Pushkin Hills.

An unsuccessful writer and an inveterate alcoholic, Boris Alikhanov is running out of money and has recently divorced his wife, Tatyana, who intends to emigrate to the West with their daughter Masha. The prospect of a summer job as a tourist guide at the Pushkin Hills preserve offers him hope of bringing back some balance to his life, but during his stay in the rural estate of Mikhaylovskoye, Alikhanov’s life continues to unravel.

Populated with unforgettable characters, such as Alikhanov’s fellow guides Mitrofanov and Pototsky and the KGB officer Belyaev, Pushkin Hills is arguably Dovlatov’s most personal work and a poignant portrayal of the Russian attitude towards life and art.