Latvian émigré unleashes debut novel
Eagerly awaited debut novel of émigré writer David Bezmozgiz has been declared a hit by several leading international journals.
Bezmozgiz was recently championed by The New Yorker as one of the twenty most promising authors at large today.
The Free World tells the tale of the Krasnanskys, a fictional family that emigrates to Canada during the Cold War era.
'What I hope the book does is irritate everybody,' the author told London's Metro daily.
However, The Free World appears to have charmed several of its first reviewers, who have applauded the book's wry humour.
The 37-year old author, who is of Jewish background, emigrated with his family from Riga when he was 6. However, in the book, Bezmozgiz explores the subject from an adult's perspective.
'Knowing the history of where I came from, I appreciate freedom on a daily basis,' the author told Metro.
However, he remains wistful about what might have been.
'It's unnatural. I should be living in Riga today, speaking Latvian, Russian and Yiddish. And I'm not.'