Shteyngart in conversation with Sampsonia Way preceding the reading.
Photo: Laura Mustio
Sheila Washington pages through Shteyngart’s new book
“I enjoyed the author's humor, and I thought the format [of the event] worked extremely well,” she said. Photo: Renee Rosensteel
Gary Shteyngart and Eric Shiner hold up City of Asylum/Pittsburgh T-shirts provided by Henry Reese, the organization’s founder (far right). Photo: Renee Rosensteel
Sylvia Rhor (front, far left) enjoying the reading
“I hadn't read his new book before attending the event, and now I definitely will — though I really wish Gary Shteyngart could read it aloud to me instead,” she said. Photo: Renee Rosensteel
Moderator Eric Shiner converses with Shteyngart
Shiner is the acting director of The Andy Warhol Museum. Photo: Renee Rosensteel
Audience member Richard Thomas watches the reading
“It was great to be outside, under the tent,” Thomas said. “He was a real crowd pleaser.” Photo: Renee Rosensteel
Shteyngart entertains the audience with a comical reading of his novel
He quipped at one point: “Nobody really writes books in North America anymore, it’s all outsourced to India.” Photo: Renee Rosensteel
On May 10, 2011, Russian-American writer Gary Shteyngart read excerpts from his novel Super Sad True Love Story to roughly 160 people gathered under a tent on Sampsonia Way.
In tribute to the book’s ubiquitous äppäräti — iPhone-esque devices that stream videos, applications and even users’ thoughts — the event was bookended by two lighthearted exercises in social media: For 10 to 15 minutes preceding the reading, moderator Eric Shiner asked Shteyngart questions via Twitter; afterwards, the audiences’ Q&A employed the same technique.
