The Suitcase by Sergei Dovlatov
A recent charity shop find, which I mentioned here, was a book I’d had on my radar and want-to-read list for quite a while – “The Suitcase” by Sergei Dovlatov, published by Alma Classics (who do bring us all kinds of interesting Russian things!). Dovlatov was an intriguing character, and his Wikipedia page makes fascinating reading. Born in 1941, his Jewish father was a theatre director and his Armenian mother a proofreader. After a colourful youth, spending time in the forces and as a prison guard, he then worked as a journalist while supplementing his income as a guide at a Pushkin museum near Pskov (which he draws on for another fiction). His work was of course censored and unpublished during his time in the Soviet Union, and he eventually emigrated to the USA with his wife, daughter and mother in 1979, where he finally achieved recognition as a writer.
You can divide the world into two kinds of people: those who ask, and those who answer. Those who pose questions, and those who frown in irritation in response.
Three of his books are published by Alma – Pushkin Hills, The Zone and The Suitcase; all three sound fascinating and are titles I’ve been hovering around. And interestingly, all three seem to draw strongly on Dovlatov’s life, though they are all billed as fiction. In “The Suitcase”, the author reflects on his emigration to the USA, and the fact that he was only allowed to bring a minimal amount of items with him. In the end, it was a single battered suitcase of clothes that travelled with him to his new life and one later day he comes across it in a cupboard. As he opens it to explore the items, each simple item of clothing sparks a memory from his past; a pair of socks is from the time the author was drawn into the black market trade; a belt is from his guard days; a suit brings back recollections of being asked to spy by the KGB; and a shirt recalls his courtship of his wife.
Each symbolic piece of clothing has a link to the author’s past, and Dovlatov revisits each event with humour and nostalgia. And as the book progresses, every tale adds more to the story of life in the USSR, with all its difficulties, red tape and stupidity. Yet there is a longing here, that of an exile from his country who’s chosen to leave but cannot quite abandon the past. So the items in the suitcase have been kept for what they represent, a personal history of the author.
So is this fiction or fact or something in between? Personally, I assume it’s the latter; ostensibly drawing on the structure of Dovlatov’s life, I imagine that the setting and events may be based on real ones, perhaps tweaked to fit the story the author wanted to tell. Regardless of this, it’s a wonderful little book, mixing pathos and humour and giving a real insight into what it was like to live under the Soviet regime. It’s funny and poignant, and very, very evocative. Dovlatov portrays himself as a bit of a failure, wonders about the state of his marriage, contemplates the stupidity of the system, all the while subverting your expectations. One chapter which I found particularly interesting was the one entitled “Fernand Leger’s Jacket” which reaches back into Dovlatov’s youth and his friendship with the son of the great Russian actor, Nikolai Cherkasov. The latter played most notably the title role in Eisenstein’s films of Ivan the Terrible – stunning films and stunning acting – and so I was fascinated to read about the family from someone who knew them.
“The Suitcase” is a short read – 129 pages – but it packs a lot into those pages, and it’s a book that will stay with me. It evokes brilliantly the sense of loss felt in exile, it vividly paints a picture of life under Soviet rule, and it’s also very, very funny. My first experience of reading Dovlatov has been wonderful, and I’m definitely going to look out for his other works.
roughghosts
Sep 09, 2016 @ 07:29:34
I’ve seen this book a few times in one of my favourite indie bookshops and I just checked their online catalog. They still have it. I will have to pick it up one of these days. I read Pushkin Hills last year when it was longlisted for the Best Translated Book Award. That one is translated by his daughter, a nice touch. I thought it was hilarious – the sort of low key, dry humour I love (that some people just don’t register). It is a book that has stayed with me since I read it, it’s not huge and profound, but it lingers.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Sep 09, 2016 @ 11:17:16
I think you’ve hit on what I felt about this one, Joe – even though it seems slight, it does longer and the humour is great. I definitely need to look out for Pushkin Hills!
JacquiWine
Sep 09, 2016 @ 07:51:04
Sounds interesting. Karen. The author’s longing for his homeland reminded me of some of Teffi’s pieces from her émigré years, her memories of the past and everything she had to leave behind…
kaggsysbookishramblings
Sep 09, 2016 @ 11:16:29
Yes, the homesickness is there, lurking under the surface. Despite the pettiness of everyday day, you can sense the longing for what’s lost.
WordWabbit
Sep 09, 2016 @ 08:12:33
I loved The Zone and The Foreign Woman. Dovlatov is definitely one of my favorite authors.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Sep 09, 2016 @ 09:58:35
That’s good to know – I’m keen to read more of his books!
WordWabbit
Sep 09, 2016 @ 14:58:49
Oh, and you can’t miss The Compromise. That was the first one I read.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Sep 09, 2016 @ 14:59:09
Excellent – thanks!
Sarah
Sep 09, 2016 @ 10:12:14
This does sound good. My TBR is totally out of control at the moment, but at 129 pages, it wouldn’t be like adding War & Peace to the pile. Hmm, tempting, very tempting!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Sep 09, 2016 @ 14:06:18
It’s nicely slim and easily read so yes do get it – because it does punch above its weight, as they say, and I’m still thinking about it quite a while after finishing it.
Jane @ Beyond Eden Rock
Sep 09, 2016 @ 12:57:56
This sounds intriguing – and very you!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Sep 09, 2016 @ 14:05:37
Ha! Yes, it *was* very me – and I do want to read more of his books now!
Anokatony
Sep 09, 2016 @ 14:32:21
I believe Mikhail Bulgakov was also a Russian theatre guy. I wonder if they knew each other.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Sep 09, 2016 @ 14:57:06
That’s an intriguing thought, though Bulgakov died before Dovlatov was born. Though he might have known his parents!
Anokatony
Sep 09, 2016 @ 16:07:23
You are right, Bulgakov died in 1940 and Dovlatov was born in 1941. Because ‘The Master and Margarita’ was not published until the 1960s, I thought that Bulgakov was still alive then.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Sep 09, 2016 @ 18:44:33
Alas no – Bulgakov was writing “for the drawer” with no hope of M&M being published in his lifetime. Most tragic.
heavenali
Sep 09, 2016 @ 18:53:11
I love the idea of pieces of clothing sparking memories of the author’s past. Sounds like a great little book.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Sep 09, 2016 @ 19:32:09
It’s a very clever idea and a really effective book.
BookerTalk
Sep 10, 2016 @ 00:04:49
Never heard of this author before – he does have a fascinating life.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Sep 10, 2016 @ 06:55:31
I don’t think he’s that well known in this country but he’s certainly worth reading!
Liz Dexter
Sep 10, 2016 @ 08:23:14
I’m reading your posts in the wrong order, so now I can see the connection with your latest one. Another excellent find!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Sep 10, 2016 @ 09:31:26
Yes, this was a lucky one and in a most unexpected charity shop!
Kat
Sep 12, 2016 @ 05:32:06
You do find the most fascinating books! I’m sure you’re right about the mix of fact and fiction.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Sep 12, 2016 @ 07:03:11
It was a happy find!
The Suitcase | VIRTUAL BORSCHT
Sep 29, 2016 @ 01:24:13