Contemporary Georgian Fiction

by Elizabeth Heighway (Editor)

Spanning fifty years, but with a particular emphasis on post-independence fiction, this collection features a diverse range of styles and voices, offering a window onto a vibrant literary scene that has been largely inaccessible to the English-language reader until now. With stories addressing subjects as diverse as blood feuds, betrayal, sex, drugs, and Sergio Leone, it promises to challenge any existing preconceptions the reader might hold, and make available a rich and varied literary tradition unjustly overshadowed by the other ex-Soviet republics, until now.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, The World, Georgian

362 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was thrilled to pick this up in Tbilisi recently, what a wonderful addition to literature translations. Often the only translated literature for a small language are seminal works of poetry or epic myths, and I find that the power of the writing gets lost in translation or that only a small part of the culture becomes clearer. So, contemporary fiction is perfect for me.

Just a warning, as with much post-communist writing, the overall tone tends to be depressing; this is particularly true for stories set in the immediate post-Soviet period. Some of the stories are downright disturbing in a creepy way (Debi, The Round Table, The Suicide Train) or could be skipped entirely (The Dubbing, Ladies and Gentlemen!). But so many more are beautiful and powerful: The White Bridge, Kolya, The Drunks, The Story of Sex, Selling Books, and November Rain.

I have three favorite stories that touched me deeply. First, The Drunks, is a nuanced story of three old friends, background on their trials and tribulations, and how each reacts to an invitation to meet. Second, Selling Books, which follows one family's sacrifice in order to survive the difficult post-Soviet years of conflict. Finally, my favorite story of all, November Rain, the perfect short story on the evil and dysfunction of the Soviet system.

The translators did a remarkable job with these stories, although I think that more of the Georgian or Russian words could have been left in to provide better context.

[Amy Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection. It's difficult to find any Georgian literature that's been translated into a readable English, so I was delighted to come across this anthology while in Georgia. A must read for anyone interested in post-Soviet and Caucasian culture.

[James (JD) Dittes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sorry this diverges so much, but I'm simply copying in a blog post that I wrote, comparing this book with the 2014 film, I Love You, Tbilisi which I also read ahead of my visit to Georgia in 2015.
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This weekend I streamed the 2014 film, Tbilisi, I Love You. Watching the film--a collection of nine vignettes--coincided with my mad rush to finish the last of the Georgia-related books that I have ordered, including Contemporary Georgian Fiction (CGF).

This gives me 18 points of reference from which to discuss Georgian storytelling, not just the nine of the film.

First to the film. The nine vignettes vary in focus and quality. Together, though, they provide a full, fascinating look at Tbilisi from many different angles--Georgian mostly, but American and British as well.

The best vignette is one I will call "Happy Meal." An out-of-work father gives in to his son's wish to eat a Happy Meal at the Tbilisi McDonald's. To do this, he must raid the stash of money that his wife has earned during her day job. The relationships between the father and the son, the father and the mother are touching and real, setting up an ending that is...(I don't want to give it away)...amazing, heartbreaking, ironic.

In his short story, "Once Upon a Time in Georgia," Aka Morchiladze sums up Georgian storytelling in this way:

Had this been an episode from the golden age of Georgian cinema, what happened next would have been amazing: we would follow the hero on his adventures, there would be romance, irony, destiny, fortune--everything. But unfortunately this was Georgian reality and not a Georgian movie where roadworkers chase butterflies through the meadows (273)

It's such a strange priority for fiction: (1) romance, (2) irony, (3) destiny and (4) fortune = everything. Yet in my reading and watching, I have found that the episodes in the film and the stories in the collection follow the form that Morchiladze describes. I have already mentioned the irony of "Happy Meal." There's more.


For me, the finest story in CGF was "November Rain" by Nugzar Shataidze, which welds fortune, romance and heartbreaking irony in the plight of a man living in the 1930s during the purges. A teacher in a local school, he gets angry with a student only to learn later that that student works with the secret police.

Fearing that they will come for him at any time, his health declines, much to the concern of his loving wife. He has a past--years spent working in labor camps in Siberia because of political action against the Tsar before the November Revolution. For the foreign reader, the story provides an insight into the Georgia of Stalin and Berea, but the characters are moving and the end is biting whether the reader is looking for

As for destiny, another of my favorite stories was "Once Upon a Time in Georgia" a fragmented, modernist look at late-Soviet Georgia, where the main characters sit around talking about American films like The Magnificent Seven, Once Upon a Time in America, and Scarface. The further I read, the more I realized why movies like this were so popular in the Soviet Union: gangster films fed into the theme of western decadence and malaise that the propaganda wanted everyone to believe. But there was also a deep fascination there. In many ways the American gangsters took people's minds off crime and troubles there at home.

Destiny is also a theme of Mamuka Kherkheulidze's "A Caucasian Chronicle" which sends up the vendetta culture of the mountains. Batka is a man who refuses to declare vendetta against Stalin Petre, the killer of his father. Because of this the village shuns him and no woman will marry a sap like him. Of course, in the end Petre dies, and the irony is waiting to help the reader end with a laugh.

I don't have time to describe all the delights of CGF. I loved the characterization in Zaza Burchuladze's "The Dubbing," an extended monologue by an actor on location who's craving his next fix of heroin. Guram Dochanashvili's "The Happy Hillock" is a Persian-style fable that is also a highlight.

The stories of I Love You, Tbilisi wield their share of irony, destiny, romance and fortune, too. On a film set, an actress plays the part of the heartbreaker, slapping her man and leading him to threaten suicide. Once the cameras are off, however, we learn that she is the one who years for her co-star.

Destiny shows its hand when a handsome movie star returns to Tbilisi and takes time to visit a long lost love--he still wears her watch--only to watch her pick up her five-year-old daughter and realize that it is all over.

The film is filled with many beautiful views of Tbilisi. It's bridge is a locale for a Georgian "Runaway Bride" short, and the film contains many poignant moments. A Georgian girl, now an emigree in Munich during the 90s, turns the lights in her apartment off and on, off and on, a sign of her homesickness for Tbilisi; a woman puts her wedding ring back on her hand in the subway; the American motorcyclist played by Ron Perlman reads John Steinbeck's A Russian Journal in his hotel room, a visiting British actor realizes that Tbilisi is 12 hours different from his home in Los Angeles.

This book and this film have given me definite insights into recent Georgian culture. As for sharing, I would probably share "Happy Meal" and "The Slap" in a class of students grades 6-12, but some of the other films are appropriate only for adults.

Works Cited
Heighway, Elizabeth. Contemporary Georgian Fiction. Champaign: Dalkey Archive, 2012. Print.

Tbilisi, I Love You. Dir. Nika Agiashvili, Tamar Shavguilidze, Irakli Chkhikvadze, Levon Tutberidze, and Levan Glonti. Storyman Pictures, 2014. Vimeo Stream.

[R.L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Κριτική στα Ελληνικά πιο κάτω...

This collection of "contemporary" Georgian Fiction was published back on 2012. It features stories written more or less sometime in the 4-5 decades prior to this year.

I found many of the stories compelling, some of them hard to get because some things don't transpire easily on translation/out of cultural context (Elizabeth Heighway mention these challenges on her introduction too. Taking in consideration that it's Georgian authors translated in English and that I'm Greek myself, this makes reading this book even more...interesting), and most of them having a sad or pessimistic tone to be honest. Given the long history of the country and that it became a sovereign state after many years of been part of Soviet Union in 1991 and that many adventures followed and that I think the country took a pro-West direction on the 2000s, I feel that the themes and ambiance of the literature during recent years might have take a different style nowadays-or not.

I didn't like much the way women were depicted or treated on this book or the "matcho" attitudes of men in some of the stories, while the bleak themes started to get on my nerves after a while. Still, I guess all those elements represent a more traditional society and a turbulent history and were revealing of Georgian culture and era and much more.

Debi by Mariam Bekauri
Decent writing, a bit odd at parts, this short story is a piece of life with sad theme.

The Round Table by Lasha Bugadze
Interesting absurb fiction with a sad after taste.

The Dubbing by Zaza Burchuladze
I think this story had much potential but took a weird turn with all the religious stuff. Something might be lost in translation or on an alien to me concept I guess. A pitty as I liked the writting style.

The Chair by David Dephy
A very short story, absurb and odd and sad.

Real Beings by Teona Dolenjashvili
A more normal setting with daily life characters that ends really sad. The characters of course aren't very likeable and I didn't like the women of the story-nor the men to be honest. And I guess that's part of the culture, but all other things aside, what about all this alcohol consumption?

The Happy Hillock by Guram Dochanashvili
I liked this fairy-tale type of story although it felt kind of disjoined sometimes. Again there are some tragic incidents and not a happy end exactly. But it was a complete lively story with a 1001 Nights' or other Middle East traditions' feeling.

The White Bridge by Rezo Gabriadze
A decent, quick read, again starting sad but at least two people managed to get together and had a family even if one died young.

Cinderella's Night by Kote Jandieri
Clever social commentary up to a point and a psychogram of a woman really, but again very sad. I didn't like the choices of the woman and the end of the story.

Kolya by Irakli Javakhadze
I didn't like the air-head female characters or the attitude of men it this story or all the alcoholism and I found that the way Kolya's story is revealed isn't convincing. I think that some things were lost in translation and it might have been somehow shorter too. But this was a story lively written, although again it deals with very sad themes.

The Sqirrel by Davit Kartvelishvili
I guess revealing about the culture and a decent story, but I didn't like the way of thinking of the narrator or the mentallity of any other character. At least while beatter-sweet, there is some kind of optimism by the end of the story...

Ladies and Gentlemen! by Besik Kharanauli
I think that this was kind of a meta-fiction -or whatever it's called- story that lost me in translation and maybe due to writing style. A decent read.

A Caucasian Chronicle by Mamuka Kherkheulidze
I enjoyed the setting although I didn't like the back-waters' attitude with the vergeance and vendetta that was common in many parts of the world till a few decades ago, including some remote parts of Greece. I liked the main character's morals and attitude even if the rest of the villagers couldn't get it.

The Drunks by Archil Kikodze
Three different men, one day in their life, lots of drinking and at the end a meeting that might or might not help with their troubles. Nice writing, a bit abrupt ending.

Rain by Ana Kordzaia-Samadashvili
Short absurd story, a decent read but nor great. Again sad.

Love in a Prison Cell by Zurab Leshava
Well, this deals with -once again- sad conditions and situations, but it was written in a tongue in cheek tone. Maybe the only story of the book that tries to take things lightly.

A Story of Sex by Maka Mikeladze
Now this was a decent piece of writting and maybe even a daring theme, but a lot of things were lost in translation. Tons of references I couldn't get the significance of...

Once Upon a Time in Georgia by Aka Morchiladze
I'm not familiar with half of the western pop culture and movies and other stuff mentioned here, while I think this one was longer than necessary and a bit disjointed. But maybe this is one of the best stories in this book to get the social "climate" and to learn about other themes and other changes taking place around perestroika time. A good drawing of the mentalitty of people at the time and much more.

Selling Books by Zaal Samadashvili
A well-written quick read, poignant and sad.

November Rain by Nugzar Shataidze
Interesting psychogram and interesting moral and other dilemmas. What if one just wishes to be left alone but is caught on History's cogs? A bit farfetched on its twists and of course sad, but it had a modern vibe on the writting too.

The Suicide Train by Nino Tepnadze
A quick and poignant read, of course sad! The collection closes as it started, with a sad story featuring two siblings...

All in all I found the book very interesting, but maybe it was a mistake to read in one go. Maybe it's meant to be read in smaller doses, one chapter now and then or something. Too much dread or pessimism or weirdness to take in one go I think.

I'd be very interested to read a similiar collection published today...I guess many things will be the same given the current political situation in Georgia/this part of the world, but many things would be vastly different too on social terms etc?


Το βιβλίο εκδόθηκε το 2012 και περιλαμβάνει λογοτεχνία γραμμένη τις τελευταίες 4-5 δεκαετίες πριν την έκδοσή του. Καθώς η χώρα έχει πολύ μακρά κι ενδιαφέρουσα ιστορία και αποσπάστηκε από την Σοβιετική Ένωση το 1991 και μετά υπήρχε μεγάλη πολιτική, οικονομική και κοινωνική αστάθεια, καθώς τώρα προσπαθεί να προσανατολιστεί πιο πολύ προς τη Δύση, αλλά και λαμβάνοντας υπόψη τους πολέμους και το όλο κλίμα στην περιοχή, ίσως μία παρόμοια έκδοση με εντελώς σύγχρονη λογοτεχνία να ήταν παρόμοια στο πολιτικό κλίμα αλλά διαφορετική στο κοινωνικό; Ή ποιος ξέρει;

Ήταν πολύ ενδιαφέρον να διαβάσω λογοτεχνία μιας χώρας που δεν είναι πολύ γνωστή, αλλά πολλά πράγματα χάνονται στη μετάφραση, κυριολεκτικά και μεταφορικά. Επίσης η ίδια η Γεωργιανή γλώσσα είναι διάσπαρτη με ξενικές λέξεις και ειδικά με Ρωσικές εκφράσεις και λέξεις και ακρωνύμια για πολιτικά γραφεία και τίτλους κτλ της Σοβιετικής Ένωσης σε κάποιες ιστορίες. Πως να αποδοθεί το κλίμα εύκολα στον αναγνώστη που δεν είναι εξοικειωμένος με όλα αυτά; Η μεταφράστρια αναλύει κάποια από αυτά τα προβλήματα στην εισαγωγή της. Είναι μετάφραση από τα Γεωργιανά στα Αγγλικά και φυσικά εγώ είμαι Ελληνίδα, οπότε...

Τελικά βρήκα την συλλογή ένα καλό δείγμα γραφής, αλλά ίσως ήταν λάθος να διαβάσω το βιβλίο από την αρχή ως το τέλος. Αποσπασματικά ίσως να διαβάζεται καλύτερα, ένα κεφάλαιο τώρα, ένα σε λίγες μέρες κτλ. Αυτό το λέω διότι η θεματολογία έχει έναν λυπητερό τόνο, η κοινωνία είναι παραδοσιακή με έντονο τον σεξισμό και τον αλκοολισμό και συνήθως οι χαρακτήρες είναι απαισιόδοξοι ή κουφιοκέφαλοι ακόμα και στις πιο πρόσφατες ιστορίες.

Βρήκα το βιβλίο ενδιαφέρον, αλλά πιο "βαρύ" από ότι περίμενα...

[Helene Ryding · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited to find this in Tbilisi, but the excitement and interest didn't last long. I didn't even finish it. None of the stories I read at the beginning encouraged me to plough on.

Disappointing, as the translation was good. In fact the most interesting bit of the book for me seemed to be the translators introduction.

[Rhonda Hankins]

A good variety of short stories in this collection, all well written and many odd enough to catch my attention even though I'm usually not a fan of short stories.

Most of these stories are grim, though, so took me a long time to get through this book. The real world is miserable enough these days without spending my fiction-reading time imagining how it could be worse.

[David Kosobucki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great sample for anyone that simply wants to get acquainted with the kind of things Georgians are writing. As I'm in Tbilisi this summer, I thought I'd read it to dig a little into the local mindset. Interesting stuff - some of the post-Soviet environment and attitudes make their way in. A few younger authors seem to be over that and fully living in the present, nearly unconscious of history.

[Michele Benson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Georgia. Startling short stories. Most of them are sad. Debi - a story about a brother whose sister is dying. Cinderella’s night - about the daughter of an elite party member who marries a con man.

[Pipkia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay! Contemporary Georgian Fiction!
I think this book is brilliant, it really reflects the state humanity was left in at the end of the Soviet Union. This book will tear your idea of humanity to shreds.
The translation was pretty snazzy, too--well done, Elizabeth Heighway! I can only imagine what it must have been like to translate such a bizarre selection of stories written in such an obscure language. It paid off.
Real Beings and the Suicide Train were my favourites, but I loved them all! (Except maybe Once upon a Time in Geogia. But hey; Morchiladze's books are always weird.)
All in all, a pretty cracking book, so read it!

[Kevin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Uhm, don't need to read much, a little goes a long way.