Emil Draitser
Encyclopedia
Emil Draitser is author and professor of Russian at Hunter College
, New York City
. Besides twelve books of artistic and scholarly prose, his essays and short stories have been published in the Los Angeles Times, Partisan Review, North American Review, San Francisco Chronicle, Prism International, and many other American and Canadian periodicals. His fiction has also appeared in Russian, Polish, and Israeli journals. A three-time recipient of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts
fellowships in writing, he has also received numerous grants for writing both fiction and non-fiction from the City University of New York. Draitser has given numerous public lectures and book talks at universities and cultural centers in the United States, Canada, UK, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, and Russia.
in the post-World War II years, in the anti-Semitic atmosphere of late Stalinism
, at a time when Jews were forced to be silent about their religion and often tried to change their Jewish names. It was an oppressive childhood filled with suspicion and mistrust. As a young student, Draitser excelled at literature and decided that he wanted to be a journalist, despite his mother's preference that he study engineering. At that time, Jews attempting to enter the humanities encountered resistance, as Soviet system saw those areas as politically vulnerable and felt that Jews entering them would try to subvert the system. Despite this, Draitser earned degrees first in engineering, and later in journalism.
He settled in Los Angeles
, where he earned a Ph.D.
in Russian literature
from the University of California. In 1986, he accepted a position at Hunter College
in New York City
, where he continues to teach. His first book published in the United States, Forbidden Laughter (1980) brought him national attention. Feature articles on him and his book appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times
. He has appeared on NBC News with Tom Brokaw, the Merv Griffin Show, and National Public Radio.
Draitser's research and writing have been supported by grants from the American Council of Learned Societies
, the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, the Social Science Foundation, and numerous grants from the City University of New York
. A three-time recipient of fellowships from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts
, he has been awarded residencies at the Vermont Arts Studios, Byrdcliffe Woodstock Art Colony, and Banff Center for the Arts (Canada). Since spring 2009, he has been working on a sequel to his memoir Shush!, which covers his adulthood and move to the United States. Draitser's also in the final stages of completing a novel on Jewish emigration from Russia.
Peshchera neozhidannostei (The Fun House)
(New York: Possev-USA) ISBN 0911971033
Techniques of Satire: The Case of Saltykov-Shchedrin. ISBN 3110126249.
Poterialsia mal'chik (The Lost Boy)
(Moscow: Moskovskii rabochii, 1993) ISBN 5239016325.
Making War, Not Love: Gender and Sexuality in Russian Humor. ISBN 0312221290
Taking Penguins to the Movies: Ethnic Humor in Russia ISBN 0814323278
Russkie poety XIX veka (Russian Poets of the Nineteenth Century) (ed. & compl.) ISBN 1557791198
Russkie poety XX veka (Russian Poets of the Twentieth Century) (ed. & compl.) ISBN 1557791287
The Supervisor of the Sea and Other Stories ISBN 1879378477
Kto ty takoi: Odessa Memoir 1945-53 (Baltimore: Seagull Press, 2003) ISBN 097149634X
Wesele w Brighton Beach i inne opowidania (Warsaw: Biblioteka Midrasza, 2008) ISBN 9788392651505
Shush! Growing up Jewish under Stalin: A Memoir ISBN 978-0-520-25446-6
Stalin's Romeo Spy: The Remarkable Rise and Fall of the KGB's Most Daring Operative
(Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, April 2010) ISBN 978-0810126640
Na kudykinu goru (From Here to Wherever) - forthcoming
A novel on Jewish emigration from Russia.
Chekhov na Braitone (Chekhov in Brighton Beach) - forthcoming
A short story collection
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Besides twelve books of artistic and scholarly prose, his essays and short stories have been published in the Los Angeles Times, Partisan Review, North American Review, San Francisco Chronicle, Prism International, and many other American and Canadian periodicals. His fiction has also appeared in Russian, Polish, and Israeli journals. A three-time recipient of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts
New Jersey State Council on the Arts
The New Jersey State Council on the Arts was founded in 1966 to support artistic activities in the state of New Jersey. It is funded by the New Jersey State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts ....
fellowships in writing, he has also received numerous grants for writing both fiction and non-fiction from the City University of New York. Draitser has given numerous public lectures and book talks at universities and cultural centers in the United States, Canada, UK, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, and Russia.
Early life
Emil Draitser grew up in a Jewish family in the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in the post-World War II years, in the anti-Semitic atmosphere of late Stalinism
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
, at a time when Jews were forced to be silent about their religion and often tried to change their Jewish names. It was an oppressive childhood filled with suspicion and mistrust. As a young student, Draitser excelled at literature and decided that he wanted to be a journalist, despite his mother's preference that he study engineering. At that time, Jews attempting to enter the humanities encountered resistance, as Soviet system saw those areas as politically vulnerable and felt that Jews entering them would try to subvert the system. Despite this, Draitser earned degrees first in engineering, and later in journalism.
Career
Draitser has published both fiction and nonfiction since 1965. His work has appeared in leading Russian journals (including Youth, Literary Gazette, and Crocodile) under his pen name "Emil Abramov." He began his writing career as a freelancer contributing satirical articles to Soviet newspapers and magazines, though he had to be careful about what he wrote. For example, while he could criticize a particular factory for the poor workmanship of goods it produced, he could not criticize the economic system as a whole, although it became increasingly clear to him that the lack of competition that would inspire innovation combined with the Soviet mandate to guarantee work for all employees, regardless of their work ethic, made it impossible to produce quality products.[1] Eventually, Draitser wrote an article critical of an important official. This caused the author to be blacklisted and prompted him to leave for the United States.He settled in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where he earned a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Russian literature
Russian literature
Russian literature refers to the literature of Russia or its émigrés, and to the Russian-language literature of several independent nations once a part of what was historically Russia or the Soviet Union...
from the University of California. In 1986, he accepted a position at Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he continues to teach. His first book published in the United States, Forbidden Laughter (1980) brought him national attention. Feature articles on him and his book appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
. He has appeared on NBC News with Tom Brokaw, the Merv Griffin Show, and National Public Radio.
Draitser's research and writing have been supported by grants from the American Council of Learned Societies
American Council of Learned Societies
The American Council of Learned Societies , founded in 1919, is a private nonprofit federation of seventy scholarly organizations.ACLS is best known as a funder of humanities research through fellowships and grants awards. ACLS Fellowships are designed to permit scholars holding the Ph.D...
, the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, the Social Science Foundation, and numerous grants from the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
. A three-time recipient of fellowships from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts
New Jersey State Council on the Arts
The New Jersey State Council on the Arts was founded in 1966 to support artistic activities in the state of New Jersey. It is funded by the New Jersey State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts ....
, he has been awarded residencies at the Vermont Arts Studios, Byrdcliffe Woodstock Art Colony, and Banff Center for the Arts (Canada). Since spring 2009, he has been working on a sequel to his memoir Shush!, which covers his adulthood and move to the United States. Draitser's also in the final stages of completing a novel on Jewish emigration from Russia.
Books
Forbidden Laughter (Nedozvolennyi smekh) (ed. & compl.) ISBN 0896260453- A compilation of Soviet-era political humor in Russian with English translation.
Peshchera neozhidannostei (The Fun House)
(New York: Possev-USA) ISBN 0911971033
- A short story collection in Russian. Introduction by Vassily Aksyonov.
Techniques of Satire
- A study of comic devices used by satirists in general and the great 19th century satirist in particular.
Poterialsia mal'chik (The Lost Boy)
(Moscow: Moskovskii rabochii, 1993) ISBN 5239016325.
- A short story collection in Russian. Introduction by Lev Anninsky.
Making War, Not Love
- A sociological study that sheds light on Russian popular culture and the nature of sexual humor everywhere.
Taking Penguins to the Movies
- A sociological study that sheds light on Russian popular culture and ethnic humor in other countries.
Russkie poety XIX veka (Russian Poets of the Nineteenth Century) (ed. & compl.) ISBN 1557791198
Russkie poety XX veka (Russian Poets of the Twentieth Century) (ed. & compl.) ISBN 1557791287
The Supervisor of the Sea and Other Stories ISBN 1879378477
- e-book edition, 2011; ASIN B004VWX6NG
- A short story collection in English
Kto ty takoi
Wesele w Brighton Beach i inne opowidania (Warsaw: Biblioteka Midrasza, 2008) ISBN 9788392651505
Shush! Growing up Jewish under Stalin
Stalin's Romeo Spy: The Remarkable Rise and Fall of the KGB's Most Daring Operative
(Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, April 2010) ISBN 978-0810126640
Na kudykinu goru (From Here to Wherever) - forthcoming
A novel on Jewish emigration from Russia.
Chekhov na Braitone (Chekhov in Brighton Beach) - forthcoming
A short story collection
Selected Essays and Short Fiction
- "Oh My God, My Name's Not on Any of Those Lists," Los Angeles Times, 1976.
- "He Recalls the Soviet System and Goes Buggy," Los Angeles Times, 1977.
- "Let's See... a Socko Ending to This Disease Might Be...", Los Angeles Times, 1980.
- "Would You Buy a Used Soul From This Man,” Los Angeles Herald Examiner, 1983.
- "He Won't Make It," Studies in Contemporary Satire, Summer 1987.
- "The Supervisor of the Sea," Midstream, October 1988.
- "My First Ticket," The New Press Literary Quarterly, Summer/Fall 1995.
- "Clown," Confrontation, Fall 1997 (Awarded New Jersey State Council on the Arts Fellowship).
- "American Gospozha,” American Writing, 1998
- ”Dvorkin”, International Quarterly, Fall 1999.
- “Zugzwang,” The Kenyon Review, Summer/Fall 1999. http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/classics/russian/draitser/zugzwang.html
- “Wedding in Brighton Beach” in Intersections: Fiction and Poetry from The Banff Centre for the Arts, 2000.
- “The Dark Copy,” Prism International (Canada) (Fall 2000).
- “Clouds,” The Literary Review, Spring 2001.
- “Faithful Masha” Partisan Review, Summer 2001 (Awarded New Jersey State Council on the Arts Fellowship) (http://www.bu.edu/partisanreview/archive/2001/3/draitser.html)
- “Directions” The New Renaissance, Fall 2001.http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/classics/russian/draitser/directions.html
- “No Kin, No Kith,” Partisan Review, January 2003.
- “The Death of Stalin,” Michigan Review Quarterly, Spring 2003 (selected as "Notable" in the Best American Essays of the year)
- “On the Commissars, Cosmopolites, and the Inventors of Electric Bulbs,” The North American Review, Nov-Dec 2004..