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In 1935, two Soviet satirists, Ilia Ilf and Evgeny Petrov, undertook a 10,000 mile American road trip from New York to Hollywood and back accompanied only by their guide and chauffeur, a gregarious Russian Jewish immigrant and his American-born, Russian-speaking wife. They immortalized their journey in a popular travelogue that condemned American inequality and racism even as it marvelled at American modernity and efficiency. Lisa Kirschenbaum reconstructs the epic journey of the two Soviet funnymen and their encounters with a vast cast of characters, ranging from famous authors, artists, poets and filmmakers to unemployed hitchhikers and revolutionaries. Using the authors' notes, US and Russian archives, and even FBI files, she reveals the role of ordinary individuals in shaping foreign relations as Ilf, Petrov and the immigrants, communists, and fellow travelers who served as their hosts, guides, and translators became creative actors in cultural exchange between the two countries.
‘This book breathes a mixed spirit of distant travel, cultural misperception, mortal danger, and satirical laughter. In 1935, two Soviet authors crossed the US in 1935, from New York to Carmel, and published an engaging but deceptive travelogue, One-Story America. In her striking reconstruction, Lisa A. Kirschenbaum combines both realities -- Soviet literature and American history – in one story, well-grounded in the archives but very entertaining to the contemporary reader.’
Alexander Etkind - author of Russia Against Modernity
‘With extraordinary ingenuity, Lisa Kirschenbaum meticulously retraces the famous journey of two Soviet writers across Depression-era America. Through close reading of their private notebooks and the multiple accounts they produced at different moments, she reveals many contradictions, misunderstandings, and misrepresentations in their highly influential work.’
David S. Foglesong - author of The American Mission and the ‘Evil Empire’: The Crusade for a ‘Free Russia’ Since 1881
‘Retracing the steps of Ilf and Petrov’s 1935 American road trip, Kirschenbaum not only reveals fascinating things about the US and USSR in the 1930s, she also reminds us of ways the past reverberates in the present.’
Julia Mickenberg - author of American Girls in Red Russia: Chasing the Soviet Dream
‘…a must for readers interested in Soviet, American, or Jewish history and radical politics.’
Margaret Heller Source: Library Journal
'… a meticulously pieced together new perspective on Soviet-U.S. relations.'
Source: Publishers Weekly
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