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Gary Shteyngart Answers Questions

Getting ready for Dawn 2010

by
Marc Tracy
May 10, 2010
Novelist Gary Shteyngart.(Wikipedia)
Novelist Gary Shteyngart.(Wikipedia)

Gary Shteyngart, whose third novel, Super Sad True Love Story, comes out in July, will be among the presenters at Dawn 2010, the Tablet-sponsored late-night cultural arts festival going down in honor of Shavuot on the evening of Saturday, May 15 in San Francisco. Specifically, he’ll be interviewed by Editor-in-Chief Alana Newhouse.

So, Mr. Shteyngart, what exactly will you be doing?

Alana Newhouse will be talking with me about stuff. Very exciting. I heart Alana very much. She threw me a book party for my last novel-type thing, Absurdistan, and it blew the roof off a bar in downtown Manhattan. Many were hurt.

Have you ever stayed up all night on Shavuot to study before?

Shavuot, which one is that? Temple burned? Temple rebuilt? Exile in Babylon? Return from Babylon? I guess the answer is no, I’ve never stayed up to study.

First time for everything. What are you most looking forward to at Dawn?

I’m looking forward to SF, specifically the jiggling beef dish in that Vietnamese place in the Ferry Building. A Shavuot tradition.

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.