15 Questions with Gary Shteyngart

Gary Shteyngart, one of The New Yorker’s 2010 “Top 20 Writers Under 40” last week and the mind behind the acclaimed novels “Absurdistan,” “The Russian Debutante’s Handbook,” and “Super Sad True Love Story,” visited Currier House to discuss his third and latest work. FM caught up with the author to talk about his Russian heritage, adjustment to life in America, and, of course, his new book. Be warned—some of his answers are just as sarcastic as his writing.

1. Fifteen Minutes: In your latest book “Super Sad True Love Story,” the main character Lenny is one of the last remaining people to take pleasure in books, objects the novel’s society has deemed remnants of the past. Do you think we’re actually headed in this direction?

Gary Shteyngart: I mean, we never know what’s going to happen, but it’s interesting to note that the collapse of the Roman Empire led to a huge decline in reading and more towards a visual kind of art. So who knows, maybe the collapse of the American empire and the decline of the American empire will cause some kind of shift away from the literary as well. When you write speculative fiction, you aren’t writing about the future; you’re writing about today, and that’s what’s always interested me. I think that the most frightening parallel is not just reading but America’s declining education. This country can’t compete very well with other countries, not just in reading but in math and science as well. It’s just not up to snuff, and that’s something that’s going to continue.

2. FM: Are these American flaws or universal ones?

GS: People are, I think, reading less and less around the world, but it’s much more pronounced in America. On the other hand, people seem to follow us around, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it was declining elsewhere too.

3. FM:  The New York Times has said that your writing has a “darkly satiric edge.” Do you think that satire is the most accessible way of opening people’s eyes to the problems of society?

GS: I’m not sure. I think that satire is very much a part of the world we live in, the age we live in. People turn to John Stewart’s “Daily Show” for the news—for many people it’s their primary source of the news. So I think it reflects the fact that we don’t really believe anyone or anything unless it’s told in a joke.

4. FM: Have you ever met someone who didn’t understand the satirical nature of your writing?

GS: Yes, I’ve had a lot of people like that. Some people complain that I don’t have any attractive Jewish characters, and if you look at my work, there aren’t any attractive characters from any race, creed, or ethnicity. For me, it’s an equal opportunity kind of thing.

5. FM: Having grown up in the Soviet Union before emigrating at the age of 6, what was the biggest adjustment to the American lifestyle?

GS: I think pizza. I almost choked on a slice—I didn’t realize the cheese was so gooey. I kept trying to eat it and just kept choking. I almost died. And capitalism is tough; always having to work for a living is very annoying.

6. FM: Is there anything you miss?

GS:  I go to Russia quite a bit, but I guess I just miss how the people are warm and friendly and drunk all the time.

FM: So would you describe Americans as cold and surly and sober all of the time?

GS:  I think these internets (sic) make us very isolated. So much stuff now, so much social networking is handled online, and that’s what makes me sad. I miss the daily contact with human beings. I mean, look at us—we’re doing this interview by phone, and I do a lot of interviews by e-mail. I never see anyone anymore.

7. FM: What aspects of both Russian and American literature would you say make their way into your writing?

GS: The satirical Russian stuff definitely influences it, the sense of humor and the sense of sort of always being unhappy with society and making a lot of fun of it. In terms of American, I don’t know. I think I have the American work ethic, maybe because I have such a big mortgage and I have to work all the time.

8. FM: Is there a difference between Russian and American humor?

GS: The Russian humor I know is kind of Russian Jewish humor. It’s very much humor from the edge of the grave, very dark. whereas American humor is more optimistic. This is the society that came up with the slogan, “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” I wish I were more optimistic. It’d seem happier. But then again, religious people are happier than those who aren’t, but that’s still not enough to make me believe in God. So I’m taking the realist approach.

9. FM: Do you have anything to say to engineering majors who worry that they should have done Visual and Environmental Studies instead?

GS: My advice is just to get out of dodge as much as possible. Don’t spend all of your time in the same place. You know if you’re living in Brooklyn, leave Brooklyn or wherever you are. It’s a really fascinating world, so before you decide what you want to do with your life, make sure that you’ve seen the world.

FM: And what has seeing the world done for you?

GS:  It’s given me the material for three books.

10. FM: What led to your current teaching position at Columbia University?

GS: Teaching is fun, and I’m pretty good at it. It helps me to pass the time.

FM: Pass the time between what and what?

GS:  Between writing and getting trashed.

11. FM: What is the greatest lesson that you try to impart on your students?

GS:  Find a good voice, and be honest and not pretentious.

FM: And do you think that you’ve accomplished those three things?

GS:  Everything except the last thing.

12. FM: What was your reaction when you found out that you would be James Franco’s teacher?

GS: I fell on my fainting couch and I just started crying into a napkin, I couldn’t believe my good fortune.

FM: I think all of us would.

GS: Yeah, I mean the crush we have on him is collective and beautiful.

FM: It’s a very large part of my life.

GS: Me too.

13. FM: Describe Columbia in 15 words or fewer.

GS: It’s a college in the Upper West Side of New York City.

14. FM: Describe Harvard in 15 words or fewer.

GS: It’s a place that they would never let me near.

15. FM: Now that you’ve visited and spoken to students here, would you consider making the move from Morningside Heights to Cambridge?

GS: You need better sashimi restaurants before that move can be accomplished.