Alexander Sirotin presents his new book: From Somewhere Over There To Somewhere Over Here.
Yorkville Library, Meeting Room 222 E. 79th Street (btw 2nd and 3rd Ave) New York, NY 10075
Wednesday, June 4, 2025, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Event Venue:
Yorkville Library, Meeting Room 222 E. 79th Street (btw 2nd and 3rd Ave) New York, NY 10075Event Date:
6/4/2025
The stories of different genres collected in this book were written at different times and in different countries. Some of them appeared in Moscow in the early 1970s. According to the author, they reflect the absurdities of a country building its own version of communism. In 1976, the author made the final decision to flee the Soviet Union and go as far away as possible.
“As far away as possible”- turned out to be the United States, the author recalls, where my mother, a former actress at the Moscow State Jewish Theater, and I arrived in February 1979. My observations of people from communist countries and their new life in conditions of freedom, initiative, enterprise, and personal responsibility provided material for funny and sad monologues, as well as for reflections on my own place in the new country, which I expressed in rhythmic prose. But even here I encountered elements of the absurd, which seem to accompany our lives regardless of place and time.
The stories trace the theme of Russian Jewry. Its identity is determined by the burden of centuries of persecution of the Jewish people. Humor helped to survive, so the humorous monologues are told by the author with a Jewish accent.
The collection also includes two stories by the author's mother, Nekhama Sirotina, in order to preserve them and show the continuity of the gift through generations. It is also a respectful bow of the son to the memory of his mother, whose short life was filled with suffering, and as a sign of gratitude to her.
Russian-American Cultural Center 646-831-0554 russculture@aol.com
https://russianamericanculture.com
The Russian-American Cultural Center program was made possible by part with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the City Council, New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, Cojeco and Tianaderrah Foundation.
