Soviet-Born Authors Prove Popular in United States

[Nonno]

The St. Petersburg Times - Feature - Soviet-Born Authors Prove Popular in United States

CHICAGO — A steaming bowl of homemade borshch that brings memories of the Russian homeland. An elderly Soviet immigrant who falls victim to the affection of two lonely fellow countrywomen. A young woman looking for a sense of belonging in a country where even snow feels alien.

With her new collection of short stories, “Broccoli and Other Tales of Food and Love,” Lara Vapnyar, 37, is one of a growing group of Soviet-born immigrants to emerge as popular writers in the United States.

Mixing drama, satire and personal experience, they explore the bitter, confusing but often comic tales of Russian and Soviet immigrants stuck between their troubled homeland and the country where they have long sought to live but to which they have not yet adjusted.
Some of these authors, who all write in English, moved to the United States as small children and adopted English as their primary language. Others, such as Vapnyar, immigrated in their late teens or early 20s and had a tougher time learning the language.

Drawing on the richness of their native tongue, their writing offers a glimpse into the Russian language with its colorful metaphors and descriptions — in works by such writers as Vapnyar; Gary Shteyngart, “The Russian Debutante’s Handbook” (2002) and “Absurdistan” (2006); Canadian David Bezmozgis and his short story collection “Natasha and Other Stories” (2004); Olga Grushin, “The Dream Life of Sukhanov” (2006); Ellen Litman, “The Last Chicken in America” (2007); and Anya Ulinich, “Petropolis” (2007).