Science vs Fiction: Gary Shteyngart
Novelist and memoirist Gary Shteyngart invites us into worlds at once absurd and achingly real, with a voice as incisive as it is generous in spirit. In his latest novel, Vera, or Faith—a poignant, sharp-eyed, and bitterly funny tale of a family struggling to stay together in a country rapidly coming apart—Shteyngart deepens his exploration of identity, alienation, and intimacy. Told through the eyes of Vera, a wondrous and original ten-year-old who longs for love, belonging, and truth, the story feels especially resonant in these disorienting times.
On Tuesday, October 7, Shteyngart joins PW Founding Director of Sciences Janna Levin for a live conversation inside In Light of Innocence, a site-specific installation by artist RaĂşl de Nieves. Learn more about the exhibition here.
The evening will include book sales and a signing, along with stargazing in the garden with the Amateur Astronomers Association, weather permitting. Food by Makina Cafe will be available for purchase throughout the evening. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
About the speakers
Gary Shteyngart was born in Leningrad in 1972 and came to the United States seven years later. His debut novel, The Russian Debutante’s Handbook,won the Stephen Crane Award for First Fiction and the National Jewish Book Award for Fiction. Shteyngart’s other novels include: Absurdistan (one of The New York Times Book Review’s 10 Best Books of the Year); Super Sad True Love Story (Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize); and Our Country Friends (New York Times bestseller). His memoir, Little Failure, was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. His most recent novel is Vera, or Faith. His books have been published in thirty countries. He lives in New York with his wife and son.
Janna Levin is the Founding Director of Sciences at Pioneer Works and the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Pioneer Works Broadcast. She is a professor of physics and astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University. A Guggenheim Fellow, Janna has contributed to an understanding of black holes and cosmology. She is the presenter of the NOVA feature Black Hole Apocalypse, aired on PBS. She writes books about math, physics, and cosmology, including a PEN award winning work of first fiction. Her most recent book is Black Hole Survival Guide.
Our signature series, Science vs Fiction, is inspired by the idea that scientific discovery and fictional world building can be complementary. Each is driven by a love of complexity, a curiosity about the workings of the universe, and the capacity to imagine alternative realities or entirely new worlds. We celebrate filmmakers, authors, and artists for whom fact and fiction, observation and fantasy, and nature and technology intertwine to spark new ideas in science and beyond.
This program is supported by the Simons Foundation's Science, Society and Culture division, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Program in Public Understanding of Science and Technology, bridging the two cultures of science and the arts.