Gary Shteyngart

Assistant Professor

Gary Shteyngart was born in Leningrad in 1972, and came to the United States seven years later. He is the author of the novels Absurdistan and The Russian Debutante's Handbook. Absurdistan was chosen as one of the ten best books of the year by The New York Times Book Review and Time magazine, as well as a book of the year by the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle and many other publications. The Russian Debutante's Handbook won the Stephen Crane Award for First Fiction and the National Jewish Book Award for Fiction, was named a New York Times Notable Book and one of the best debuts of the year by The Guardian (UK). His fiction and essays have appeared in the New Yorker, Granta, Esquire, GQ, The New York Times Magazine, and many other publications. Gary Shteyngart is a contributing editor to Travel & Leisure magazine. One of his travelogues is included in the Best American Travel Writing of 2006 anthology. His work has or will soon be published in seventeen countries. He received a degree in politics from Oberlin College and an MFA in creative writing from Hunter College where he has previously taught. He lives in New York.