Maxim D. Shrayer

Maxim D. Shrayer is a Professor of Russian, English, and Jewish Studies at Boston College, serving as Department Chair and Director of the East European Studies Minor. Born in Moscow to a Jewish writer’s family, he emigrated to the U.S. in 1987 after nine years as a refusenik. His research focuses on Soviet-Jewish literature, Holocaust witnessing, and translingual writing, with a particular emphasis on Vladimir Nabokov and Ivan Bunin. Shrayer has published over 30 books in English and Russian, including award-winning works like Anthology of Jewish-Russian Literature (2007 National Jewish Book Award) and Kinship: Poems (2024).

• Education: B.A. Brown University; M.A. Rutgers University; M.Phil./Ph.D. Yale University
• Affiliations: Boston College since 1996; Co-founder of Jewish Studies Program

His creative works include memoirs (Waiting for America, Leaving Russia), poetry collections, and novels. Awards include a 2012 Guggenheim Fellowship for Holocaust literary studies.