GLORIOUS PEOPLE | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation

A sweeping historical fiction novel about the fall of the Soviet Union, told through the eyes of Ukrainian mothers and daughters over 4 decades –Marie Claire

In this stunning work of political historical fiction, loaded with "vibrancy and humour", the collapse of the Soviet Union reverberates throughout multiple generations of 2 families--presaging and foreshadowing conflicts in Russia's Ukraine War.

As a child, Lena longs to pick hazelnuts in the woods with her grandmother. Instead, she is raised to be a good socialist: sent to Pioneer summer camps where she's taught to worship Lenin and sing songs in praise of the glorious Soviet Union. But perestroika is coming. Lena's corner of the USSR is now Ukraine, and corruption and patronage are the only ways to get by--to secure a place at university, an apartment, treatment for a sick baby.

For Tatjana, the shock of the new means the first McDonald's in the Soviet Union and certified foreign whisky, but no food in the shops; it means terrible choices about how to love. Eventually both women must decide whether to stay or to emigrate, but the trauma they carry is handed down to their daughters, who struggle to make sense of their own identities.

Engrossing, rich in detail, and full of unforgettable characters, this is a captivating love letter to mothers and daughters from one of Europe's most powerful voices in political fiction. 

Sasha Salzmann is joining us on the Busboys stage to share more about this “deeply empathic portrayal of the dislocation of first-generation immigrants and intergenerational trauma” (Financial Times). Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and Salzmann will be signing following the program.

This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of GLORIOUS PEOPLE will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is in person and will not be livestreamed. 

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Sasha Salzmann was born in Volgograd in 1985 and grew up in Moscow. In 1995, they emigrated to Germany with their family. Salzmann studied literature, theatre and media at the University of Hildesheim and creative writing for the stage at the Berlin University of the Arts and is now an award-winning playwright, essayist, and curator. Salzmann is the co-founder of the culture magazine freitext, was the artistic director of STUDIO Я (Best Experimental Stage of the Year 2014). Salzmann's work has been translated, performed and awarded in over 20 countries.

BOOK DETAILS

Glorious People

By Sasha Salzmann, Translated by Imogen Taylor

June 3, 2025 | Paperback, 336 pages, $18.95

Host or Publisher Busboys and Poets