Keith Gessen

Birth Name: Konstantin Alexandrovich Gessen

Place of Birth: Moscow, USSR (now Russia)

Date of Birth: 9 January, 1975

Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jewish

Keith Gessen is an American novelist, journalist, and literary translator. He co-founded the literary magazine n+1.

Keith was born in Moscow, to a Jewish family. His father is a computer scientist and his mother is a literary critic. His sister is journalist, author, translator, and activist Masha Gessen. When he was six, his family moved to the U.S., settling in the Boston area, in Brighton, Brookline, and Newton. Keith is married to author, novelist, and blogger Emily Gould.

Keith’s paternal grandfather was named Boris Gessen.

Keith’s paternal grandmother was named Ester Goldberg Gessen (the daughter of Jakub Goldberg and Bella). Esther was born in Bialystok, Poland, and was a translator for a foreign literary magazine.

Keith’s maternal grandfather was surnamed Minkin.

Keith’s maternal grandmother was named Ruzya/Rozalia Solodovnik. Rozalia was born in Pereslavl-Zalessky, Yaroslavl, and was a Soviet government censor of dispatches filed by foreign reporters.

Source: Genealogy of Keith Gessen – https://www.geni.com