From the Publisher
"Absurdistan is not just a hilarious novel, but a record
of a particular peak in the history of human folly. No one is more
capable of dealing with the transition from the hell of socialism
to the hell of capitalism in Eastern Europe than Shteyngart, the
great-great grandson of one Nikolai Gogol and the funniest
foreigner alive."
-Aleksandar Hemon
From the critically acclaimed, bestselling author of The
Russian Debutante's Handbook comes the uproarious and poignant
story of one very fat man and one very small country
Meet Misha Vainberg, aka Snack Daddy, a 325-pound disaster of a
human being, son of the 1,238th-richest man in Russia, proud holder
of a degree in multicultural studies from Accidental College, USA
(don't even ask), and patriot of no country save the great City of
New York. Poor Misha just wants to live in the South Bronx with his
hot Latina girlfriend, but after his gangster father murders an
Oklahoma businessman in Russia, all hopes of a U.S. visa are
lost.
Salvation lies in the tiny, oil-rich nation of Absurdistan, where a
crooked consular officer will sell Misha a Belgian passport. But
after a civil war breaks out between two competing ethnic groups
and a local warlord installs hapless Misha as minister of
multicultural affairs, our hero soon finds himself covered in oil,
fighting for his life, falling in love, and trying to figure out if
a normal life is still possible in the twenty-first century.
With the enormous success of The Russian Debutante's
Handbook, Gary Shteyngart established himself as a central
figure in today's literary world-"one of the most talented and
entertaining writers of his generation," according to The New
York Observer. In Absurdistan, he delivers an even
funnier and wiser literary performance. Misha Vainberg is a hero
for the new century, a glimmer of humanity in a world of dashed
hopes.
From the Hardcover edition.
About the Author
Gary Shteyngart was born in Leningrad in 1972 and came to the
United States seven years later. His debut novel, The Russian
Debutante's Handbook, won the Stephen Crane Award for First Fiction
and the National Jewish Book Award for Fiction. It was also named a
New York Times Notable Book, a best book of the year by The
Washington Post and Entertainment Weekly, and one of the best
debuts of the year by The Guardian. His fiction and essays have
appeared in The New Yorker, Granta, GQ, Esquire, The New York Times
Magazine, and many other publications. He lives in New York.
From the Hardcover edition.