Elizabeth Segerstrom hosted an intimate evening at her New York residence to celebrate the release of Anya Gillinson’s memoir, Dreaming in Russian, a powerful and deeply personal account of resilience, identity, and transformation. Surrounded by elegant white orchids, the event brought together an esteemed crowd, including Andrew Solomon, Sir Clive Gillinson, Prosper Assouline, Candace Bushnell, Kip Forbes, Marifé Hernández, Joel Bell, Denise Rich, Barbara Tober, and Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia. Guests listened as Gillinson, in conversation with Solomon, reflected on her childhood under Soviet rule, the tragic murder of her father, and her journey to building a new life in America.

Gillinson captivated the room as she spoke about her father’s unwavering honesty in a society built on secrecy. “My father lived in the Soviet Union, a country of hypocrisy and lies. But he wasn’t secretive. He was open and honest. He was honest about being a Jewish man at a time when people were hiding this. He lived like we do here in the West, and it was his dream to come to America,” she shared. “His dream never became reality. My father, shielding my mother, was killed at 47 years old. I was 13 years old. Our life as we knew it was over. I always wanted to tell his story and write this book. But this book is more than just that. It’s also about my social observations about immigrating to America, which looked very different than we see on TV now. This book is about my mother. This book is about feminism versus femininity. This book is about being Russian.”

PHOTOS BY BFA Yvonne Tnt

Andrew Solomon, who led the evening’s conversation, praised Gillinson’s ability to weave personal history with broader cultural insight. “This gives you a feeling for the passion in which the book is written; the vision, and the ability to draw philosophical extrudes out of personal experience,” he said. With a room filled with literary and cultural icons, the evening was not just a celebration of a book but a testament to the power of storytelling. Dreaming in Russian, published by Skyhorse, is now available in bookstores and online. More information can be found at Anya Gillinson’s website.

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