After a long struggle, the author wins a highly coveted spot on a prominent blog calling out alleged critics of Russia.
Via tchaykovsky.ru
NEW YORK — Author Gary Shteyngart won a coveted spot on a blog calling out alleged critics of Russia on Monday, following a months-long campaign to overturn the blog owner's resistance.
A picture of Shteyngart stamped with the words "PATHOLOGICAL RUSSOPHOBE" appeared on the site on Monday afternoon. The site is run by Sergey Selyunin, who publishes photos of diplomats, journalists, think tankers and, now, writers who he sees as overly critical of Russia.
Shteyngart welcomed the move. "I've always been phobic of Russians, especially of my parents and myself," he said in an email to BuzzFeed. "I know, I know, we're just Jews. But still! Now I can walk down Nevsky with my head held high! Well, not too high," he said, referring to the main street in the northern Russian city of St. Petersburg.
Shteyngart had long hoped to be added to the list, bemoaning on Twitter the blog owner's refusal to accommodate his wishes. His cause was taken up by Julia Ioffe, a senior editor at The New Republic and a Russia expert, who was long ago named a "pathological Russophobe" on the site.
