* WINNER OF THE 2014 GUILD OF FOODWRITERS FOOD BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD *
As a child in the Soviet Union, Anya von Bremzen was the granddaughter of the former head of Naval intelligence, and thus a bona fide member of the nomenklatura. She was also the daughter of a disaffected dissident, a child actress and a piano prodigy. Then, because of political repression, she and her mother fled to America and Anya reinvented herself as one of the most accomplished food writers of her generation- the author of five acclaimed cookbooks, the recipient of three James Beard awards, and a contributing editor at Travel + Leisure magazine. She divides her time between New York City and Istanbul.
Moving and darkly comic -- Niki Segnit * The Sunday Times *
Heartbreakingly poignant and laugh-out-loud funny. This is an
important book, a must read! * Heston Blumenthal *
Vastly entertaining... A real treat. * Woman & Home *
By turns funny, tragic and nostalgic, this is a wonderful,
fascinating volume, which puts a human face on the grim pages of
the history books * The Lady *
This poignant memoir is an education in the richness of eastern
European cuisine, and the story of Soviet communism, through the
lens of family experience. * Observer *
wry, provocative, genre-busting... * Wall Street Journal *
Absorbing... a social history of the Soviet Union cast through the
prism of food * Jewish Chronicle *
Rollicking and heartrending * Time *
You will read few better books about food, family, exile or the
Soviet tragedy-and none, I'll bet, which combines all those themes
this magically. Funny, angry, ingenious and moving. * AD Miller,
author of 'Snowdrops' *
The culinary memoir has lately evolved into a genre of its own...
But Anya von Bremzen is a better writer than most of the genre's
practitioners, as this delectable book, which tells the story of
postrevolutionary Russia through the prism of one family's meals,
amply demonstrates... von Bremzen moves artfully between historical
longshots...and intimate details. The descriptions of meals are
delightful... * New York Times *
One-of-a-kind ... Breathtaking feats of raconteurial skill...
Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking is not only a magic
tablecloth, it's a magic carpet that revisits the roads and lanes
of the former Soyuz, surveying the tales of hardship and
hardwon joys of von Bremzen's relatives and the Russian people...
-- Liesl Schillinger * The Daily Beast *
I don't think there's ever been a book quite like this; I couldn't
put it down. Warm, smart and completely engaging... this is a book
you won't forget -- Ruth Reichl, author of Tender at the Bone
a monumental but deeply human book that reads like a great Russian
novel, filled with dark humor and nostalgia. It opens up an entire
universe, teaching us about the many deep meanings of food:
cultural, political, social, historical, personal. It is also an
utterly magical journey into a rich, mysterious land of
totalitarian tyranny, and a portrait of a courageous, passionate
people. * Ferran Adria *
von Bremzen has conjured up the Proustian aromas of her Soviet life
for her enjoyable 'foodoir'... perceptive and funny on the
subtleties of life under Soviet rule and in exile. -- Charlotte
Hobson * Spectator *
Through a kaleidoscopic mix of family life, politics, history, and
jokes, von Bremzen evokes in her book a whole Soviet-era world of
deprivation and delight. * Tablet *
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