readers there are people who were born after the collapse of the USSR, and those who happened to live in the same era with the author. For some, his books are an occasion to look into the recent past and "nostalgic", for others - an opportunity to see the underside of Soviet life through literature. And, of course, everyone is attracted by the style, conciseness, imagery and irony of the author. Writer S.D. Dovlatov is the last of the greatest writers of the 20th century. The "closest" classic to us. His life and literary experience is of interest to both the scientist and the ordinary reader. His prose is biographical, and even documentary. The works of S.D. Dovlatov, published in the collection "Suitcase" in 1986. Style S.D. Dovlatov had a significant impact on the development of the new Russian short story, and therefore the study of the features of his linguistic manner as a phenomenon of modern literature, both from the point of view of literary criticism and from the point of view of style. Exploring the work of S.D. Dovlatov in this work, we will rely on literary, linguistic, philosophical, historical facts, memoirs of contemporaries, friends and the works of researchers. An object research this term paper - features of the author's narration in the collection of stories "Suitcase". Item: stylistic features of the narrative in the collection of short stories "Suitcase". Target research: determine the literary and linguistic means used by S.D. Dovlatov in the stories of the book "Suitcase" to solve the problems of the author's narration. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to solve a number of tasks : 1) The study of the features of his stylistic manner. 2) Comprehension and generalization of materials on the development of the literary tradition of Russian short stories, in particular, short stories of the 20th century. 3) Conduct a holistic stylistic analysis of the author's narrative in the collection of S.D. Dovlatov "Suitcase", using scientific literature on creativity. Scientific novelty of the research : differs in that the work develops previously known facts about the writer's work, but the focus is on the features of the author's narration. For their study, not only stylistic, but also literary and historical sources are used. They help to reveal the topic in all aspects. Practical significance of the study : the scientific data concentrated in the study can be used in the study of the author's style, manner, to get acquainted with the style-forming factors of his work. It may be of interest to students studying literary criticism, stylistics.

1 . Narrative as an object of study of linguistics and literary criticism

Narration is one of the three elements of the composition, established by traditional style and defined as the depiction of actions or events in time. P. differs from description in that the depicted phenomena are given not in simultaneity, but in their chronological sequence, from reasoning - in that the connection of the depicted phenomena is given in terms of temporal, and not logical sequence. Thus, narrative in literature is a way of representing the depicted world, which obeys certain laws and has its own structure. Narrative structure associated with such categories of text as: narrative point of view, subject of speech, type of narration. Narrative structure is constantly changing and depends on a number of conditions. For example, from the interaction of the "voices" of the characters and points of view. In a work of art, the structure of the narrative is based on the fundamental distinction between the author of the work and the narrator (narrator). The help of the latter is used in types of narration focused on the imitation of oral speech. This was especially evident in the 70-80s of the twentieth century, when the usual structure of prose was enriched by the use of a communicative approach. The text began to be perceived in many ways as an analogue of a speech act. The author expressed his goals of the narrative, referring, as it were, to "inner reader", type, due to the historical and cultural situation.

Such "appeals to the reader" were before. As early as the end of the 18th century, this technique was used in Russian prose by N.M. Karamzin, M. Pogodin, A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky, V. Sologub and others. These writers used addressing formulas in their texts (reader, dear reader, etc.). In the 20th century, this technique was somewhat modernized. The structure of the story is also influenced by storytelling types . These are relatively stable compositional-speech forms. They are based on a set of techniques, speech means and the point of view of the narrator or character chosen by the author. The narration can be carried out from the first or third person. Each of them is characterized by its own way of presentation, the manifestation of objectivity or subjectivity, reliability. Usually speaking from first person The narrator has a high degree of individuality. As a rule, this is always a subjective presentation. Here the author's assessments and reflections are possible. talking from third party opposed to other characters. It is almost always an omniscient observer. It is characterized by a high degree of objectivity and the relative completeness of observations in the transfer of the inner world of other characters. Other possible oppositions in the system of types of narration are related to the concepts: oral, socially characteristic, bookish. They involve the stylization of speech, the construction of linguistic elements to the symbols of the language. In modern author's prose is widely used "Improper-Author's Narrative" . At its core, the character's word usage is associated with the consistent expression of his point of view. Previously, it was used in texts as inclusions. Now it has gained independence and has become a sustainable tool.

1.1 ANDhistorycycle creationstoriesS.D.Dovlatov"Hemodan»

In 1978, due to persecution by the authorities, Dovlatov emigrated from the USSR, settled in New York, where he became editor-in-chief of the New American weekly newspaper. The newspaper quickly gained popularity among the emigrants. One after another, books of his prose were published. By the mid-1980s, he had achieved great success as a reader, published in the prestigious magazines Partisan Review and The New Yorker. For the first time the collection "Suitcase" was published in the USA in 1986, and became a model of mature Dovlatov's prose. All stories from this cycle are based on the biographical experience of the writer. The collection consists of a preface and 8 short stories that form a single composition, but still remain independent: “Finnish Crepe Socks”, “Nomenclature Shoes”, “A Decent Double-breasted Suit”, “Officer's Belt”, “Fernand Léger's Jacket” , "Poplin shirt", "Winter hat", "Driver's gloves". Each of them is dedicated to a case from the writer's life in the USSR. The feeling of longing for the Motherland is reinforced by the epigraph - a poem by A. Blok. The narration in "Suitcase" is conducted on behalf of Dovlatov himself, but this does not mean that everything said is true. The author took stories from life as a basis and subjected them to literary processing. "Suitcase" is an allegory. It is a storehouse of memory, a keeper of the past. With each thing stored in it, the author is associated with memories. Each thing from the suitcase that the author brought with him to the United States becomes a plot, an occasion for a story about life and people. Dovlatov lived in Leningrad, served as an overseer in the camps in Komi, worked as a journalist in Talin, and as a tour guide. Among his acquaintances were intellectuals, philistines, marginals. All of them became the heroes of his short stories. They allow the reader to consider that era from a variety of angles.

The hero of Dovlatov is a “simple person”, like everyone else. His works do not carry any morality, they do not teach. His experience is universal for many other people as well. The narrator himself, as it were, turns into a typical hero - an emigrant, an intellectual, an ordinary Soviet person who lived in that period of time, in that era: « I looked at the empty suitcase. At the bottom- Karl Marx. On the lid- Brodsky. And between them- lost, priceless, only life» .

1.2 Story genre andthe linguistic personality of the narrator in the work

R story - this term in its genre meaning is usually applied to any small narrative prose literary work with a realistic coloring, containing a detailed and complete narrative about any individual event, incident, everyday episode, etc. genre-forming signs stories are: ultra-small volume, generalization and concentrated image of reality . Like any genre, the story has its own laws , namely: unity of time , places , action and character . The duration of the story is limited. Temporal unity is closely connected with another - the unity of action. The story is always devoted to the development of a single action or conflict, even if it covers a significant time period. Unity of action is connected with unity of events. Short stories almost always have a simple plot with one plot thread. But this plot is not necessarily simple, there can be many confusing situations in it. But still, the story is limited to a description of a single event, or one or two events become the main, culminating ones in it. Hence the unity of place. As a rule, the action in the story takes place in two or three, at most five places. Character unity: there is only one main character, sometimes two, very rarely several. There can be many secondary characters, but they all have some function, create a background, help or hinder the main character. All these factors come down to one thing - the unity of the center. A story cannot exist without some central, defining sign that would connect all the others. In any story, there must be a main image, due to which the whole composition is held, sets the theme and determines the meaning of the story.

Basic the principle of compositional construction of the story in economy and expediency of motives. Oversaturation of the text, unnecessary details and details are unacceptable. But disrupting these traditional ways of constructing text can also be an effective artistic device. Of particular importance in the story is ending . Very often it is unexpected and paradoxical. The effective ending allows the reader to experience a sense of catharsis. She is able to completely change the meaning of the story, and make the reader rethink what they read. The story goes back to folklore genres of oral retelling in the form of legends and parables. Until the middle of the 19th century, there was no “story” as such in Russia. Russian romantic short stories were born almost at the same time as the French. The main directions in the development of the Russian short story are presented in Pushkin's Tales of Belkin. In the modern world, in the conditions of postmodernism, hybrid, semi-novelistic narratives are becoming more widespread. Postmodernity began to permeate literature in the 1960s. Young innovators experimented with story construction and literary devices. Late Soviet short stories developed in dialogue with the American one. For example, Sergei Dovlatov was guided by the novels of Hemingway and Salinger, which were known to the Soviet reader in the translations of Wright-Kovaleva.

Conclusion: the genre of the story has its own laws and structure to which the narration is subject. The form (short story) affects the nature of the narrative, the narrator himself. The author must choose the type of narration, narrator (author's narration, character-narrator). All this will influence the idea of how it is implemented in the work. Violation of the laws of the genre can also be considered as an artistic means. All of the above can be attributed to the texts of S.D. Dovlatov, who worked with this form.

2 . Stylistic features of the author's narration in the collection of stories by S.Dovlatov "Suitcase"

S. Dovlatov's prose is really special. It inherits the classical tradition and contains undeniable elements of innovation. The simplicity and clarity, brevity and accuracy of Dovlatov's style put his works on a par with the books of the best representatives of classical Russian literature. On the other hand, as we have tried to show, the tendency to "liberate" the word from literary canons and rules is just as palpable in his prose. In our opinion, it is the organic combination of these methods that is the most important style-forming factor in Dovlatov's unique style. We have identified the following features characteristic of S. Dovlatov's style: a small sentence; use of parceling; frequent use of comparisons; the use of aphorisms; creating phrases based on oxymorons; philological author's observations and reflections; frequent use of understatement; introduction to the text of the work of live (raw) speech of the characters.

Conciseness

L aconism - brevity (conciseness) of the statement, but not to the detriment of the completeness of the content. Conciseness as a stylistic feature is inherent in statements of different styles, but in official business speech L. is one of the leading stylistic features. Writer S.D. Dovlatov stands out and is remembered for his conciseness. All his works, including the collection "Suitcase", are written in simple sentences without any embellishments. "Brevity is the sister of talent" - Chekhov's "formula" to which all the work of the writer S.D. Dovlatov. By the way, A.P. Chekhov is the only writer Sergei Donatovich would like to be like. Many people who personally knew Dovlatov claim that he very painstakingly "honed" his proposals. Only a short but capacious phrase seemed perfect to him. Critics and friends of the writer have different explanations for the author's style of the writer. This explanation of Dovlatov's style was given by Peter Weil: « Pyou see, Seryozha was very unsure of himself, and deliberately developed a technique that made him write slowly, chewing every sentence a hundred times» . Or Joseph Brodsky: « Serezha was first of all a wonderful stylist. His stories are based most of all on the rhythm of the phrase; at the cadence of the author's speech. They are written like poems: the plot in them is of secondary importance, it is only an occasion for speech. This is more singing than narration, and the possibility of an interlocutor for a person with such a voice and hearing, the possibility of a duet- great rarity. The interlocutor begins to feel that he has- porridge in the mouth, and so it actually turns out. Life really turns into an underwood solo, because sooner or later the person in the writer falls into dependence on the writer in the person, not on the plot, but on the style. .

And in the stories of the collection "Suitcase" his phrases are often framed as a simple sentence. Simple sentence - this is a syntactic unit formed by one syntactic connection between the subject and the predicate or one main member. Among them, there are a lot of incomplete proposals created according to the type of parcelling. Such a speech is only at first glance simple. It actually contains a large amount of information that gives scope to the reader's imagination and does not interfere with the perception of images. The writer does not impose himself on the reader. Here are some examples of phrases typical of S. Dovlatov and the collection "Suitcase":

Each departing person is entitled to three suitcases. That is the established norm. There is a special order of the ministry. There was no point in protesting. But of course I objected.

- DIndeed, they steal. And every year it gets bigger.

Beef carcasses are being taken away from the meat-packing plant. From a textile factory- yarn. From the film equipment factory- lenses.

I went cold with fear.

There is a monument to Lenin in every city. In any regional center. Orders of this kind- inexhaustible. An experienced sculptor can sculpt Lenin blindly. That is, blindfolded. Although there are also curiosities. In Chelyabinsk, for example, there was such a case.

Perhaps the reader who opens his books for the first time, this style seems ascetic, the sentences are “naked”. But this is only an appearance. Words from S.D. Dovlatov are utilitarian and directed only at the subject that they describe, dissolve in it. So that we, the readers, see him closely, exactly, almost without noticing these very words. Language "leaves" in the picture. For this, many people love the prose of Sergei Dovlatov. The reader's attention is directed to the character or the situation, the narrative captures and does not allow us to be distracted.

Apomp

A phorism - (Greek aphorismos, from aphorizein - limit, separate). A short, abrupt phrase containing in a concise form some specific thought, maxim, generalization, etc. . S.D. Dovlatov can be called an aphoristic writer, because many of his books have long been sorted into quotes. You can find thousands of communities on the Internet and where people put lines from his works into status (note - social networks). They accompany them with certain situations from their lives. In the stories of "Suitcase" and not only, the author himself or his characters often use short phrases with a very capacious meaning. You can agree with them or not, but they are the beliefs of either the author himself or his heroes. Here are examples of such phrases:

I made sure that any thought of a poor man in love- criminal.

All people can be divided into two categories. For two groups. First group- those are the ones who ask. Second group- those who answer. Some ask questions. And others are silent and only frown in annoyance in response.

Barbecue- this is the only place where a broken face is the norm.

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

My wife is sure that marital duties- First of all, it's sobriety.

S.D. Dovlatov, in his views, was a dissident in the 60-70s, and this affects his "aphorisms". Surely, there will be those who agree with these statements, there will be those who will argue, but one thing cannot be denied: they contain a deep thought, behind which is a huge life experience of the author himself or his heroes and even readers from among those who agree.

Ilinguisticmeans of expressing the comic

TO language means of expressing the comic Literary criticism and philology include: surprise, wit, parody, pun, hyperbole, fantasy, irony, speech in which the norms of the literary language are violated, the "speaking" names of the characters , grotesque, various forms of alogisms . Almost all of them are found in the stories of the collection "Suitcase". Laughter S.D. Dovlatov is largely not satirical. He has a humorous attitude to life's contradictions. And these are different things. Of all forms of the comic, humor is the most complex and philosophical. According to its ethical content, it is considered close to the folk system of values expressed in folklore.

The main means of humor in the stories of the collection "Suitcase" are irony, absurdity, surprise, wit, speech in which the norms of the language are violated. Less common are "speaking" surnames. (For more details, see the appendix).

Xartistic role of parcellation in the text of the writer's worksS.D.Dovlatov

Parceling - (Italian Parcella - particle, from Latin particula) - a stylistic device for dividing a phrase into parts or even into separate words in a poetic work; P.'s goal is to give speech intonational expression by its jerky pronunciation. Parceled words are separated from each other by dots or exclamation marks, while observing all other syntactic and grammatical rules. Speaking about the uniqueness of S. Dovlatov's phrase, it should be noted that his sentences are not only short, they are also built in a special way, namely, among there are a lot of parcels.

I'm coming to the office. As always, I'm 40 minutes late. Accordingly, I take a bold and decisive look. .

The sheepskin coat was narrow. The hat smelled of fish. I almost burned my beard trying to smoke. .

And then the bell rings. On the doorstep- young woman in autumn jacket. By type- school teacher, that is, a little- spinster. True, without glasses, but with a calico notebook in his hand .

He began to publish in thick magazines. He published his first book. Critics spoke about him .

2.2 The specifics of the use of tropes (on the example of an oxymoron) in the narrativeS.D.Dovlatov

Trope (from other Greek Fsirpt-turnover) - a rhetorical figure, word or expression used in a figurative sense in order to enhance the figurativeness of the language, the artistic expressiveness of speech. Tropes are widely used in literary works, oratory and in everyday speech. An oxymoron is also referred to as paths in literary criticism, philology and stylistics. Oxymoron - (Greek "sharp stupidity") a term of ancient style. Denotes a deliberate combination of conflicting concepts. Example: “Look, she has fun being sad. So elegantly naked ”(Akhmatova). In the stories of S.S. Dovlatov often uses oxymoron phrases connecting contrasting statements. Sometimes they are contrasting in content, sometimes in style. It seems to us that he does this in order to express his attitude to what he describes or talks about in such a way, not directly, not rudely, but very clearly. Often, this attitude is again based on irony:

Marriage on the verge of divorce is the most durable.

And whose face inspires confidence in you, except for the face of the investigator?

I don't trust Rymar. Not because Rymar can rob a client. Although this is not excluded. And not because Rymar can charge the client with old bonds instead of money. And not even because he is inclined to touch the client with his hands. But because Rymar- fool. What kills the fool? Passion for beauty. Rymar is drawn to beauty. Despite its historical doom.

I knew a subtle, noble, educated person who took a bucket of cement mortar from the enterprise.

The mayor's toes twitched. As if the mayor was improvising on the piano.

The script is good. So it won't be accepted.

Reading the works of S. Dovlatov, we meet with vivid, memorable comparisons. Moreover, these comparisons cannot be called classical, well-established. They amaze precisely with their unusualness, fresh look at the subject, and sometimes even absurdity. Perhaps that is why many of them are so well remembered by readers.

2.3 Philologicalthe author's observations and the characters' speech

S.D. Dovlatov is an author who is very attentive to the very process of "speaking". The writer studied at the Faculty of Philology, worked as a journalist, his mother was a proofreader, he communicated with people from the intelligentsia. Very often, the heroes of Dovlatov's works, and the author himself, speak about life, about people from the position of a philologist. In this sense, part of the works of S.D. Dovlatov can be called philological prose. For a reader who does not have a philological education, not knowing the subtleties of the language does not interfere. On the contrary, it is quite interesting for him, not to mention the fact that it educates and intellectually develops a thoughtful reader. Collection of stories by S.D. Dovlatov's "Suitcase" still cannot be called a vivid example of "philological prose". The books "Nashi" or "Filial" or "Reserve" are richer in this sense. In "Suitcase" there is not so much said from the position of a philologist. There are more circumstantial remarks here.

Meanwhile, things were getting worse for her. I kept asking her questions. Even when I slandered her acquaintances, I used the interrogative form:- Don't you think that Arik Shulman is just stupid?.

As a result, we wrote a whole drama. There were dozens of questions and answers provided. Moreover, at the insistence of Churilin, I indicated in brackets:« Xcold» , « hthoughtfully» , « Rasterianly» .

A week before her departure, we met by chance. I was sitting in the library of the House of Journalists, editing the memoirs of a conqueror of the tundra. Nine of the fourteen chapters in these memoirs began the same way:« Eto speak without false modesty…» In addition, I had to check Lenin's quotations.

-You know, I have long wanted to write about Kolya. Something like a memory.

-Write.

-I'm afraid I don't have the talent. Although everyone I knew liked my letters.

-So write a long letter.

-The most difficult- begin. Really, how did it all start? Maybe from the day we met? Or much earlier?

-And that's how you start.

-How?

- « WITHmost difficult- begin. Indeed, where did it all begin?…»

It turned out that she loves Pasternak and Tsvetaeva. Then I said that Pasternak lacked taste. And Tsvetaeva, for all her genius, was a clinical idiot… . But the "controversy" of the characters in the collection "Suitcase" is presented wonderfully. This is a “living” language spoken by intellectuals, convicts, workers, and black marketeers. Bohemia and the outcasts of the USSR era appeal to the viewer, helping to feel the era.

Conclusion: 1) the simplicity of phrases and sentences by S.D. Dovlatov was deliberately created by the author. He continues the traditions of classical Russian literature, in particular, A.P. Chekhov. 2) This book is a brilliant example of how direct speech can be used, how a character's words are turned into an artistic tool. 3) Many phrases from the collection are aphoristic. It is fashionable to disagree with these statements, but one thing cannot be denied: they contain a deep thought, behind which is a huge life experience of the author himself or his heroes and even readers. 4) The main means of humor in the stories of the collection "Suitcase" are: irony, absurdity, surprise, wit. There are almost no "speaking" surnames.

5) The author uses the technique of parceling and oxymoron to create emotional richness and express irony. Reading the works of S. Dovlatov, we meet with vivid, memorable comparisons. Moreover, these comparisons cannot be called classical, well-established. They amaze precisely with their unusualness, fresh look at the subject, and sometimes even absurdity. Perhaps that is why many of them are so well remembered by readers.

Conclusion

Prose S.D. Dovlatova is an example of a bright author's style. It combines classical tradition and elements of innovation. Particularly interesting is his way of constructing phrases, techniques for creating rhythm and careful selection of words. In the process of researching the stylistic features of S.D. Dovlatov, we used the following methods: comparisons and analogies, generalizations, expert assessments. The research information base includes: a) scientific sources: data and information from books, textbooks, dictionaries, journal articles, scientific papers (abstracts, lessons, term papers); Having studied the texts of the collection "Suitcase", we found out the following features characteristic of the style of S. Dovlatov:

Small offer; the use of such a figure of speech as parcellation; the use of aphorisms; creating phrases based on oxymorons; philological author's observations and reflections;

introduction to the text of the work of live (raw) speech of the characters.

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Sergey Dovlatov

Suitcase (compilation)

... But also this, my Russia,

you are dearer to me than all the edges ...

Alexander Blok

Published with the kind permission of Elena and Ekaterina Dovlatov

AZBUKA® publishing house

Foreword

In OVIR, this bitch tells me:

- Each departing person is entitled to three suitcases. That is the established norm. There is a special order of the ministry.

There was no point in protesting. But of course I objected.

Only three suitcases? What about things?

- For example?

– For example, with my collection of racing cars?

“Sell it,” the clerk replied without understanding.

- If you are dissatisfied with something, write a statement.

“I am satisfied,” I say.

After prison, I was happy with everything.

“Well, then, behave more modestly ...

A week later, I was packing my things. And, as it turned out, one single suitcase was enough for me.

I nearly wept with self-pity. I'm thirty-six years old, after all. Eighteen of them I work. I earn something, I buy. I own, as it seemed to me, some property. And as a result - one suitcase. And quite a modest size. So I'm a beggar? How did it happen?!

Books? But mostly I had banned books. which customs does not allow. I had to distribute them to friends along with the so-called archive.

Manuscripts? I sent them to the West long ago by secret routes.

Furniture? I took the desk to the thrift store. The chairs were taken by the artist Chegin, who had previously made do with boxes. I threw out the rest.

And so he left with one suitcase. The suitcase was made of plywood, covered with fabric, with nickel-plated fasteners at the corners. The castle was inactive. I had to tie my suitcase with a clothesline.

Once I went with him to a pioneer camp. On the lid was written in ink: “Junior group. Seryozha Dovlatov. Nearby, someone friendly scrawled: "shit-cleaner." The fabric was torn in several places.

The inside of the lid was sealed with photographs. Rocky Marciano, Armstrong, Joseph Brodsky, Lollobrigida in transparent clothes. The customs officer tried to tear off Lollobrigida with his nails. As a result, only scratched.

But Brodsky did not touch. Just asked - who is it? I replied that a distant relative ...

On the sixteenth of May I ended up in Italy. He lived in the Roman hotel "Dina". The suitcase was pushed under the bed.

Soon he received some royalties from Russian magazines. Bought blue sandals, flannel jeans and four linen shirts. I never opened my suitcase.

Three months later he moved to the United States. To New York. At first he lived in the Rio Hotel. Then friends in Flushing. Finally rented an apartment in a decent area. The suitcase was placed in the far corner of the closet. He never untied the clothesline.

Four years have passed. Our family has recovered. The daughter became a young American. A son was born. He grew up and began to play pranks. One day my wife, out of patience, cried out:

- Go to the closet now!

The son spent three minutes in the closet. Then I let him out and ask:

- Were you scared? You were crying / And he says:

- No. I was sitting on a suitcase.

Then I took out my suitcase. And opened it.

On top was a decent double-breasted suit. Counting on interviews, symposiums, lectures, gala receptions. I think it would fit for the Nobel ceremony. Next - a poplin shirt and shoes wrapped in paper. Underneath is a corduroy faux-fur jacket. On the left is a winter hat made of a fake cat. Three pairs of Finnish crepe socks. Driver's gloves. And finally - a leather officer's belt.

At the bottom of the suitcase lay a page of Pravda for May 1980. A large headline read: "Great Teaching - to live!" In the center is a portrait of Karl Marx.

As a schoolboy, I loved to draw the leaders of the world proletariat. And especially Marx. I smeared an ordinary blot - it already looks like ...

I looked at the empty suitcase. At the bottom is Karl Marx. On the lid - Brodsky. And between them - lost, priceless, the only life.

I closed the suitcase. Naphthalene balls rolled loudly inside. Things lay in a motley heap on the kitchen table. That was all I had made in thirty-six years. For all my life in my homeland. I thought, is that all? And he said yes, that's all.

And then, as they say, memories came flooding back. They must have been hiding in the folds of that wretched rag. And now they're out. Memories that should be called - "From Marx to Brodsky." Or, let's say - "What I have gained." Or, let's say, simply - "Suitcase" ...

But, as always, the preface dragged on.

Crepe Finnish socks

E that story took place eighteen years ago. At that time I was a student at Leningrad University.

The university buildings were located in the old part of the city. The combination of water and stone gives rise to a special, majestic atmosphere here. In such an environment it is difficult to be lazy, but I managed to do it.

There are exact sciences in the world. So, there are inaccuracies. Among the inaccurate, I think, philology occupies the first place. So I turned into a student of the philological faculty.

A week later, a slender girl in imported shoes fell in love with me. Her name was Asya.

Asya introduced me to her friends. They were all older than us - engineers, journalists, cameramen. There was even one store manager among them.

These people dress well. Loved restaurants, travel. Some of them had their own cars.

All of them seemed to me then mysterious, strong and attractive. I wanted to be my own person in this circle.

Many of them later emigrated. Now they are normal elderly Jews.

The life we led required significant expenses. Most often they fell on the shoulders of Asya's friends. This made me extremely embarrassed.

I remember how Doctor Logovinsky slipped me four rubles while Asya was ordering a taxi...

All people can be divided into two categories. For those who ask. And those who answer. For those who ask questions. And those who frown in annoyance in response.

Ashina's friends didn't ask her questions. And all I did was ask:

- Where have you been? Who did you say hello to on the subway? Where do you get French perfume from?..

Most people consider unsolvable those problems, the solution of which they are not satisfied with. And they endlessly ask questions, although they absolutely do not need truthful answers ...

In short, I behaved intrusively and stupidly.

I got into debt. They grew exponentially. By November, they reached eighty rubles - a figure that was monstrous at that time.

I learned what a pawnshop is, with its receipts, lines, atmosphere of sadness and poverty.

As long as Asya was around, I could not think about it. As soon as we said goodbye, the thought of debts swam like a cloud.

I woke up feeling miserable. For hours I couldn't bring myself to get dressed. Seriously planned to rob a jewelry store.

I was convinced that any thought of a poor man in love is criminal.

By that time, my academic performance had noticeably declined. Asya was unsuccessful before. The dean's office started talking about our moral character.

I noticed that when a person is in love and has debts, then his moral character becomes the subject of conversation.

In short, everything was terrible.

Once I wandered around the city in search of six rubles. I needed to buy a winter coat from a pawnshop. And I met Fred Kolesnikov.

Fred was smoking, leaning on the brass railing of the Eliseevsky store. I knew he was a farce. Asya once introduced us.

He was a tall guy of about twenty-three with an unhealthy skin tone. As he spoke, he nervously smoothed his hair.

I approached without hesitation.

“Couldn’t I ask you for six rubles by tomorrow?”

When I borrowed money, I always kept a slightly cheeky tone to make it easier for people to turn me down.

“Elementary,” said Fred, pulling out a small square wallet.

I wished I had asked for more.

“Take more,” said Fred.

But like a fool, I protested.

Fred looked at me curiously.

“Let's have lunch,” he said. - I want to feed you.

He carried himself simply and naturally. I have always envied those who succeed.

We walked three blocks to the Chaika restaurant. The hall was empty. The waiters were smoking at one of the side tables.

The windows were wide open. The curtains swayed in the wind.

We decided to go to the far corner. But then Fred was stopped by a young man in a silver Dacron jacket. A somewhat cryptic conversation took place:

- Greetings.

“My respects,” said Fred.

Sergey Dovlatov. Suitcase

But even like this, my Russia, you are dearer to me than all the edges ...

Alexander Blok

Foreword

In OVIR, this bitch tells me:

Each departing person is entitled to three suitcases. That is the established norm. There is a special order of the ministry.

There was no point in protesting. But of course I objected.

Only three suitcases?! What about things?

For example?

For example, with my racing car collection?

Sell, - without delving into, the official responded,

If you are dissatisfied with something, write a statement.

I'm happy, I say.

After prison, I was happy with everything.

Well, then, behave more modestly ...

A week later, I was packing my things. And, as it turned out, one single suitcase was enough for me.

I nearly wept with self-pity. I'm thirty-six years old, after all. Eighteen of them I work. I earn something, I buy. I own, as it seemed to me, some property. And as a result - one suitcase. Moreover, it is quite modest in size. So I'm a beggar? How did it happen?!

Books? But mostly, I had banned books. which customs does not allow. I had to distribute them to friends along with the so-called archive.

Manuscripts? I sent them to the West long ago by secret routes.

Furniture? I took the desk to the thrift store. The chairs were taken by the artist Chegin, who had previously made do with boxes. I threw out the rest.

Once I went with him to a pioneer camp. On the lid was written in ink: “Junior group. Seryozha Dovlatov. Nearby, someone friendly scrawled: "shit-cleaner." The fabric was torn in several places.

But Brodsky did not touch. Just asked - who is it? I replied that a distant relative ...

On the sixteenth of May I ended up in Italy. He lived in the Roman hotel "Dina". The suitcase was pushed under the bed.

Soon he received some royalties from Russian magazines. Bought blue sandals, flannel jeans and four linen shirts. I never opened my suitcase.

Three months later he moved to the United States. To New York. At first he lived in the Rio Hotel. Then friends in Flushing. Finally, I rented an apartment in a decent area. The suitcase was placed in the far corner of the closet. He never untied the clothesline.

Four years have passed. Our family has recovered. The daughter became a young American. A son was born. He grew up and began to play pranks. One day my wife, out of patience, cried out:

Go to the closet now!

The son spent three minutes in the closet. Then I let him out and ask:

Were you scared? Did you cry?

And he says:

No. I was sitting on a suitcase.

Then I took out my suitcase. And opened it.

On top was a decent double-breasted suit. Counting on interviews, symposiums, lectures, gala receptions. I think it would fit for the Nobel ceremony. Next is a poplin shirt and shoes wrapped in paper. Underneath is a corduroy jacket with faux fur. On the left is a winter hat made from a fake cat. Three pairs of Finnish crepe socks. Driver's gloves. And finally - a leather officer's belt.

At the bottom of the suitcase lay a page of Pravda for May 1980. A large headline read: "Great teaching - to live!". In the center is a portrait of Karl Marx.

As a schoolboy, I loved to draw the leaders of the world proletariat. And especially Marx. I smeared an ordinary blot - it already looks like ...

I looked at the empty suitcase. At the bottom is Karl Marx. On the lid - Brodsky. And between them - lost, priceless, the only life.

But, as always, the preface dragged on.

Crepe Finnish socks

This story took place eighteen years ago. At that time I was a student at Leningrad University.

There are exact sciences in the world. So, there are inaccuracies. Among the inaccurate, I think, philology occupies the first place. So I turned into a student of the philological faculty.

A week later, a slender girl in imported shoes fell in love with me. Her name was Asya.

Asya introduced me to her friends. All of them were older than us - engineers, journalists, cameramen. There was even one store manager among them.

These people dress well. Loved restaurants, travel. Some of them had their own cars.

All of them seemed to me then mysterious, strong and attractive. I wanted to be my own person in this circle.

Many of them later emigrated. Now they are normal elderly Jews.

The life we led required significant expenses. Most often they fell on the shoulders of Asya's friends. This made me extremely embarrassed.

I remember how Doctor Logovinsky slipped me four rubles while Asya was ordering a taxi...

All people can be divided into two categories. For those who ask. And those who answer. For those who ask questions. And those who frown in annoyance in response.

Ashina's friends didn't ask her questions. And all I did was ask:

Where have you been? Who did you say hello to on the subway? Where do you get French perfume from?..

Most people consider unsolvable those problems, the solution of which they are not satisfied with. And they endlessly ask questions, although they absolutely do not need truthful answers ...

In short, I behaved intrusively and stupidly.

I got into debt. They grew exponentially. By November, they reached eighty rubles - a figure that was monstrous at that time.

I learned what a pawnshop is, with its receipts, lines, atmosphere of sadness and poverty.

As long as Asya was around, I could not think about it. As soon as we said goodbye, the thought of debts came up. like a cloud.

I woke up feeling miserable. For hours I couldn't bring myself to get dressed. Seriously planned to rob a jewelry store.

I was convinced that any thought of a poor man in love is criminal.

By that time, my academic performance had noticeably declined. Asya was unsuccessful before. The dean's office started talking about our moral character.

I noticed - when a person is in love and has debts, then his moral character becomes the subject of conversation.

In short, everything was terrible.

Once I wandered around the city in search of six rubles. I needed to buy a winter coat from a pawnshop. And I met Fred Kolesnikov.

Fred was smoking, leaning on the brass railing of the Eliseevsky store. I knew he was a farce. Asya once introduced us.

He was a tall guy of about twenty-three with an unhealthy skin tone. As he spoke, he nervously smoothed his hair.

I approached without hesitation.

Couldn't I ask you for six rubles by tomorrow?

When I borrowed money, I always kept a slightly cheeky tone to make it easier for people to turn me down.

Elementary,” said Fred, taking out a small square wallet.

I wished I had asked for more.

Take more, said Fred.

But like a fool, I protested.

Fred looked at me curiously.

Let's have lunch, he said. - I want to feed you.

He carried himself simply and naturally. I have always envied those who succeed.

We walked three blocks to the Chaika restaurant. The hall was empty. The waiters were smoking at one of the side tables.

The windows were wide open. The curtains swayed in the wind.

We decided to go to the far corner. But then Fred was stopped by a young man in a silver Dacron jacket. A somewhat cryptic conversation took place:

Greetings.

My respect, said Fred.

Never mind.

The young man raised his eyebrows in disappointment.

Nothing at all?

Marusya Tatarovich is a girl from a good Soviet family. Her parents were not careerists: the historical circumstances of the Soviet system, which destroys the best people, forced her father and mother to take vacant positions, and by the end of their working biography, they were firmly established in the middle-level nomenclature. Marusya had everything for happiness: a piano, a color TV, a policeman on duty at the house. After graduating from school, she easily entered the Institute of Culture, was surrounded by fans corresponding to her rank. Retribution for family happiness fell on the Tatarovichs in the person of a Jew with a hopeless surname Tsekhnovitser, whom Marusya fell in love with in the nineteenth year. The parents did not consider themselves anti-Semitic, but it was a disaster for them to present their grandchildren as Jews. With incredible efforts, they "switched" Marusya to the son of General Fedorov, whom she also fell in love with. Young people got married. Dima Fedorov was a pedant and quickly got tired of Marusya. Out of boredom, she began to cheat on him indiscriminately and incessantly. Soon the young couple divorced. Marusya again became a bride, a girl from a good family. She fell in love with the famous conductor Kazhdan, then the famous artist Sharafutdinov, then the famous illusionist Mabis. They all left Marusya. At the same time, only one Kazhdan left her life delicately: having been poisoned by lampreys, he died. The behavior of the rest was somewhat reminiscent of flight.

By this time, Marusa was under thirty. She became worried, realizing that two or three more years, and it would be too late to give birth. And then the famous pop singer Bronislav Razudalov appeared on her horizon. Marusya had something like a civil marriage with him. They went on tour together, Marusya led concerts. Soon, not without reason, she began to suspect Razudalov of adultery. Friends joked: “Razudalov wants to fuck everything that moves ...” Marusya thought for the first time: how to live on? Pleasure breeds guilt. Selfless deeds were rewarded with humiliation. It turned out a vicious circle ... A year later, she had a boy. Razudalov went on tour. Convicted of yet another betrayal, he justified himself: “Understand, as an artist, I need an impulse ...” Marusya was in complete despair.

Here, as in a fairy tale, Zekhnovitzer appeared. He gave Marusa the Gulag Archipelago to read and urged her to emigrate. At this time, many people left. Having experienced a dramatic explanation with her parents, Marusya fictitiously registered with Tsekhnovitser. Three months later they were in Austria. The "husband" went to Israel. Having waited for an American visa, sixteen days later Marusya landed at the Kennedy airport. Son Levushka, seeing two blacks, burst into loud tears. Marusya was met by her maternal cousin Laura and her husband Fima. They settled Marusya with her son. Levushka was assigned to a kindergarten. At first he cried. A week later, he spoke English. Marusya began to look for work. Her attention was attracted by an advertisement for jewelry courses - knowledge of English was not a necessary condition. And Marusya understood jewelry.

New York inspired Marusa with a sense of irritation and fear. She wanted to be self-confident, like everyone else, but she only envied the children, the beggars, the policemen - everyone who felt like a part of this city. The classes ended soon after. Marusya dropped a red-hot brass plate into her boot, after which she went home and decided not to return. So she became a housewife.

The male part of the Russian colony reached out to her, like flies to honey. The dissident Karavaev invited her to jointly fight for a new Russia. Marusya refused. The publisher Drucker also called for a struggle - for the unity of the emigration. Taxi drivers acted more decisively: Pertsovich called for a ride somewhere in Florida. Eselevsky offered a cheaper option - a motel. Being rejected, they seemed to sigh with relief ... Baranov behaved best of all. Earning seven hundred dollars a week, he offered to give one hundred of them to Marusa just like that. It was even beneficial for him: he would drink less. Religious figure Lemkus presented the Bible in English, promising good conditions in the afterlife. The owner of the Dnepr store, Zyama Pivovarov, whispered: “Fresh buns have been received. An exact copy is you ... ”The days dragged on the same, like bags from a supermarket ...

By this time, the author of the story is already familiar with Marusya Tatarovich. She lives in a rented empty apartment, almost always without money. One day, Marusya calls the author and asks to come, complaining that she was beaten by a new admirer, the Latin American Rafael, Rafa. They began to live a strange and stormy life: Rafa either disappeared or appeared, where he got the money from, it was not clear, because all his enrichment projects were pure nonsense. Marusya considered him a complete fool, who had only a bed on his mind. True, he adored her son Levushka, with whom he felt on an equal footing. When the author comes to Marusa, he finds her with a black eye and a broken lip. Marusya complains about her boyfriend, soon he himself comes - all bandaged, smelling of iodine. The circumstances of the quarrel emerge clearly: Rafa defended himself from the angry Marusya. Causing, if not pity, then sympathy, he looks at Marusya with devoted and shining eyes. Over a bottle of rum, in the presence of the author and on his advice, Marusya and Rafa reconcile.

The women of the Russian colony believed that in the position of Marusya it was necessary to be miserable and dependent. Then they would sympathize with her. But Marusya did not give the impression of being downtrodden and humiliated: she drove a jeep, spent money in expensive stores. For her birthday, Rafa gave her a Lolo parrot that ate sardines. “A hundred times I was convinced that poverty is an innate quality. Wealth too. Everyone chooses what he likes best. And oddly enough, many prefer poverty. Rafael and Musya preferred wealth.”

Marusya suddenly decides to return to her homeland. But communication with officials of the Soviet consulate cools her ardor. Razudalov's arrival in America on tour puts the final point in her doubts: this envoy of the past is afraid to meet his own son.

The entire Russian colony gathers for the wedding of Marusya and Rafa. Numerous relatives of Rafa roll in a limousine intended for the groom as a gift. The bride is being serenadeed. Gifts include a white double bed and a welded cast iron cage for Lolo. Everyone is waiting for a living author, at the sight of which Marusya cries ...

retold