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Monument to Sergei Dovlatov to be unveiled in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg is hosting The Day D festival to mark Dovlatov’s 75th birth anniversary that opened on September 2

The house on Rubinstein Street in Saint Petersburg where Sergei Dovlatov lived Alexandr Demyanchuk/TASS

The house on Rubinstein Street in Saint Petersburg where Sergei Dovlatov lived

© Alexandr Demyanchuk/TASS

ST. PETERSBURG, September 4. /TASS/. Monument to writer and journalist Sergei Dovlatov who would have turned 75 on September 3 will be unveiled in St. Petersburg on Sunday as part of the Day D festival, Sergei Boyarsky, an adviser to the city’s governor and head of the St. Petersburg TV channel, has announced.

"The monument’s installation has been agreed, but not all procedures have been formalized legally. For the time being, we will install the writer’s figure. Eventually, it will be complemented by other elements of the composition," said Boyarsky who was one of the initiators of dedicating a monument to Dovlatov. The monument will be installed on the sidewalk in front of the house on Rubinstein Street (in the center of the city) where Dovlatov lived.

The author of the sculpture is Vyacheslav Bukhayev, the funds have been allocated by businessman Dmitry Nikitin.

The procedure of erecting monuments in St. Petersburg stipulates that at least 30 years have to pass since the death of a person to whom the monument is dedicated. However, the city’s governor has the right to sign a relevant document as an exception. Earlier this week, St. Petersburg Governor Georgy Poltavchenko approved the motion regarding a monument to Dovlatov. About 10,000 signatures of city residents have been collected for the purpose.

Sergei Dovlatov (1941-1990) was born in Ufa, currently the capital of Bashkortostan, where his parents were evacuated during WWII. In 1944, his family returned to Leningrad (Soviet name of St. Petersburg). In 1978 Dovlatov emigrated to the United States. He died in New York. Among his best known works are The Suitcase, The Zone: A Prison Camp Guard’s Story, Solo on Underwood and The Sanctuary.

St. Petersburg is hosting The Day D festival to mark Dovlatov’s 75th birth anniversary that opened on September 2. It includes documentaries dedicated to the writer, excursions to places related to him, photo exhibitions, theatrical productions and a jazz concert. The culmination of the festival will be a theatrical performance and the unveiling of the monument on Rubinstein Street.

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