Welcome - Introduce Yourself

[Stephan]

Feel free to say a little bit about yourself and what brought you here. If you need an ice-breaker, what is the last book you have read that is set in Russia or Ukraine?

[Pamela]

Mostly here to celebrate your publication, Stephan. The collection sounds excellent. Let's see--probably Brothers Karamazov, which I reread this past summer. For some reason it was a harder read than the first time (20 years ago). Brain must be getting soft. Also read Turgenev's Fathers & Sons not too long ago--a treat.

[Stephan]

I think Nabokov's contempt for Dostoyevsky has leeched into my own life, Pamela. Haven't read anything of his in years. I've been skewing 20th Century of late. Bunin, Voinovich, Dovlatov. Thanks for chiming in.

[Pamela]

well, there's plenty to fault FD for. Looking forward to your collection.

[Anne]

Hiya! I downloaded your collection a week or so ago, Stephan, look forward to reading it. I may have seen earlier versions of some of the stories in various mags. Latest book read set in Russia/Ukraine? Probably Everything is Illuminated, but that was a few years ago. And a few Chekhov stories here and there.

[Jim]

Hi Stephan! That's a tough question, probably David Francis's Stray Dog Winter which I really liked. And I think Tom McCarthy's first novel is there, too, which is on my "to read" shelf.

[Stephan]

Anne wrote: "Probably Everything is Illuminated..."
Did you like it? I really liked the backstory, but the the modern-day Ukrainians, with their "funny" English, were treated with all the subtlety of a minstrel show. I probably reacted so strongly against it because I read it while I was teaching English to Ukrainians -- and they were all so brilliant, so smart and sophisticated, that I felt I'd be betraying them if I liked the Safran Foer. On top of which, he got so much money at a young age!