The View from Stalin's Head

Praise

“The View from Stalin’s Head is a view of life and loss, desire and despair, coming of age, and running away. In short, this stirring debut is a view of everything that matters, accomplished by a brilliant young writer with tremendous gifts.”
–Ben Marcus, author of Notable American Women and The Age of Wire and String

"The View from Stalin’s Head is just a wonderful collection. One of the loveliest surprises is that things actually happen–there are plots in here! Funny, satisfying and genuinly engrossing, Aaron Hamburger knows how to tell a great story. This book will be good to you."
–Victor LaValle, author of The Ecstatic

"With a sharp eye for outlandish details, absurd turns of phrase, and quiet but monumental moments of realization, Aaron Hamburger lures you into the most intimate worlds of young Czech schoolboys and jaded ex-pats alike. This is a marvelous and honest collection of stories about people searching for identity in a country searching for the same."
–Jessica Shattuck, author of The Hazards of Good Breeding

"To be American, Jewish, Gay, teaching English in Prague: this is the situation limned by Aaron Hamburger in his marvellous collection The View from Stalin’s Head. Artfully crafted, funny, poignant, sharply observant of realities and anguishes, these stories introduce a voice as original and engaging as his subject matter. This is a succulent meal indeed!"
–Mary Gordon

"We’re definitely not in Paris anymore. The View from Stalin’s Head is a triumphant collection of storing chronicling the loves, the losses, and the dreams of denizens of Prague. With charm and wit and force of life, Aaron Hamburger takes us deep inside the city walls. Poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, these stories are as good as they come."
–Binnie Kirshenbaum, author of Hester Among the Ruins