Q&A with Yevgenia Nayberg

  

 

 

 

Yevgenia Nayberg is the author and illustrator of Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters, a new graphic memoir for older kids. Her other books include I Hate Borsch!. She lives in New York City. 

 

Q: Why did you decide to create Chernobyl, Life, and Other Disasters?

 

A: A friend gave me the idea to write about what happened to my braid in 1986. At first, it was meant as a picture book, since that’s what I usually write.

 

But when I began to think about it, I felt that it had to be a longer story. I had always seen the braid episode as important and transformative, yet still a single event. Then it became clear it could serve as a larger metaphor, connecting many historical and personal moments.

 

Q: The Kirkus Review of the book says, “Nayberg’s depictions of her mother...and of friend dynamics feel wholly authentic, while the portrayal of Soviet-era antisemitism, environmental catastrophe, and casual cruelties never overwhelms the intimate story of a girl finding her voice through art amid chaos.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I think Kirkus nailed it. There’s so much going on in our lives that is worthy of attention, but as a writer I feel I have to choose my focus.

 

I wrote the book in the present tense as an 11-year-old, so I had to forget that I knew the future. In the 1986 Soviet Union, no one knew the full truth about what was happening in Chernobyl. Perhaps we still don’t have the whole picture. I had to replicate an atmosphere of uncertainty, not unlike how we felt in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit us.

 

I also had to keep the child’s point of view in mind. For her, everything is drama and adventure, and her intimate life moments could weigh as much as a global catastrophe.

 

As to antisemitism, it is such a huge, bottomless theme that affected me in a major way growing up. As I was writing my book, I gave it a lot of thought. How much do I show? I deliberately chose to show just a glimpse of how mundane, matter-of-fact antisemitism was part of the lives of Soviet Jews.

 

The best way for me to approach a tough subject is with humor. As I was writing, I kept the first sentence of Sholem Aleichem's Motl, the Cantor’s Son, in mind. It goes like this: Lucky me — I'm an orphan! I think it’s the best opening line in the world, and in many ways, my guiding writing principle.

 

Q: What do you think the book says about the role art has played in your life?

 

A: Growing up, this obsessive, perpetual drawing was the only thing I knew. I never thought of it as something unusual. In fact, I thought everyone who went to Art School with me was just as consumed by art.

 

When I reflect on it now, I realize that wasn’t the case. Not everyone was so dramatic. Many of my classmates did not become artists after graduation and did just fine. But for me, it never changed.

 

I usually don’t talk about “the role of art in my life” because it sounds too profound, but there’s no safer, happier, more intimate space for me than paper and pencil.

 

Q: Especially given the current situation in Ukraine, what do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: I hope that by learning about the Soviet Ukraine of my childhood, readers will realize how far today’s Ukraine has come as an independent democratic country, and also how dangerously similar Russia has lately become to what used to be the USSR.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I have two picture books on the way. The first one, Another Tongue, is out this summer. It’s my take on what it feels like to learn a second language when moving to a new country. Even after years in the US, I still have a love-hate relationship with English; Another Tongue is my attempt to come to terms with it.

 

The second one, Not So Super Hero, was inspired by my public art project — a New York Superhero poster for the MTA. It’s the story of a reluctant superhero who goes on an adventure to please his immigrant parents.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I want to give a shout-out to Taylor Norman, the incredible editor of Chernobyl, Life and Other Disasters. Without her trust, her sensitivity, her bravery, this book would have never happened. And to the leading star of my book, my mother, Maria Cherkasskaya, who never let me be banal, no matter how much I begged!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Yevgenia Nayberg.