How a Samovar Helped Me Theorize Latin American Jewish Literature

There’s a marvelous story by Eduardo Stilman about a silver samovar. It caressingly describes the prodigious object—its polished ebony handles, finely carved arabesques, mischievously-turned spigot, and deep inviting hollowness, a refuge for all manner of items, large and small. Until one day the samovar disappears; that’s where the story really…