How to (Not) Become a Writer: the Soviet Edition

By Margarita Gokun Silver

I wasn’t always committed to writing, for two main reasons: (1) Soviet teachers and (2) Soviet parents.

I’ll start with the teachers, because when we were growing up we weren’t allowed ever to question the teachers. I’m just making up for lost time.

Most Soviet teachers fell into two camps—flustered or scary. Our Russian language and literature teacher was scary. She usually walked into the classroom with her neck askew like a hawk, her large wire glasses...