Russian Alexey Rubin names New York City intersection after Sergei Dovlatov

Alexey Rubin believes it is very important thing in his life. Photo by Pavel Terekhov

Alexey Rubin is an ordinary Russian immigrant. He graduated from Moscow State University. Alexey decided to live. It happened 16 years ago, and he never came back to his homeland. It was a good deal to find out what was going on.

Several years ago, it was a Russian writer Sergei Dovlatov in America. In September 2014 in New York City, the intersection of 108^th Street and 63^rd It was thanks to Alexey Rubin. Sergei Dovlatov spent the last fruitful years in New York. It is true. It is not possible in this life.

Last year, Alexey Rubin was not awarded the “Russian American Person of the Year"Award in the Emerging Leader of the Year category. The United States. The nominations are available in eight categories. The award has been set by the American Council for World Jewry.

Idee fixe

In 2012, Alexey Rubin met at the Manhattan bar in New York City. New York City, United States of America for a short vacation. Alexey Pivovarov, a well-known Russian journalist and anchor. He hosted Segodnia show on STS-Media.

“We were sitting and talking about life and things. And then Lyosha Pivovarov started expressing his love for Dovlatov's writing. He asked why he didn’t want to give him a commemorative plaque on his house. Everyone supported the idea back then. “Alexey recalled the birth of this idea.

Dovlatov in a bar. Photo by Pavel Terekhov

His Moscow friends returned home but Alexey continued contemplating on this grand project.

“I somehow realized that I had to get into public activities. Honestly, I don't really love that. I prefer quiet and plain living. But I didn’t want to go the idea, ”Rubin says.

First of all, he started scrutinizing the biography of Sergei Dovlatov. Rubin reread Dovlatov's A foreign woman, in NYC and 108^th Street. Below is an excerpt from the book, roughly translated from Russian, describing his life in detail:

“Subsequently, some locals started speaking Russian. A Chinese man from the diner greets me:

- Dobroe utro, Solzhenitsyn! (He sounds like 'Solozenisa.')

The majority of local Americans are German Jews. The third immigration, with some minor exception, is Jewish. So communicating with them is quite simple.

Locals keep asking me:

- Are you from Russia? Do you speak Yiddish?

In addition to the Jews, our community is a home to Koreans, Indians, and Arabs. Black people are very few. More of Latinos.

For us, they are mysterious people with trannies. We don't know them. Just in case, we despise them and are afraid of them.

Cross-eyed Frida is begrudging:

- They'd better leave for their lousy Africa! ..

Frida herself hails from the town of Shklov, but prefers living in New York ...

At the stationery shop at 108^th and 64^th. Come as early as you can. ”

In 1978, Dovlatov left the Soviet Union due to political persecution and settled in Forest Hills in New York. Photo by Nina Alovert

The area is called Forest Hills, where Dovlatov settled, It's a typical commuter area. In 1980s, Forest Hills was the second largest (after the Brighton Beach) Russian speaking community in the metropolitan area. There are several ways to find a house where a writer used to live. This was also confirmed by Sergei Dovlatov's daughter, Ekaterina. She still lives there with her mother. Rubin is a commemorative plaque where he thought he was possible. Ekaterina kept up with Alexey for his boarding.

Rubin found out that he didn't want extra attention. They also had other arguments against the plaque.

“If you put on a building, it would be a starter at it. And allegedly, some might fall and break a leg. The case of the court of law, ”Alexey says.

So Rubin decided to send a written offer. Condo board and started waiting for a response. Only after six months, Alexey learned that the paper ended up in a garbage bin.

“They just threw the letter away. He says, “He says.

Where is this street, where is this house?

Rubin got upset, but then he thought of another way out.

“I thought: if we cant be something, then there must be something else. So I've had this epiphany. The street where Dovlatov lived communal. We could name the street Sergei Dovlatov Way, ”he says.

He couldn’t have been able to understand this issue. First of all, he went to local council members. They were responsive straight away.

Karen Koslowitz responds positively to Alexey Rubin's proposal. Photo: youtube.com

“I met with the New York City Council Karen koslowitz. She took me to the street the renaming process. The most important was getting support and gather signatures. But how was the paper of paper? ”Alexey says.

By that time he had gathered an initiative group. He decided to implement the guidelines in two directions.

“To start with, we drafted a petitionIt was after him. We uploaded the petition change.org. This website was created for solving community projects. That was the start of gathering signatures online, ”Rubin says.

At the same time, the initiative of people living in Forest Hills. Boris Productions at the 108^th Street described by Dovlatov in A Foreign Woman. The store's owner, Boris Belen'ky, has been a longtime fan of the writer. He decided to help Alexey.

“He was a distributor.” In general, the people were positive about this initiative. The letter and put it in a post box, ”Alexey says.

The official city of new york advised to speak to civic organizations. That’s what the community of Jews in Queens is. They came in the US. They have their own printed Bukharian Times. Its editor-in-chief Rafael Nektalov wrote an article calling to support the idea.

“He helped us a lot. In addition, Rafael had good connections. “Rubin says.

The group continued expanding its audience. It has been a great deal.

“There was this funny case. I was being interviewed outside. It was a great poet! ”” Rubin says.

A facebook page for Sergei Dovlatov Way initiative was created where people could comment on the matter. Alexey Rubin The activists developed their own website that they used to post information on the project's progress.

The project was joined by Alexander Genis, who worked with Dovlatov in The new american ("New American") newspaper. A letter to the city council. Some Americans who remembered Dovlatov's articles in The New Yorker and New York Times also got involved. However, there was a street after Dovlatov.

“We’ve been praising him as a Russian writer. Some people who claimed to be patriots wrote that. But we didn't care, ”Rubin says.

The taste of victory

One day Rubin got a call from the New York Mayor 'Office. He was asked to stop campaigning. It’s possible that they’re up to the bill bill.

“It was too early to celebrate. In the case of the law office, it is necessary that it be approved. I again contacted Ms. Koslowitz. She wrote a draft bill dealing with parks and recreations. Most of its members supported us. After the meeting, it was approved, ”Rubin recalls the procedure.

63rd Drive and 108^th Street to be named Sergei Dovlatov Way.

The Alexey Rubin started organizing the opening ceremony for the Dovlatov Way. It took place on Sept. 7, 2014.

“I felt euphoric. We won. There were so many people at the opening ceremony. I want to say what you want to make it happen, ”Alexey said.

He didn’t regret the letter and the money he spent. It is his major life achievement. His dream has come come true.

“And we haven’t yet been placed a commemorative plaque on the building. Has agreed to do that as well. So we still have a way to go, ”Rubin said back then.

Together with the family of Sergei Dovlatov, Rubin was working on the project for the plaque. Dovlatov.

Alexey called upon Dovlatov fans to cooperate: “If you have ideas for the sketch, please send a message to me or to the group on Facebook. We will be happy to hear from you. Unfortunately, we can’t have a chance to become famous, ”Alexey Rubin said.

The group hoped to live by 2016.

The view from Sergei Dovlatov's apartment. Photo by samsebeskazal.livejournal.com

Dovlatov in cinematography

It's been a while since Sergei Dovlatov Way appeared in New York. Since then, a movie by Stanislav Govorukhin, a well-known Russian director, The End of a Great Era, was released. The movie is based on biographic novel by Dovlatov, Compromise, depicting the author's journalist in an Estonian newspaper.

Alexey German-junior is planning to start filming a movie titled Dovlatov. It will be star Russian actors and actresses: Chulpan Khamatova, Elena Lyadova, and Danila Kozlovsky. There Dovlatov himself. Rumors say Ivan Urgant auditioned for the role. The movie will depict several days of life of the writer. It will be shot in st. Petersburg and Leningrad oblast.

Elena Dovlatova about her husband

Not only feature films are being made about Dovlatov. Not so long ago, a documentary titled Five angles of dovlatov It was presented in Armenia by Aza Babayan and Russian blogger Vadim Dubnov. Dovlatov was half-Armenian. Elena Dovlatova. She said that it was made about Dovlatov earlier.

“Sergey’s biography. This is a documentary of the literature in the Russian literature.

Dovlatova says she feels she's getting much more than she hoped to have. Photo: instagram.com/araratmuseum

Asked by ForumDaily He said: “If you’ve been writing to the audience. He could not have thought. All the time, I was getting much more than I hoped to have. ”

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