I discuss with the author his book American Elegy: Reflections on 250 Years of the Dis-United States of America (Ig Publishing, 2026). Simon is the founding editor of The Pittsburgh Review of Books. The book is a lively and lyrical medley of short “flash” essays, as he calls them, and our conversation ranges from his notes on “General Tso’s Chicken” as a sticky American fusion classic to his thoughts on Jane Jacob’s early 1960’s exploration of what makes for a vibrant urban milieu. As Simon tells me, there is much in the American experience—in the American song, it can be said—to celebrate notwithstanding all of the discordant notes.

Veteran journalist Paul Starobin is a former Moscow bureau chief for Business Week and a former contributing editor of The Atlantic. He has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and many other publications. His latest book, Putin’s Exiles: Their Fight for a Better Russia (Columbia Global Reports) will be published in January.

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