- Affiliate (novel)
"Affiliate (Notes of a Radio Presenter)" (Russian: "Филиал (Записки ведущего)") is a
novel by theRussia n writerSergei Dovlatov . It was written in 1990 and first published in America.Plot introduction
The story is set in
New York in the 1980s, and then moves toLos Angeles . It is told in thefirst person by a man called Dalmatov, seemingly loosely based on Dovlatov himself: he is an immigrant from Russia, and an unsuccessful writer, working for the American-based Russian-language press.Dalmatov presents a programme in Russian on the radio, and is sent to Los Angeles to report on a conference of
Soviet dissident s. When he arrives, he bumps into his first love, Tasya, and the memories of their courtship when they both lived in the Soviet Union come flooding back.Analysis
The story is told in episodic form, in a style reminiscent of
aphorism s. Present day events are interspersed withflashback s from the narrator's youth. The is a heavy emphasis on theabsurd , and how it can bring levity to depressing reality.Publication history
The book was first published in New York by publishing house Слово (Word) in 1990.
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