KGB (bar)

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KGB
Jack Womack at the Shirley Jackson Award Benefit, KGB bar, New York City - 20080723.jpg
KGB (bar)
Location85 E. 4th Street, East Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States
Coordinates 40°43′36″N73°59′24″W / 40.726580°N 73.989923°W / 40.726580; -73.989923
Type Bar
Opened1993
Website
Official website

KGB is a Soviet era-themed ("Communist chic" [1] ) bar located in the East Village of New York City.

Contents

History

Before its present incarnation, the building had been the Palm Casino, a speakeasy controlled by Lucky Luciano. From 1948 to 1988 it was a private social club for communists and socialists. [2] On the bar's walls are "Stalinist woodcuts, World War II posters, a picture of Valentina V. Tereshkova, hammer-and-sickle flags and the odd Lenin bust and balalaika." [3] [4]

Inspired by the Soviet-era memorabilia stored in the building, [5] KGB Bar opened in 1993, [6] and became one of the most popular book-reading venues in New York City. [2] Popular authors read here pro bono on Sunday evenings (fiction), Monday evenings (poetry), and most Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. [7] KGB has been named best literary venue in New York City by New York magazine[ citation needed ], The Village Voice [ citation needed ], and others. [3]

Reading series

The bar hosts several regular reading series which include:

References

  1. ↑ Wilson, John (February 15, 1999). "Communist Chic". Washington Examiner. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  2. 1 2 Collins, Glenn (September 25, 1998). "A Cold War Relic Is a Literary Hot Spot; New Authors Hope Someone Important Is Listening to Them at Bar's Readings". The New York Times . Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Woychuk, Denis, Founder & President "KGB Bar: A Brief and Distorted History", Retrieved on March 30, 2008.
  4. ↑ Kortava, David (March 20, 2017). "Russia and Revolution at KGB Bar". The New Yorker.
  5. ↑ Broder, Mitch (March 15, 1997). "Back in the U.S.S.R." The Journal News (White Plains, NY). pp. C1, C7. Retrieved March 2, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Marcius, Chelsia Rose (November 1, 2020). "Read It – Or Weep". New York Daily News. p. 3. Retrieved March 2, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Morris, Bill (July 15, 2001). "Best of New York: The word is out". New York Daily News. p. 10-Lifeline. Retrieved February 28, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
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