The Death of Samusis, and Other Stories

The talented Pavel Lembersky, Jewish Odessan heritage pulsing in his literary arteries, adroitly talks the Russian expat talk as he walks the American immigrant walk. Lembersky’s verbal art is nothing short of a wonder. Once a Soviet teenager quickly outfitted to write original American prose, Lembersky has steadfastly followed the example of the leading lights of early Russian émigré literature — Aldanov, Berberova, Gazdanov — by refusing to trade in his Russian quill pen even after decades of living in America. The Death of Samusis generously showcases Lembersky’s achievement as a writer of shorter fiction — a fearless chronicler of exile, a loving absurdist of desire, a paradoxist of life’s endless bifurcation (Maxim D. Shrayer). Funny, unique and completely unpredictable, The Death of Samusis, takes you on a wild journey through transitional states of mind, inspired by all kinds of Russian vs American, Male vs Female, Old vs New (Lara Vapnyar).