The Dream Life of Sukhanov: Its Cultural, Linguistic, and Personal Context

At a recent Kennan Institute talk, Olga Grushin, author of The Dream Life of Sukhanov, discussed and read from her highly praised first novel. The author, who was the first citizen of the Soviet Union to enroll and finish college at an American university, wrote the book while living in Washington, D.C. Grushin said she had always wanted to be a writer while growing up in the Soviet Union. This book, her first, has been enthusiastically received by American readers, which she calls "a pleasant surprise."

The events described in the book are set in 1985 in the Soviet Union. The protagonist, Sukhanov, is an artist turned art critic, who struggles with the nature of art, truth, and beauty. Although Sukhanov is firmly rooted in his cultural and historical context, the dilemma he faces—between doing what he loves and doing what is convenient—is familiar to people around the world, according to Grushin.

The author noted that major Russian writers, including Gogol, Chekhov, Nabokov, and Bulgakov, influenced her writing and her book is consciously set in the Russian tradition of literature. She has placed subtle tributes to major Russian writers throughout the book. Since it was written in English, language is one of the more interesting aspects of the novel. According to the author, she considers her work a Russian novel written "in an English skin." The novel contains, she said, a certain amount of nostalgia for the Russia of her youth, but its themes are universal.