Russian-American Cultural Center proudly presents: Emil Draitser - Laughing All the Way to Freedom: Americanization of a Russian Emigre

All immigrants of the world coming to America expect it to be like their home country—only better. What they often fail to consider is that, like that of any other nation, America's DNA differs from that of their country. It may take a lifetime to adjust to the unfamiliar country's culture, mentality, and way of doing many things differently from the way they have known. It is especially true when immigrants came to America from a country based on different principles, in this case, collectivist Russia versus individualist America, with opposing political systems—the democratic American one and the totalitarian Soviet.
This book is an account of the author's coming to America a half-century ago with certain, mostly mistaken, expectations, and of the process of discovery on his way to becoming an American himself.     In his essays, the author uses self-deprecating humor to recollect his growing pains as he overcomes his upbringing in a totalitarian society to embrace America's defining values.

Born in Odessa, Ukraine, to a working-class Jewish family. Under his pen name "Emil Abramov", he began his writing career as a freelancer, contributing satirical articles to leading Soviet periodicals, such as Literary Gazette, Izvestia, Youth, and Crocodile, as well as on the Central Radio, TV, and in the satirical newsreel "The Wick" (Mosfilm).In 1970, he received a Special Prize for his satirical stories at the All-Union Literary Contest. 

Eventually, blacklisted for writing an article critical of an important official, he immigrated to the United States. In 1975, he settled in Los Angeles, where he earned a Ph.D. in Russian literature from UCLA. Professor Emeritus at Hunter College of the City University of New York, Emil Draitser is an award-winning author of artistic and scholarly prose. Besides his 16 books, he has published essays and short stories in the Los Angeles Times, Partisan Review, Kenyon Review, North American Review, Prism International, World Literature Today, and others.  Laureate of the Mark Aldanov International Literary Prize and three-time recipient of prestigious fellowships from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, he has been awarded residencies at the Vermont Arts Studios, Woodstock Art Colony, and Banff Center for the Arts in Canada.

Book endorsements:

“Part memoir, part comparative psychology, part humor anthology, ,Laughing All the Way to Freedom is a fascinating delight. While recalling his early and lasting impressions of his adopted country, Draitser subjects his own formidable oeuvre as a satirical author—both pre- and post-emigration—to an insightful re-examination. While revisiting these wonderful texts, he gives us a sincere and illuminating retrospective account of the immigrant experience, including the mixed joy and apprehension of unexpectedly being able to visit his homeland (and beloved city of Odessa) again, after having found the courage to leave it forever. The recent and ongoing terrible events in Ukraine and Russia give the book an additional, almost unbearable poignancy.”—Dr. Seth Graham, University College London, School of Slavonic and East European Studies

“Everything about this remarkably engaging collection of essays—by turns poignant and funny, and deeply thoughtful and thought-provoking throughout—rings true, because it is true. At the heart of it, these keen ruminations on the nature of exile and an emigre’s discovery of America are unwaveringly authentic.”—Mikhail Iossel, Concordia University, Montreal (Canada)

“Laughing All the Way to Freedom is Emil Draitser’s candid analysis of his ‘road to Americanization,’ which, as every immigrant knows, is always long and never straightforward. A satirist in Soviet Russia, Draitser intermingles his published pieces with his moving experiences in search of a new identity in the United States. With the skillful pairing of fiction and memoir, the book’s authenticity is hard-earned. A captivating read.—Elena Gorokhova, the author of A Train to Moscow

“Poignant as it is warm and kind, generous to and appreciative of the country that gave him a new start in life, Draitser’s extraordinary immigration memoir reveals truths about the ways that culture shapes identity more than we can possibly know. The American-born readers will come to see their own culture and social mores from an outsider’s perspective. Distinctly individual, the memoir is convincingly universal and supportive of all those brave souls who make the journey to our shores, be they from Asia, Africa, or Latin America.”—Benjamin Rifkin, dean of the Maxwell Becton College of Arts and Sciences, Fairleigh Dickinson University

The book has already been presented at University College London, MILIM (Leeds Literary Festival - Words, Culture, and Heritage for All; UK), Parallax View podcast (USA). The author's recent interview with Radio Liberty by Ivan Tolstoi: https://www.svoboda.org/a/smeh-na-puti-v-svobode/32984321.html

How one could procure a copy of the book:

An autographed copy of the book can be purchased during the talk. It could also be ordered directly from the publisher at 1- 800 - 253- 2187. The book is available at Barnes and Noble, AbeBooks, Walmart, ThriftBooks, and Target.  

Russian-American Cultural Center programing is made possible by part with public funds from the 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.

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