DP DISPLACED PERSON - book presentation by Margarita Meyendorff

An evening of readings from DP Displaced Person by Margarita and Russian music performed by

TAMARA VOLSKAYA – domra

ANATOLY TROFIMOV – bayan

LEONID BRUK – bass balalaika

Wine and cheese reception follows.

Free event

After the war, under Allied occupation, Mourka was born in a German Displaced Persons camp and from then on, life became a series of extraordinary moves: As a tiny immigrant girl, Margarita’s first American home was the estate of an eccentric millionaire impresario which served as a temporary enclave of Russian aristocrats – given quarters in elephant stalls – minus the elephants. From there, she moved in a holding pattern around the expatriate colony in Nyack, which became famous as the residence of former nobility and Tolstoy’s descendants. Her childhood ran like a roller coaster of highs – performing as a rooster to applause for the Russian Orthodox audience and lows – coping with her traumatized and disturbed parents. It’s not every child who faces a parent with an aimed revolver.

At 18, Mourka escaped to the road- most often taking to the stage where she found her natural footing, but then always on the run – moving, displaced around the US and then Europe – hitting ecstatic highs as a performer and lows in her personal life. In her search, she tours the country as a gypsy performer in a caravan, and goes from a rusted trailer back to her ancestral castle…seeking, always seeking her rightful place and some sense of peace.

Would she ever be able to find her ultimate place, and the love she sought? Can she ever “unpack” and feel she is truly at that place which always been so elusive: HOME. She carries with her a suitcase filled with documents and treasured memorabilia, her Russian legacy. Margarita Meyendorff’s journey is thrillingly personal yet universal-the journey we all take, to find our true selves and safe haven. Margarita Meyendorff is always, even in the most frightening situations, a spirited traveler – and survivor. (via www.margaritameyendorff.com)

This literary event is organized in collaboration with St-Petersburg Global Trade House.

RACC’s programs and events are made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, Cojeco and Tianaderrah Foundation.