Keith Gessen

''All the Sad Young Literary Men'' radiates with comedic warmth and biting honesty and signals the arrival of a brave and trenchant new writer. Autor comparado con Dave Eggers o Jonathan Safran Foer. Escribe para The New Yorker y Harper''s Bazaar.

In the summer of 2008, Andrei Kaplan moves from New York to Moscow to look after his ageing grandmother, a woman who survived the dark days of communism and witnessed Russias violent capitalist transformation. She welcomes Andrei into her home, even if she cant always remember who he is. Andrei learns to navigate Putins Moscow, still the city of his birth, but with more expensive coffee. He looks after his elderly but surprisingly sharp! grandmother, finds a place to play hockey, a cafe to send emails, and eventually some friends, including a beautiful young activist named Yulia. Capturing with a miniaturists brush the unfolding demands of family, fortune, personal ambition, ideology, and desire, A Terrible Country is a compelling novel about ageing, radical politics, Russia at a crossroads, and the difficulty or impossibility of actually changing ones life.

Gessen''s acclaimed debut offers a charming yet scathing portrait of young adulthood in the 21st century. The novel charts the lives of Sam, Mark, and Keith as they overthink their college years, underthink their love lives, and struggle to find a semblance of maturity.

Given the bedlam it describes, Raising Raffi is impressively clear-sighted, entertaining and analytical - Financial TimesA wise, mild and enviably lucid book about a chaotic scene - Dwight Garner, New York TimesEngaging, accessible, down to earth... There is much wry humour here - James Cook, Times Literary Supplement Keith Gessen had always assumed that he would have kids, but couldnt imagine what parenthood would be like, nor what kind of parent he would be. Then, one Tuesday night in early June, Raffi was born, a child as real and complex and demanding of his parents energy as he was singularly magical.Fatherhood is another country: a place where the old concerns are swept away, where the ordering of time is reconstituted, where days unfold according to a childs needs. Like all parents, Gessen wants to do what is best for his child. But he has no idea what that is.Written over the first five years of Raffis life, Raising Raffi examines the profound, overwhelming, often maddening experience of being a dad. How do you instil in your child a sense of his heritage without passing on that historys darker sides? Is parental anger normal, possibly useful, or is it inevitably destructive? And what do you do, in a pandemic, when the whole world seems to fall apart? By turns hilarious and poignant, Raising Raffi is a story of what it means to invent the world anew.

Cuando el hermano mayor de Andréi Kaplan, Dima, insiste en que Andréi regrese a Moscú para cuidar a su abuela enferma, Andréi debe hacer un balance de su vida en Nueva York. Su novia ha dejado de devolver sus mensajes de texto. Su tutor de tesis tiene dudas sobre sus perspectivas de trabajo. Es el verano de 2008 y su cuenta bancaria se esta agotando peligrosamente. Quizas unos meses en Moscu son justo lo que necesita. Asi que Andrei empaca sus cosas de hockey y se muda al departamento que Stalin le asigno a su abuela, una mujer que ha sobrevivido a su esposo y a la mayoria de sus amigos. Sobrevivio tambien a los oscuros dias del comunismo y fue testigo de la violenta transformacion capitalista de Rusia, durante la cual perdio su amada dacha. Da la bienvenida a Andrei a su casa, incluso sin recordar quien es. Andrei aprende a navegar por el Moscu de Putin, aun la ciudad de su nacimiento, pero con un cafe mas caro. Cuida a su abuela, encuentra un lugar para jugar hockey, un cafe desde el que enviar emails y, finalmente, algunos amigos, incluida una hermosa joven activista llamada Yulia. A lo largo del año, la salud de su abuela declina. Andrei sabe que debe tener en cuenta su futuro y tomar decisiones que determinaran su vida y su destino. Cuando se enreda con un grupo de izquierdistas, la politica de Andrei y sus lealtades se ponen a prueba, y se ve obligado a aceptar la sociedad rusa en la que nacio y la estadounidense que ha disfrutado desde que era un niño. Una novela sabia y sensible sobre Rusia, el exilio, la familia, el amor, la historia y el destino, Un pais terrible cuestiona que debemos al con gracia y humor, Keith Gessen nos ofrece una novela brillante y madura que seguramente lo marcara como uno lugar donde nacemos y que nos debe este. Escrita de los novelistas mas talentosos de su generacion.Cuando el hermano mayor de Andréi Kaplan, Dima, insiste en que Andréi regrese a Moscú para cuidar a su abuela enferma, Andréi debe hacer un balance de su vida en Nueva York. Su novia ha dejado de devolver sus mensajes de texto. Su tutor de tesis tiene dudas sobre sus perspectivas de trabajo. Es el verano de 2008 y su cuenta bancaria se esta agotando peligrosamente. Quizas unos meses en Moscu son justo lo que necesita. Asi que Andrei empaca sus cosas de hockey y se muda al departamento que Stalin le asigno a su abuela, una mujer que ha sobrevivido a su esposo y a la mayoria de sus amigos. Sobrevivio tambien a los oscuros dias del comunismo y fue testigo de la violenta transformacion capitalista de Rusia, durante la cual perdio su amada dacha. Da la bienvenida a Andrei a su casa, incluso sin recordar quien es. Andrei aprende a navegar por el Moscu de Putin, aun la ciudad de su nacimiento, pero con un cafe mas caro. Cuida a su abuela, encuentra un lugar para jugar hockey, un cafe desde el que enviar emails y, finalmente, algunos amigos, incluida una hermosa joven activista llamada Yulia. A lo largo del año, la salud de su abuela declina. Andrei sabe que debe tener en cuenta su futuro y tomar decisiones que determinaran su vida y su destino. Cuando se enreda con un grupo de izquierdistas, la politica de Andrei y sus lealtades se ponen a prueba, y se ve obligado a aceptar la sociedad rusa en la que nacio y la estadounidense que ha disfrutado desde que era un niño. Una novela sabia y sensible sobre Rusia, el exilio, la familia, el amor, la historia y el destino, Un pais terrible cuestiona que debemos al con gracia y humor, Keith Gessen nos ofrece una novela brillante y madura que seguramente lo marcara como uno lugar donde nacemos y que nos debe este. Escrita de los novelistas mas talentosos de su generacion.

Hilarious. . . . To understand Russia, read A Terrible Country.Time"This artful and autumnal novel, published in high summer, is a gift to those who wish to receive it."Dwight Garner, The New York Times"Hilarious, heartbreaking . . . A Terrible Country may be one of the best books youll read this year."Ann Levin,Associated PressA New York Times Editors ChoiceNamed a Best Book of 2018 by Bookforum, Nylon, Esquire, and VultureA literary triumph about Russia, family, love, and loyaltyfrom a founding editor of n+1 and the author of Raising RaffiWhen Andrei Kaplans older brother Dima insists that Andrei return to Moscow to care for their ailing grandmother, Andrei must take stock of his life in New York. His girlfriend has stopped returning his text messages. His dissertation adviser is dubious about his job prospects. Its the summer of 2008, and his bank account is running dangerously low. Perhaps a few months in Moscow are just what he needs. So Andrei sublets his room in Brooklyn, packs up his hockey stuff, and moves into the apartment that Stalin himself had given his grandmother, a woman who has outlived her husband and most of her friends. She survived the dark days of communism and witnessed Russias violent capitalist transformation, during which she lost her beloved dacha. She welcomes Andrei into her home, even if she cant always remember who he is.Andrei learns to navigate Putins Moscow, still the city of his birth, but with more expensive coffee. He looks after his elderlybut surprisingly sharp!grandmother, finds a place to play hockey, a cafe to send emails, and eventually some friends, including a beautiful young activist named Yulia. Over the course of the year, his grandmothers health declines and his feelings of dislocation from both Russia and America deepen. Andrei knows he must reckon with his future and make choices that will determine his life and fate. When he becomes entangled with a group of leftists, Andreis politics and his allegiances are tested, and he is forced to come to terms with the Russian society he was born into and the American one he has enjoyed since he was a kid.A wise, sensitive novel about Russia, exile, family, love, history and fate, A Terrible County asks what you owe the place you were born, and what it owes you. Writing with grace and humor, Keith Gessen gives us a brilliant and mature novel that is sure to mark him as one of the most talented novelists of his generation.

A wise, mild and enviably lucid book about a chaotic scene. Dwight Garner, The New York Times Memoirs of fatherhood are rarely so honest or so blunt. Daniel Engber, The Atlantic An instant classic. M. C. Mah, Romper NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2022 BY LIT HUB & THE MILLIONS An unsparing, loving account of fatherhood and the surprising, magical, and maddening first five years of a sons lifeI was not prepared to be a fatherthis much I knew.Keith Gessen was nearing forty and hadnt given much thought to the idea of being a father. He assumed he would have kids, but couldnt imagine what it would be like to be a parent, or what kind of parent he would be. Then, one Tuesday night in early June, the distant idea of fatherhood came careening into view: Raffi was born, a child as real and complex and demanding of his parents energy as he was singularly magical.Fatherhood is another country: a place where the old concerns are swept away, where the ordering of time is reconstituted, where days unfold according to a childs needs. Whatever rulebooks once existed for this sort of thing seem irrelevant or outdated. Overnight, Gessens perception of his neighborhood changes: suddenly there are flocks of other parents and babies, playgrounds, and schools that span entire blocks. Raffi is enchanting, as well as terrifying, and like all parents, Gessen wants to do what is best for his child. But he has no idea what that is.Written over the first five years of Raffis life, Raising Raffi examines the profound, overwhelming, often maddening experience of being a dad. Gessen traces how the practical decisions one must make each day intersect with some of the weightiest concerns of our age: What does it mean to choose a school in a segregated city? How do you instill in your child a sense of his heritage without passing on that historys darker sides? Is parental anger normal, possibly useful, or is it inevitably authoritarian and destructive? How do you get your kid to play sports? And what do you do, in a pandemic, when the whole world seems to fall apart? By turns hilarious and poignant, Raising Raffi is a story of what it means to invent the world anew.

A charming yet scathing portrait of young adulthood at the opening of the twenty-first century, All the Sad YoungLiterary Men charts the lives of Sam, Mark, and Keith, as they overthink their college years, underthink their love lives, and struggle through the encouragement of the women who love and despise them to find a semblance of maturity, responsibility, and even literary fame. At every turn, at each characters misstep, this assured debut radiates with comedic warmth and biting honesty and signals the arrival of a brave and trenchant new writer.

Cuando el hermano mayor de Andréi Kaplan, Dima, insiste en que Andréi regrese a Moscú para cuidar a su abuela enferma, Andréi debe hacer un balance de su vida en Nueva York. Su novia ha dejado de devolver sus mensajes de texto. Su tutor de tesis tiene dudas sobre sus perspectivas de trabajo. Es el verano de 2008 y su cuenta bancaria se esta agotando peligrosamente. Quizas unos meses en Moscu son justo lo que necesita. Asi que Andrei empaca sus cosas de hockey y se muda al departamento que Stalin le asigno a su abuela, una mujer que ha sobrevivido a su esposo y a la mayoria de sus amigos. Sobrevivio tambien a los oscuros dias del comunismo y fue testigo de la violenta transformacion capitalista de Rusia, durante la cual perdio su amada dacha. Da la bienvenida a Andrei a su casa, incluso sin recordar quien es. Andrei aprende a navegar por el Moscu de Putin, aun la ciudad de su nacimiento, pero con un cafe mas caro. Cuida a su abuela, encuentra un lugar para jugar hockey, un cafe desde el que enviar emails y, finalmente, algunos amigos, incluida una hermosa joven activista llamada Yulia. A lo largo del año, la salud de su abuela declina. Andrei sabe que debe tener en cuenta su futuro y tomar decisiones que determinaran su vida y su destino. Cuando se enreda con un grupo de izquierdistas, la politica de Andrei y sus lealtades se ponen a prueba, y se ve obligado a aceptar la sociedad rusa en la que nacio y la estadounidense que ha disfrutado desde que era un niño. Una novela sabia y sensible sobre Rusia, el exilio, la familia, el amor, la historia y el destino, Un pais terrible cuestiona que debemos al con gracia y humor, Keith Gessen nos ofrece una novela brillante y madura que seguramente lo marcara como uno lugar donde nacemos y que nos debe este. Escrita de los novelistas mas talentosos de su generacion.

The essential collection of critical essays from a twentieth-century master and author of 1984.As a critic, George Orwell cast a wide net. Equally at home discussing Charles Dickens and Charlie Chaplin, he moved back and forth across the porous borders between essay and journalism, high art and low. A frequent commentator on literature, language, film, and drama throughout his career, Orwell turned increasingly to the critical essay in the 1940s, when his most important experiences were behind him and some of his most incisive writing lay ahead. All Art Is Propaganda follows Orwell as he demonstrates in piece after piece how intent analysis of a work or body of work gives rise to trenchant aesthetic and philosophical commentary. With masterpieces such as "Politics and the English Language" and "Rudyard Kipling" and gems such as "Good Bad Books," here is an unrivaled education in, as George Packer puts it, "how to be interesting, line after line."With an Introduction from Keith Gessen.

Cruel metáfora de cómo la formación intelectual y la madurez sentimental pueden llegar a ser inversamente proporcionales. «Una primera novela oscura, divertida y ferozmente inteligente.»Kirkus Revie