Gary Shteyngart — writer with roots in the USSR
Gary Shteyngart is a Russian-American novelist born in Leningrad who emigrated to New York at age seven. His satirical novels — The Russian Debutante's Handbook, Absurdistan, Super Sad True Love Story — blend immigrant memoir, geopolitical comedy, and dystopian fiction into a singular literary voice.
Tracing the roots — Leningrad (St. Pete)
Born in Leningrad in 1972 and raised in Queens, New York, Shteyngart occupies a unique position — old enough to remember Soviet life, young enough to become entirely American. His memoir Little Failure chronicles the immigrant experience with heartbreaking and hilarious precision.
Leningrad (St. Pete). At the time, this region was one of the fifteen republics of the Soviet Union.
A career defined by ambition
"I came to America at seven knowing three words in English: Apple, Hello, Bye-bye."