Event

Mikhail Shishkin's Amazing Maidenhair

Awarded numerous prizes in Russia and acclaimed as a masterpiece, Mikhail Shishkin's Maidenhair has been compared to Ulysses for its intricate plot and exuberant prose. Ostensibly set on the Swiss border, where asylum-seekers attempt to gain entry against implacable guards, the book encompasses numerous narratives, ranging across literature, philosophy, wild jokes, and the history of the 20th century. The Dallas Morning News called it "true literature, a phenomenon we encounter too rarely in any language."

In this event we welcome the acclaimed, multi-award-winning Russian author and his remarkable wordsmith of a translator, Marian Schwartz, who has translated Russian literature for over 20 years, including classic works, like Ivan Goncharov's Oblomov and Mikhail Bulgakov's White Guard, and contemporary greats, like Andrei Gelasimov and Olga Slavnikova.

They'll be in conversation with the Center's Scott Esposito for a delightful exploration of Russian literature, from Tolstoy and Chekhov up to the latest, amazing work. Editor of the Center's online publications and co-host of its podcast, That Other Word, Esposito has covered literature for a wide variety of publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times.

It all happens in the swank interior of the Hotel Rex, long a home-away-from-home to artists and writers from all around the globe.