Margarita Dovlatova’s career in literature

Abstract

A Dovlatov scholar, G. Dobrozrakova writes about the literary work of Dovlatov’s aunt — literary secretary of O. Forsh, journalist and editor Margarita Dovlatyan (Dovlatova) — the prototype of a character in his book Ours [ Nashi]. The scholar carefully examines M. Dovlatova’s biography, particularly dwelling on her friendships with poets and writers (O. Bergholz, M.Zoshchenko and others) and her years at the journal Kostyor and the literary organisation LITO, which united young authors like A. Bitov, V.Golyavkin, A. Kushner and other aspiring writers from Leningrad. Dobrozrakova quotes numerous documents from the 1950s–1960s, including private correspondence, in order to emphasise the role Dovlatova played in the literary setting of the ‘Thaw’ era, especially as assistant and literary secretary to Olga Forsh (Dovlatova helped Forsh with her business and private correspondence, accompanied her on trips, and assisted with the publication of her works), whose books, in turn, were an influence on Dovlatov’s prose.