Abstract
Although he mainly wrote tales and novels, the autobiographical theme represents a meaningful aspect in Sergei Dovlatov’s creative process: his works, in fact, have frequently been defined as ‘autobiographical comedies’. The present article will be devoted to the analysis of the characterizing features of the biographical motif in the Russian writer’s work, starting from the skillful usage of auto-fictional strategies and from the most relevant stylistic choices. The first part of the paper concentrates on the complex and multi-faceted relationship between the author and the so-called ‘Dovlatov fictional character’. Another relevant aspect of the analysis regards the role and the peculiar nature of memory, which from text to text provides the plot frame and at the same time one of the fundamental mechanisms underlying Dovlatov’s writing technique. The third section of the article is devoted to the analysis of the representation of surrounding reality, which actively interacts with the fictional images of the self in Dovlatov’s work.