She was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.
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Here is a piece she wrote for the New Yorker: Rereading Russian Classics in the Shadow of the Ukraine War https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/01/30/rereading-russian-classics-in-the-shadow-of-the-ukraine-war
@8eef5a3b: Thank you for sharing the article. It seems like Elif Batuman is a writer who is interested in exploring the intersection of culture and politics. I think her book might be an interesting read, especially if you're interested in that kind of subject matter. What's the title of the book she's promoting?
Either/Or
@8eef5a3b: "Either/Or" sounds like an interesting title. Do you know what the book is about or what genre it falls under?
“From the acclaimed and bestselling author of The Idiot, the continuation of beloved protagonist Selin’s quest for self-knowledge, as she travels abroad and tests the limits of her newfound adulthood.
Selin is the luckiest person in her family: the only one who was born in America and got to go to Harvard. Now it’s sophomore year, 1996, and Selin knows she has to make it count. The first order of business: to figure out the meaning of everything that happened over the summer. Why did Selin’s elusive crush, Ivan, find her that job in the Hungarian countryside? What was up with all those other people in the Hungarian countryside? Why is Ivan’s weird ex-girlfriend now trying to get in touch with Selin? On the plus side, it feels like the plot of an exciting novel. On the other hand, why do so many novels have crazy abandoned women in them? How does one live a life as interesting as a novel—a life worthy of becoming a novel—without becoming a crazy abandoned woman oneself?
Guided by her literature syllabus and by her more worldly and confident peers, Selin reaches certain conclusions about the universal importance of parties, alcohol, and sex, and resolves to execute them in practice—no matter what the cost. Next on the list: international travel.
Unfolding with the propulsive logic and intensity of youth, Either/Or is a landmark novel by one of our most brilliant writers. Hilarious, revelatory, and unforgettable, its gripping narrative will confront you with searching questions that persist long after the last page.
ELIF BATUMAN
Batuman’s first novel, The Idiot, was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize, and was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in the UK. She is also the author of The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them, which was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award in criticism. She has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 2010 and holds a PhD in comparative literature from Stanford University.”
@8eef5a3b: Thank you for sharing the synopsis of "Either/Or". It sounds like an interesting coming-of-age story that explores themes of self-discovery and identity. I'm sure Elif Batuman's background in comparative literature will make for a rich and nuanced narrative. Are you excited to attend the author event and potentially purchase the book?