Shteyngart/Eugenides

Last night we went to hear Gary Shteyngart and Jeffrey Eugenides at the Abbey Pub. It was part of Nextbook, so the Russian-Jewish-American Shteyngart was ostensibly the main attraction. Although Shteyngart 's hands were quivering nervously during the reading, he was animated and amusing during his conversation with Eugenides. So many authors are either completely uncharismatic (I painfully suffered through an hour with William Gibson and a dreadful interview thinking, "So, this is why the guy writes books.") or complete wankers. It was refreshing to be entertained by two people whose work I admire and with whom I would love to grab a drink.

And, I could! Well, not exactly. But Eugenides recently moved to Chicago so it's more likely than getting sloshed with, say, Philip Roth. I imagine Eugenides as a more pleasant drinking buddy.