In this episode, I talk with the delightful (and candid!) Avner Landes about his brilliant new historical fiction novel, The Delegation.
The book follows the true story of two Soviet artists, Itzik Feffer and Solomon Mikhoels on a worldwide publicity tour during WWII. Feffer and Mikhoels, two prominent Jewish artists, are sent by Stalin to drum up support for the Soviet cause against Hitler. Along the way, the doomed spokesmen have unexpected adventures with such luminaries as Albert Einstein and Paul Robeson.
The novel masterfully advances the possibilities of the historical fiction form, telling the tale in three parts: Feffer and Mikhoels’ story; a running commentary by the story’s fictional author, Izzy Shenkenberg; and a stream of publisher footnotes to the fictional Shenkenberg’s notes. All together, the book tells an amazing story (you may not have heard before) even as it interrogates the possibility of fully telling the stories of history.
In spite of the postmodern playfulness of the book’s form, however, Landes never fails to make the book emotional, funny, and ultimately human.
In their conversation, Danny Anderson and Avner Landes discuss:
The powers and limits of historical fiction
Making meaning with art
The tensions of Jewish identity
The inherent conflict between art and politics
I think you’ll find Avner Landes to be charming and frank (and charmingly frank: his responses to the 5 Questions at the end were delightfully honest).
The Delegation is one of the best, most inventive books you’ll read this year and I, Danny Anderson, personally recommend it highly.
Links:
Publisher Website (with purchasing options): https://operationdodecahedron.com/home
Meiselman: The Lean Years. Landes’ previous comic novel.
