Occupation: Author of ’All the Sad Young Literary Men’ and editor-in-chief of n+1 magazine (twice-yearly about literature, politics and culture). Has written about books for Dissent, Slate and New York. Dubbed the “Literary heart-throb” by gawker.com.
DOB: January 9, 1975 In: Moscow, Russia
Hobbies/Interests: “I play football and hockey.”
Favorite Movie: “There’s a Russian movie called Autumn Marathon – great movie.
Favorite TV Show: “Simpsons.”
Musical Tastes: “Radiohead.”
First Job: “Hmm, I can’t remember…I guess I was a camp counselor for kids in Boston.”
First Car: “An ‘86 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera. (Color?) Purple [smiles].”
Favorite Meal: “Borscht.”
Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “I never, I don’t eat cereal.”
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Chocolate chip.”
Early Career Memory: “I reviewed Ken Kalfus’s PS 239 – it was a book of stories – and I knew him a little bit and he wrote me an e-mail and he said, That was a real nice review and my publishers are very happy too. And I was like, I think I was too nice. And he’s like, No, you called one of my stories gratuitous… You asshole [laughs]!”
Greatest Career Moment: “I wrote a review of Martin Amis for The Nation. And then I saw Vivian Gornick at a party. And she said: “You wrote that review of Martin Amis? I loved that.” And she put her hand on my arm.”
Most Painful Moment: “Uuhh. I wrote a review about (VS) Naipaul, who won the Nobel Prize a couple of years ago. But the new book wasn’t very good. And I said it wasn’t very good. And somebody e-mailed and I mixed up – one guy’s name was Peter and the other guy’s name was Richard. And I mixed up the names and my editor’s like, I think we need to run a correction [smiles]. Because you mixed up the names.”
Favorite Vacation Spot: “Cape Cod.”
Favorite Writers: “Oh. Don Delillo. Gogel. I love Gogel. And Michel Houellebecq, the Frenchman.”
Childhood Dream: “I wanted to be Dostoevsky. Yeah.”
People Qualities Most Admired: “I guess, you live in New York, the wrong time and people are sometimes lying to you, like, I love what you wrote, your thing that you wrote, so great. So, honesty. Honesty because people are full of shit [laughs].”
Education: Harvard (History and Literature), MFA Syracuse.
Topics: Breakfast Cereal, Camp Counselor, Career Moment, Childhood Dream, E Mail, Favorite Tv Show, Gogel, Heart Throb, Hobbies Interests, Ken Kalfus, Literary Men, Martin Amis, Michel Houellebecq, Moscow Russia, Musical Tastes, Nobel Prize, Oldsmobile Cutlass, Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, Painful Moment, Vivian Gornick
Biofile with Keith Gessen