Gary Shteyngart

Michael Kimmelman, when I moved here, which was only a couple years ago, I read Michael Kimmelman, his book called The Intimate City.

And he says, the beauty of New York is the juxtaposition of this with that.

Yes, this with that.

And that allowed me to see the beauty of New York.

It was like a single sentence that reshaped how I looked at a whole place.

This with that, this with that.

So, look, I agree with that.

Wonderful man, wonderful lunch date.

This and that, I'm going down the street and this and that is creating a fear of great pleasure in me.

Is it one of the senses?

Yes.

This is sight, which is probably the most boring sense.

But I am... If you had to rank them.

If I had to rank them.

Well, it's the most obvious one.

But, you know, recently I got a dachshund, which is the world's best dog, clearly.

And this giant sausage, completely out of control.

Bernie is his name.

I dedicate the sensualist to Bernie, my furry sensualist, because he is a very sensual dog.

And his great sense is smell, obviously.