🎙️ Sergii Pershyn

Read Sergii’s story, Tokyo, NY, on Foofaraw now!

How much international travel have you done and what was the best experience you’ve had flying?

Given a professional background in PR and living in both Europe and the United States, I’ve traveled a lot between the US, Europe, and Asia. There have been many pleasant experiences—from a surprise upgrade to Business class on a transatlantic flight to leaving for a vacation to France where the flight crew was in a festive mood, giving out lots of small wine bottles to the passengers. 

But ironically, the flight I enjoyed the most recently was a 15-hour red-eye from Dubai to New York. I took a sleeping pill and slept for 13 hours straight.

Do you have any neurosis when it comes to flying, similar to the protagonist with their anxiety and insomnia?

You got it right! The story is semi-biographical, at least in the beginning. I’ve always been anxious before traveling throughout my life. It gets slightly better when I have an opportunity to travel by train—it allows me to get from my door to my seat faster, and is generally a more pleasant experience than flying.

What’s your strategy for a long flight and is Casablanca involved?

There is some magic in boarding a long flight with a stack of New Yorkers, a novel, or a list of 3–4 movies you planned to watch. I love having an uninterrupted period of time to devote to reading, without being distracted by phone notifications. Sometimes, one needs to get on a plane to achieve that. 

I watched Casablanca on a plane once, but I was awake. It’s a shame that I’ve noticed airlines removing classic movies recently, but it’s always a pleasure to find a masterpiece like The Big Sleep on a plane’s entertainment system.

Does our protagonist ever make it to Tokyo or are they stuck in some Twilight Zone/Groundhog Day-esque loop?

I hope he gets there without too much trouble—it’s a wonderful city to visit. 

To me, the story culminates with a happy ending. The protagonist wakes up on time for his trip and has already experienced all the terror in his sleep, so hopefully he's able to relax on his actual flight.

What’s a great short story you’ve read recently?

I’ve always loved short stories, ever since I read Julio Cortázar in school, and enjoyed their plot twists in a condensed format. More recently, I have also been researching works in order to improve my own craft. 

In the past months, I’ve read a number of short story collections, including those by Donald Barthelme, Patricia Highsmith, Toni Morrison, Lydia Davis, Raymond Carver, John Cheever, and George Saunders. 

The most lasting impression on me was left by Good Old Neon by David Foster Wallace, from his Oblivion story collection. For me, that’s the perfect example of short fiction. It is a beautifully told story by an unreliable narrator that captivates your mind long after you finish it.

What book are you reading right now?

I started reading The Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil during the Christmas break, and I am going to take the 1,200-page journey slowly. The book has been on my bucket list for years. 

At the moment, I'm also reading Minor Black Figures by Brandon Taylor and Flesh by David Szalay, as I try to read more contemporary fiction.

Do you have anything else you’d like to share? 

Readers of Tokyo, NY might enjoy another surrealist story I wrote, The Corner,  published in Oroboro Journal. 
My other works are listed on my website.

Thanks to Sergii for chatting with us about the wonders of travel!