"There is an emphasis on sex, drugs and rock 'n roll," Boris Fishman '01 said of "Wild East: Stories from the Last Frontier," which debuted in bookstores on Oct. 15. The collection of short stories, edited by Fishman, tries to capture the good times of young people living in the "lawlessness" of the former Soviet Union in the early '90s.
Judging the book by its cover — an image of a cigarette lighter — readers might conclude that the focus is on fun. While discussing one of the stories from the collection, however, Fishman quickly slips into seriousness.
"Spleen," by Croatian native Josip Novakovick, tells the story of a Bosnian woman who is almost raped by a thug during the war. She moves to America and falls in love with a man from her country, who she gradually comes to suspect is her attacker.
"It's irrational," Fishman said. But he said he can easily identify with the powerful theme of nostalgia running through the text.
The tension between longing for home and trying to fit into America could be considered the theme of Fishman's own life. Born in Belarus, he emigrated to the United States at the age of nine. Initially, he wanted to blend in as much as possible, going so far as to ask people to call him Bobby.
"I think once you get comfortable, you gradually gravitate back to your heritage," he said. For Fishman, that turning point came in 12th grade when he read Ivan Turgenev's classic "Fathers and Sons."
A Slavic languages and literature major at Princeton, Fishman continued the "Romantic experience" of reconnecting with Russian literature.
Halfway through his junior year, he founded a Slavic Society for people from or interested in the region. He raised $8,000 for the Red Cross in support of Kosovar refugees.
In the summer of 2000, Fishman returned to Russia for the first time since his emigration. He worked at the U.S. embassy in Moscow. His images of a romanticized Russia, drawn from literature, met the reality of the frustrated, unhappy people he encountered in Russia.
"While it was a frustrating experience, on the other hand it was enchanting," he said. "I saw things I hadn't seen since I was a child."
Back on campus that fall, Fishman started to write for the Nassau Weekly, after finding the 'Prince' "too rigid and confining."
Fishman said he was ambivalent about his experience at Princeton.
"I found my friends, and owe them my sanity, but was fairly devastated by my absolute failure to connect with the majority of the population," Fishman said in an email.
Academically, though, he believes Princeton to be unparalleled — he said he has never experienced anything close to Princeton's academic environment, even at the New Yorker.
He cites professors Caryl Emerson, Stephen Kotkin and Olga Litvack as his favorites at the University.
All three were in the audience at the Princeton bookstore when he lectured there, as part of his promotions for Wild East. "Teaching the people who had taught me was an exhilarating experience," Fishman said.
"He is the type of student that Princeton is not known for and yet, has been extraordinarily well-served by the intellectual atmosphere of the place, more so, in fact, then the garden variety overachieving Ivy Leaguer — which speaks VOLUMES for Princeton," Litvack said in an email.
After graduation, Fishman interned at Harper's before taking a job as one of those "fabled" fact-checkers at the New Yorker.
Recently, Fishman wrote an article for the "Talk of the Town" section about a day he spent with former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. He has also written reviews for "Goings on about Town."
While most of Fishman's work has focused on his ethnic background, his current project stems from a different aspect of his identity. Fishman's Jewish heritage has sparked his interest in the relationship between Jews and Muslims and he hopes to write a travel-type book for American Jews visiting Muslim countries.
"I have no preconceived notions," Fishman said on what the conclusion of his exploration would be.
Over the Christmas and New Year's holidays, he will be in Jordan, gathering material for his book and continuing his quest for answers.
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