Maria Kuznetsova (novelist)

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Maria Kuznetsova
Марія Кузнєцова
Born
Kyiv, Ukraine
OccupationNovelist

Maria Kuznetsova [lower-alpha 1] is a novelist [1] with two book publications, both from Random House. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Kuznetsova was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, and moved to the U.S. at five years old with her family. [3] After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, her family became Jewish refugees in Alabama. [3] Upon moving, she learned English, and eventually attended Duke University as an English major. [4] She went on to receive master's degrees in creative writing from University of California, Davis and the Iowa Writers' Workshop. [5] She serves as an assistant professor in the English department at Auburn University. [5]

Writing

Kuznetsova's debut novel Oksana, Behave! was published in 2019 by Random House. [1] A bildungsroman about a young Ukrainian immigrant woman divided into "episodes" for chapters, the book was reviewed positively by Emma Straub in the Wall Street Journal, [6] Anya Ulinich in the New York Times, [7] O, The Oprah Magazine , [8] Kirkus Reviews , [9] and Publishers Weekly . [10] Kuznetsova wrote in an essay for Catapult that many readers assumed that the book was autobiographical. [11] The book's launch also led to author interviews with a variety of publications including Electric Literature , [12] Bookforum , [13] The Gazette, [14] and the Chicago Review of Books . [15] Kuznetsova stated that the Soviet dissident Sergei Dovlatov was an influence on the work. [13]

Following the success of her first novel, Kuznetsova published her second, Something Unbelievable, less than two years later, in April 2021. [16] The book centers a grandmother in Ukraine and a granddaughter in the U.S. discussing their Jewish family's history through and after the Holocaust. [2] Rachel Khong wrote that the book argues that "the everyday matters—how unspectacular moments can transcend their confines, how miraculous the ordinary can be" in the New York Times. [17] In an interview with Sanjena Santhian for The Millions , she said the novel began as a short story that she wrote for a class with Ethan Canin at the Iowa Writers' Workshop. [18] This story's grandmother character was based on her grandmother in life, which she wrote about in an essay for Guernica. [19] In an interview for Bookforum , she said that the second novel was different because it required more historical research than the first. [20] It also received positive reviews from the Moscow Times, [21] Bustle, [22] Ploughshares , [23] and the A.V. Club. [24] However, it received a slew of negative reviews, including from Publishers Weekly , which wrote that the book "tediously unfolds" and "there’s not enough to hold readers' interest." [25]

Kuznetsova has also published books reviews and other nonfiction, including essays in Slate about her experience having a miscarriage [26] and postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter. [27]

Notes

  1. ↑ Ukrainian: Марія Кузнєцова, romanized: Mariia Kuznietsova

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References

  1. 1 2 "Maria Kuznetsova". Electric Literature. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  2. 1 2 Khong, Rachel (2021-04-13). "And Now, a Case for the Ordinary". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  3. 1 2 "Maria Kuznetsova: "My Painting of Kyiv"". The Yale Review. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  4. ↑ Goff, Lydia (7 December 2019). "Writing through Rejection: Maria Kuznetsova's Advice for Young Writers". Duke University Department of English. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  5. 1 2 "Maria Kuznetsova". Auburn University College of Liberal Arts. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  6. ↑ Gamerman, Ellen (2019-04-03). "The 10 Books You'll Want to Read This Spring". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  7. ↑ Ulinich, Anya (2019-05-02). "Two Novels About Young Soviet Transplants in America". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  8. ↑ Cain, Hamilton; Haber, Leigh; Hart, Michelle (2019-03-13). "Happy Spring! 10 Fantastic New Books to Read in March". Oprah Daily. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  9. ↑ "OKSANA, BEHAVE!". Kirkus Reviews.
  10. ↑ "Fiction Book Review: Oksana, Behave! by Maria Kuznetsova". Publishers Weekly. 2019-03-19. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  11. ↑ "On the Dangers of Autobiographical Writing | Maria Kuznetsova". Catapult. 2020-04-15. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  12. ↑ "Maria Kuznetsova Thinks You Should Go Ahead and Be Weird". Electric Literature. 2019-06-13. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  13. 1 2 "Bookforum talks with Maria Kuznetsova". Bookforum. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  14. ↑ "Author profile | Maria Kuznetsova Writers' Workshop grad's debut novel explores misbehaving with a dose of humor". The Gazette. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  15. ↑ "The Goodness of Being Bad". Chicago Review of Books. 2020-02-14. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  16. ↑ "Something Unbelievable by Maria Kuznetsova: 9780525511908". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  17. ↑ Khong, Rachel (2021-04-13). "And Now, a Case for the Ordinary". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  18. ↑ "Immigrants Behaving Badly: Maria Kuznetsova and Sanjena Sathian in Conversation". The Millions. 2021-04-09. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  19. ↑ Kuznetsova, Maria (2019-03-19). "The Grandmother Character". Guernica. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  20. ↑ "Bookforum talks with Maria Kuznetsova about her new novel of family lore and motherhood". Bookforum. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  21. ↑ Crescente, Joe (2021-04-11). "Maria Kuznetsova's Second Novel is 'Something Unbelievable'". Moscow Times. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  22. ↑ "Looking For A New Book? Curl Up With One Of These Must-Read New Releases". Bustle. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  23. ↑ "The Tradition of Storytelling in Something Unbelievable". Ploughshares. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  24. ↑ "5 new books to read in April". The A.V. Club. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  25. ↑ "Fiction Book Review: Something Unbelievable by Maria Kuznetsova". Publishers Weekly. 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  26. ↑ Kuznetsova, Maria (2019-10-10). "My Ectopic Summer". Slate. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
  27. ↑ Kuznetsova, Maria (2020-08-19). "The Unimaginable Hell of Postpartum Insomnia". Slate. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
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