"Yeah, Absurdistan, this is the second novel I published, and the main character's called, Misha Vainberg, who's kind of a son of a Russian oligarch with a botched circumcision and all kinds of euphemisms. An abused iguana, the bombing of Dresden, is all these different ways to describe his penis and I think people like that. I think his botched schlong was, many reviewers noted his botched schlong."
"The New Yorker actually named him one of the, 20 Under 40, luminary fiction writers. Whatever people want, they want the Jew, we'll get the Jew, you want a Russian, I'll be Russian. You want an American, all right, a New Yorker fine, up-stater, great. My worst critic will always be my parents. And my dad would be like, 'Oh, good reviews in New York Times, but I looked online and the [indistinct] says, we're finished, that's all right.' [audience laughing]"
Gary Shteyngart wrote Little Failure, Absurdistan, and The Russian Debutante's Handbook and achieved wide recognition and publication in many countries. His work received praise from major outlets and inclusion on year-end best-of lists and honors like a 20 Under 40 mention. He uses self-deprecating family anecdotes about parental expectations and reactions to fame. A recurring comedic motif is a botched circumcision that becomes an identity marker and source of satire. Absurdistan features a protagonist, Misha Vainberg, whose emasculation and vivid euphemisms for his penis are treated with dark, absurd humor. He also jokes about his limitations drawing onstage.
Read at The New Yorker
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