Overview

In this joint volume of Caucausian fiction, two friends from opposing sides of the unresolved Georgian-Abkhaz conflict join forces to craft a poignant anti-war narrative that spans borders and transcends political divides. After finding themselves on opposing sides of a war-torn region, Guram Odisharia and Daur Nachkebia, once comrades in the Writers' Union, chose to collaborate and publish their respective novels under one cover in a powerful literary endeavor that's now available in English. The President's Cat from Georgian writer Guram Odisharia paints a vivid picture of Sukhumi, a once-exotic city-resort marred by the horrors of war. Against the backdrop of this surreal conflict, Odisharia's characters navigate the chaos with raw, palpable humanity. In Daur Nachkebia's The Shore of Night, the novel's protagonist begins a soul-searching journey to understand the profound impact of conflict on human life after finding the diary of a friend who died in the war. Delving into the human experience and psyche against the backdrop of the Soviet empire's collapse and the brutal war in Abkhazia, it explores the struggle to maintain individuality and expand personal horizons despite the confines of society. Exploring real tragedies of individuals caught in the zone of conflict, the nuances of peace and war in the South Caucasus, and the prospects of reconciliation in post-conflict regions, the collectionTwo Novels from the Caucasus is a testament to the enduring power of literature to bridge divides and illuminate universal truths.

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Reviews

“The novels of Guram Odisharia (The President’s Cat) and Daur Nachkebia (The Shore of Night) explore the theme of life in Abkhazia, though the writers approach the issue from different perspectives: while the Georgian Odisharia’s book describes Sukhumi in the 1970s and 80s and the realities of a peaceful coexistence between the Georgian and Abkhazian people, the Abkhaz Nachkebia’s novel hones in on the war in Abkhazia—it traces the tragic split between the Georgian and Abkhazian people.The narration styles also differ accordingly: Odisharia’s narrative is imbued with a kind and nostalgic-romantic palette, while the Nachkebia evokes the bitter taste of the tragic events of the war. Ultimately, both novels enlighten readers to the mistakes made by both sides, while also offering poignant explorations for reconciliation.”— Irma Ratiani, Director of TSU Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature “For years, Russia has been writing a chronicle of war, from Chechnya to Ukraine, and to Abkhazia in 1992, which, with Russian help, declared independence from Georgia in 1992 and remains locked in a 'frozen conflict' to this day. Now two writer friends, a historian and a physicist, have collaborated on a groundbreaking publication. Reminiscent of Goethe's Italy, lemons bloom in the city of Sukhumi on the Black Sea, the capital of Abkhazia and the setting for this double and doubly impressive book. Once a dulcet spa town, this white city on the ‘Red Riviera’ is thrust into war, which tears apart palm trees and people. Despite its place at the periphery of Europe, the city is central to the Western understanding of democracy, self-determination, and peace. With apparent, subversive ease, Guram Odisharia conveys the flair of the city, the aura of the women, the seduction of wine, and—subcutaneously and richly in anecdotes—the restrictive life under Russian control. Daur Nachkebia, on the other hand, examines the embattled city in a philosophically existentialist way; he explores the horrors and traumas of war, and grapples with questions of survival and guilt. Only love and nature offer refuge—in both novels. The profound lightness of Odisharia, who fled to Tbilisi upon the outbreak of war, and the allegorical richness of Nachkebia, who remained in Sukhumi, depict two sides of life: the bright joy of the day and the dark melancholy of the night. This powerful joint publication is a courageous attempt to make a statement on the old divides between East and West, to find common ground between hardened ideological fronts, to reduce mistrust, and, ultimately, to reveal the best in people—in Sukhumi on the Black Sea, just opposite the coast of Ovid and the Ukraine.” — Cornelia Zetzsche, Journalist, Publicist & Literary Critic

Author Information

Guram Odisharia, born in 1951, is the award-winning author of nearly thirty poetic, prose, and journalistic books, including critically acclaimed novels such as The Ocean of the Black Sea, The President's Cat, and The Cyclops Bomb. Honored with over ten national and international literary prizes, his works have been translated into over twenty languages. He currently resides in Tbilisi, Georgia. Born in 1960, Daur Nachkebia, a physicist, has been honored with Abkhazia's Dmitry Gulia State Award for Literature, Art, and Architecture for his novel The Shore of Night, as well as the Fazil Iskander International Literary Award. The Shore of Night has been translated into Georgian, Armenian, Croatian, Serbian, Spanish, German, Italian, and Dutch, and Nachkebia's other stories can be read in Azerbaijani, English, Armenian, Georgian, and Ossetian. He is the Director of the Association of Publishing Houses in Abkhazia and currently resides in Sukhumi, Abkhazia.

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