Editorial Content for Bronshtein in the Bronx

Leon Trotsky’s infamy precedes him by the time he reaches the United States in early 1917. Since he was at the forefront of a failed revolution in Russia to overthrow the czar, he is being targeted for lifetime exile in Siberia.

However, Trotsky manages to escape and leaves with his wife, Natalya, and their two children. He has resided in other less hostile countries in Western Europe, but his political activism leads him to become persona non grata and on the move once again. By the time his ship docks in New York Harbor, he and his brood hope for more than a brief respite from their itinerant lifestyle.

Trotsky’s paperwork identifies him as Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, but J. Edgar Hoover calls him Trotsky. He and his nuclear family are granted entry, even though Hoover is suspicious of his motives and believes he plans to foment revolution in the US. Despite the initial brusque introduction, Trotsky is greeted by associates who want to assist a comrade in adjusting to his new surroundings.

"Littell captures his subject masterfully and conveys the famed revolutionary's complex nature... [His] speculative novel also serves as a quasi-prequel to the fascinating espionage tales he’s been writing for over 50 years."

Since his abrupt departure from Russia, Trotsky has found employment as a press correspondent. In New York, he is hired to write for Novy Mir, a Socialist paper. When not working, he is usually meeting with socialists and discussing the progress in Russia. Some believe that patience is needed for revolutionary change, while others hold that it must come about quickly, even utilizing violence. When Trotsky speaks in front of crowds, he can command an audience. However, he is soon targeted for greater scrutiny by the government.

Trotsky’s sojourn in New York is not limited to stoking revolutionary fervor as he discovers after meeting Fred Fedora, a vivacious journalist from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. He begins a torrid affair with the leftist writer and risks Natalya’s wrath. His residence grows precarious by the day as Hoover and others want to expel him (if not worse) for his speeches, and Russia heads towards a bloody uprising.

BRONSHTEIN IN THE BRONX is the riveting new work from the always entertaining pen of Robert Littell, who this time ponders Trotsky's 10-week habitation in New York. As Europe lingers in a calamitous war, Russia’s future hangs by a thread, and Trotsky pines for a triumphant return home to lead the next revolution. Littell captures his subject masterfully and conveys the famed revolutionary's complex nature --- as a family man who can’t keep from stepping out on his wife, and a charismatic leader who worries about his position being usurped by upstarts like Josef Stalin.

While the mission is serious, the narrative hits humorous high notes with the dialogue between Trotsky and his nemesis, Leon Litzky. Litzky’s presence is only subconscious, but Trotsky’s interactions with him offer a window into a brilliant yet troubled mind. Littell’s speculative novel also serves as a quasi-prequel to the fascinating espionage tales he’s been writing for over 50 years.