Placid, thoughtful, and respectfully rebellious, Nadia Kalman speaks fervently about her life and the life of her characters. Kalman’s soul does not plague her like it does her character Stalina. While Stalina’s soul materializes in the form of a handkerchief, Kalman’s soul materializes in the form of her novel. It is not her burden but rather her strength; the very thing that gives her freedom and allows for empathy and vivacity in her work. When Nadia spoke to the Jewish Literature class, she said that the characters in her book who run from their history and ignore their culture are the ones who cannot escape the Russian Soul. Through The Cosmopolitans Nadia shows readers that she is not a victim of her past; rather, she has the strength to embody it.
A self-proclaimed lucky immigrant, Kalman explained that there is a bit of her heart in every character she creates. Like Milla, she has tried to obey the rules and conform. Like Yana, she has been tempted to rebel. Like Katya she has, at times, felt very lost. While her similarities allow her to empathize with each character individually, they do not provide her with full control over their actions. “Sometimes,” Nadia said, “ your characters are not willing to go where you ask them. They have different paths in mind.” Nadia listens to the people that she creates. She tries to give them as much freedom as one can give an imaginary person. Perhaps this is the reason why The Cosmopolitans is so successful; it is a conversation between an author and her characters.
In an article from Red Thread Magazine,“Can Russian Lit Be the New Jewish Lit?” Yoni Apap states that Kalman’s The Cosmopolitans “is, at its core, a story about what makes this profoundly Russian family so recognizably American” (Apap). Maybe the novel’s core is bigger than nationality. When asked about how she conveys immigrant issues through writing, Nadia replied that “maybe immigrant issues are also just human issues in general.” Many of the conflicts that the Molochniks face are typical family disagreements. Nadia remarked that immigrant children face the same family problems that all children do. Despite their nationality, children tend to “live in a different world from their parents.”
Apap aptly praises Kalman’s style as “a mash-up of Russian absurdist influence and… Jewish-American magic realism” (Apap). Part of what makes Kalman’s humor so effective is that it stands in stark contrast to the serious themes of the book. The author combines playful anecdotes about love and marriage with sinister themes of tyranny and culture divides. Kalman addressed this combination when she spoke to the Jewish Literature class. Portions of her novel are sweet and sentimental but, on their own, they do not represent a realistic and authentic interpretation. “We would like to think that love moves the world,” Kalman said with a grin. Her smile faded, as she added, “but tyranny- that moves the world it too.”
Nadia Kalman’s novel addresses the ways in which the children of immigrants are affected by their parents’ history. In The Cosmopolitans, The youngest Molochnik daughter, Katya, has never been to Russia but she is plagued and haunted by a Russian figure from her parents’ past. Katya’s curse, Nadia explained, was intended to show how children of immigrants “are still tied to their parents’ home lands” no matter where they are born.
One of the novel’s most engaging characters is Lev, Osip’s reclusive brother and the story’s narrator figure. In her article Apap says that at times Lev is “frustratingly mysterious.” This obscurity, however, also gives the novel a truly authentic voice. Kalman acknowledged Lev’s ambiguity in class. He is not willing to convey the truths of his past. In fact, the author explained, “Lev writes to avoid and to forget it.” He is the character that has “become broken by the Soviet system.” Lev realizes he will never live a full life and so he masks his grief by detailing the trials and tribulations of the Molochnik family. While Lev may be trying to cover up his emotions, Kalman herself is not one to hide. Her book is blatant and appropriately unapologetic.
Although her characters may grapple with identity, Kalman’s writing shows that the author has a profound sense of self. Her style is unique and personal. Nadia whittled a 370-page novel into what it is now. She described to the Jewish Literature class, her omission process. Anything that didn’t shine new light on a character or work to further the plot was erased. Nadia described how the editing process was one of the hardest aspects of the book. Kalman said she wanted to allow herself to throw things away while simultaneously watching to be sure she was not “editing the personality from [her] work.” Kalman’s character Milla, also seems to struggle in this department. Throughout the text, the eldest Molochnik daughter often tries to edit out any attribute of her personality that doesn’t conform to a status quo. In the end, both Kalman and Milla have demonstrated their freedom and individuality.
At the end of “Can Russian Lit Be the New Jewish Lit?” the author calls The Cosmopolitans a “literary Declaration of Independence” which is absolutely appropriate. Kalman’s novel ends with sparks of hope for the Molochnik family as they take advantage of their rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Apap, Yoni. "Can Russian Lit Be the New Jewish Lit?" Red Thread Mar. 2011. Web.
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