Gary Shteyngart is a Russian émigré whose novels include “The Russian Debutante’s Handbook” and “Super Sad True Love Story.” He was on a paperback tour for his latest book, “Little Failure: A Memoir,” when he stopped to read The Times with Insider.
Do you have a paper-reading routine? How did you read today’s paper?
I read Wednesday’s Times in the actual print version (they were selling them down at the Detroit airport) and it was amazing!
Usually I read The Times online, so mostly I just skip around searching for more Lindsay Lohan tidbits and whether or not my apartment has increased in value. But when you read The Times in print, in a linear fashion and without digital distractions, you learn all this incredible stuff you weren’t even looking for!
Like did you know that olfactory bulbs behind our nasal cavities are rich in cells that support nerve function? Well, it’s on Page A6, and those bulbs are helping a paralyzed Polish guy walk again.
Oh, and on A12 it turns out that spires can now be added to buildings in downtown Los Angeles, because they don’t have to have helipads on top anymore because of some outdated fire code.
Oh, and a Tasmanian devil was killed at the Albuquerque zoo on Page A16, presumably for meth-related reasons and by a Walter White-like character. I spent three hours immersed in the print edition, and I feel like I’m connected to the world again. Although I do wonder what Lindsay is up to.
Do you read the paper section by section?
In print, I read every section; digitally, not so much. The digital ads can be pretty powerful, though, when they take over the entire screen.
What do you reach for first?
Whatever the iTelephone tells me to reach for! I’m just the passenger here.
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