Emil Draitser - Career

Career

Draitser has published both fiction and nonfiction since 1965. His work has appeared in leading Russian journals (including Youth, Literary Gazette, and Crocodile) under his pen name 'Emil Abramov'. He began his writing career as a freelancer contributing satirical articles to Soviet newspapers and magazines, though he had to be careful about what he wrote. For example, while he could criticize a particular factory for the poor workmanship of goods it produced, he could not criticize the economic system as a whole, although it became increasingly clear to him that the lack of competition that would inspire innovation combined with the Soviet mandate to guarantee work for all employees, regardless of their work ethic, made it impossible to produce quality products. Eventually, Draitser wrote an article critical of an important official which led to him being blacklisted, and prompted him to leave for the United States.

He settled in Los Angeles, where he earned a Ph.D. in Russian literature from the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1986, he accepted a position at Hunter College in New York City, where he continues to teach. He moved to West New York, New Jersey, citing its proximity to New York City and to transportation, but without the noise of the city itself.

His first book published in the United States, Forbidden Laughter (1980) brought him national attention. Feature articles on him and his book appeared in The New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. He has appeared on NBC News with Tom Brokaw, the Merv Griffin Show, and National Public Radio.

Draitser's research and writing have been supported by grants from the American Council of Learned Societies, the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, the Social Science Foundation, and numerous grants from the City University of New York. A three-time recipient of fellowships from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, he has been awarded residencies at the Vermont Arts Studios, Byrdcliffe Woodstock Art Colony, and Banff Center for the Arts (Canada). Since spring 2009, he has been working on a sequel to his memoir Shush!, which covers his adulthood and move to the United States. Draitser is working on a new collection of short stories titled "Chekhov in Brighton Beach" and a sequel to his autobiographical book Shush! Growing up Jewish under Stalin, covering his adult years in the USSR and his emigration to the United States.