Howard Solomon

PhD SLL 1997, Russian literature

Religion and Philosophy in Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita: Roots in the Silver Age and Pavel Florenskii's Writings. Defended 1997 (Chair: Maria M. Carlson). 2007-09 served as Senior Political Officer and then Acting Deputy Director of the Office of Russian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Since April 2009, Director for Russia, National Security Council. (10/2009)

Career: Since 1997, Howard Solomon served as a diplomat with the U.S. Department of State, with assignments in Seoul, South Korea; Moscow; Washington; and Vienna, Austria. From 2009-2010 he served at the White House on the National Security Staff (National Security Council) as Director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs. From 2010 to 2015, he served as Deputy Minister Counselor and then Minister Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. As of September 2015, he serves as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania. 

Languages: Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Bulgarian, Korean, German, French

Countries lived in: Soviet Union, South Korea, Russia, Austria, U.S.

Favorite place: Vienna, Austria

Favorite food: Sauteed scallops

Favorite drink: Wiener melange followed by a nice glass of Blauer Frankisch wine

Favorite saying: Лучше один раз увидеть, чем сто раз услышать 'Better to see it once than hear about it a hundred times'

Favorite book: Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita