Bookworm
Gary Shteyngart: Little Failure
Shteyngart wrote his memoir when he realized that his life story mirrored that of the 20th century, the saga of one failed superpower giving way to another failing one.
By Michael Silverblatt • • 28m ListenGary Shteyngart began to write a memoir when he realized that his life story mirrored the story of the twentieth century – that is, the saga of one failed superpower, giving way to another failing one. Shteyngart emigrated from Soviet Leningrad to Queens at age seven, and chronicles his alien coming of age in New York in
(Random House). Shteyngart talks about the book's delicate mix of storytelling, hilarity, and deep sorrow – a concoction, he says, intended to provoke both laughter and simultaneous sighs of
oy vey.
