AUDIO: Gary Shteyngart In Conversation
Ten years ago I interviewed Gary Shteyngart for a profile in Zeek.. At the time his hair was brown and mine covered my head. In the time since then he has continued to put out books at a steady rate of one every three or four years, though “Little Failure” in 2014, was a comic autobiography rather than a fictional satire. His earlier novels (“Absurdistan” and “The Russian Debutante’s Handbook”) were about Americans’ crazy adventures in the disintegrating Soviet Empire. His most recent two novels “Super Sad True Love Story” and the current “Lake Success” deal with dystopian visions of America, especially related to the unhealthy distribution and importance of money and credit.
Once Shteyngart arrived at the Forward offices, I introduced him to our founding editor Ab Cahan (pictured), fed him and asked him whether he’d brought in a Jewish joke or story as I’d asked. He told me that he had given it some thought but had not managed to think of a suitable one. “I embody Jewish comedy,” he said in a self-disparaging tone. With that in mind, I sat down for an hour long chat with Shteyngart to discuss satire, parenthood, dystopias and the importance of living near Canada.
Produced by Jono Bernstein
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30