From Russia with (Belated) Love

My first installment of a post that I wrote but never published. This refers, by the way, to the winter Stonecoast residency, not the summer one that just happened. So, that makes this about six months old...

Look what I just got my hands on for the first time, some seven years or so after publication...

Recognize the author? Neither do I. But... it's me! It's the Russian edition of Pride of Carthage. The publisher never sent me an author copy (scoundrels!). Several kind people have tried to find it over the years, all to no avail. I'd resolved myself to never seeing the thing in person.

And then enter Amy Bai, a new student at the beloved Stonecoast MFA Program...

I had the pleasure of reading her application, and I got to correspond with her as I tried (gracefully, you know) to win her over to Stonecoast. In the course of our exchange I learned her husband, Art. (aka Artëm Evgenyevitch Bai), was Russian. I told her my story of woe. She was on it. Or, more exactly, her world traveling husband was on it. Did he find it in Russia? He tried, but no. But he did find it, apparently, at a used bookstore in Israel!

Amy delivered it to me on the first day of the residency. Awesome. I was totally surprised. Thank you Amy and Art. You can check out Amy's website HERE.

Now... I'm still missing that Romanian edition... Anybody?