In this month’s Online Reading Group, we will discuss Pushkin Hills by Sergei Dovlatov. Dovlatov is one of the most popular Soviet writers of the late-20th century, yet is largely unknown outside Russia. This is a chance to read arguably his most personal work, Pushkin Hills, published for the first time in English in translation by his daughter, Katherine Dovlatov. It is available in our bookshop here. The meeting will be facilitated by our bookshop co-curator Sasha Padziarei and community engagement curator Alisa Oleva.
The Online Reading Group will help to improve inclusivity and accessibility, giving the opportunity for those who cannot attend in person to join us for discussion. We encourage you to join us in person if you can, and leave the online places to those who would benefit from them.
An unsuccessful writer and an inveterate alcoholic, Boris Alikhanov is running out of money and has recently divorced from his wife Tatyana, who intends to emigrate to the West with their daughter Masha. The prospect of a summer job as a tourist guide at the Pushkin Hills preserve offers him hope of bringing back some balance into his existence, but during his stay in the rural estate of Mikhaylovskoye, Alikhanov’s life continues to unravel.
Populated with unforgettable characters, such as Alikhanov’s fellow guides Mitrofanov and Pototsky and the KGB officer Belyaev, Pushkin Hills is a poignant portrayal of the Russian attitude towards life and art.
2021 saw the opening of Pushkin House’s very own physical bookshop in addition to our online store. While it is still being honed and developed, we are keen to highlight literature that inspires, encourages, moves and validates our readers. We also want to amplify the voices, writers and readers that historically didn’t get and, perhaps, still don’t get the visibility, power and appreciation they deserve. Most of all, we want to create a physical (and an online) place for connection where people can come and share their views.