Call Me Igor: Shootin' the Breeze With Gary Shteyngart
He’s loved by New York’s Lower East Siders, Russian Jews and hopefully his mother, though not necessarily in that order. His novels, The Russian Debutante’s Handbook, Absurdistan and Super Sad True Love Story are send-ups of everything from post-Soviet awakenings and American credit disasters to loserish love. Here, he waxes Shteyngartian …
On his fate if he’d stuck with his original name, Igor
I’d be an amazing Russian oligarch. Nickel, oil, aluminum, I would have had a hand in all of it. Instead, I’m just another New York writer with lousy facial hair. Why the hell did we ever leave Russia?
On what convinced him to come to Beijing
China’s amazing. And insane. I’ve only been to Shenzhen on the Chinese mainland, and Hong Kong, but there’s something very addictive about the place where the future is being manufactured. Also, as a former Soviet citizen I love pollution, especially when the particles are less than 2.5 micrometers in size.
On what he’s looking forward to
All of it. I love food. I love duck and lamb. I love cities that are sprawling and out of control. When you fly back from, say, Hong Kong or Seoul, and land in New York, everything feels so old and tired and small.
On what he’s most anxious about
Oh, I’m anxious about everything no matter where I am. Luckily, the frontiers of chemistry are shifting as we speak.
On the short story he’ll write to parody his trip here
Getting drunk off of baijiu, falling asleep at my own reading and then making some awful remark at a meeting of the Politburo are all things I plan to do. I mean, that Shteynfarb would plan to do.
On the future of the US and China
The jury’s still out on where China is heading, but I know where the US is going. Just look up Argentina on Wikipedia and substitute Washington for Buenos Aires.
On writing more about China in the future
Sure. But it’s a little too big. I’m looking for something more Korea-sized.
On how autobiographical his nerdy leading men are
Not at all. Unlike my last protagonist, my bald spot is not shaped like Ohio. (It’s more West Virginia.)
On how he ditched his Russian accent
I practiced in front of the mirror. The diction in Baywatch is actually very helpful. As are the CPR tips.
On how to go viral on YouTube
Two words: James and Franco.
On what’s been inspiring him lately
I like that book by that guy I’d never heard of, the one set in Vietnam that took 30 years to write. [We think he means Matterhorn, by Karl Marlantes.–Ed.]
On his very productive writing routine
I eat a small pheasant in the morning and one at night. That plus 1.5 liters of alcohol usually does the trick.
On how to get published
You have to sleep with everyone you meet in Manhattan until you stumble on the right person in publishing. Try on their glasses. If they’re almost completely blind, you’re getting warmer.
Try sleeping with someone at The Bookworm to get into Shteyngart’s sold out BLF appearances on Mar 9 and 11. Or just get on the waiting list.
Click here to see the March issue of the Beijinger in full.
Photo courtesy of Gary Shteyngart
