KLARA KHARKOV LIFE

Klara Kharkov Life is a novel based on events that took place in the 1920s through 1940s in Ukraine, the Soviet Union, as well as in the XIX century Jewish village in Belorussia, the Russian Empire. The main characters are a young Jewish couple, Klara and Samuil. As somebody who was born in the Soviet Union and lived there until its collapse, Michael Blekhman and Olga Bezhanova employed their knowledge of the Soviet realities in this novel. Michael Blekhman was born in Kharkov, Ukraine. Since 1998, he lives in Montreal, Canada. Michael is a professional linguist (a PhD in linguistics) and writer, a member of the International Academy of Literature and Arts, a winner of numerous Ukrainian literary awards, the author of several books in Ukrainian, Russian, and English. Michael's stories and books have been published in various literary magazines all over the world. Olga Bezhanova is a professional literary critic and scholar. She was born in Kharkov, Ukraine, where she graduated from Kharkov State University, Department of Foreign Languages. After relocating to Montreal, Canada, she graduated from McGill University, then obtained her PhD degree at Yale. Prof. Bezhanova teaches Hispanic literature at the University of South Illinois in Edwardsville, USA. She writes in English, Spanish, and Russian. Olga is a member of the International Academy of Literature and Arts, a winner of several Ukrainian literary awards.