In this month’s Reading Group we will discuss Contemporary Georgian Fiction, a landmark anthology bringing together stories by some of the most influential contemporary authors to have emerged from the Republic of Georgia.
The Online Reading Group will help to improve inclusivity and accessibility, giving the opportunity for those who cannot attend in person to join us for discussion. We encourage you to join us in person if you can, and leave the online places to those who would benefit from them. The meeting will be facilitated by our bookshop co-curator Sasha Padziarei and engagement curator Alisa Oleva.
Spanning fifty years, but with a particular emphasis on post-independence fiction, the collection shares works that are now accessible in English for the very first time. We encounter a wide range of voices and narrative styles by established authors and literary newcomers alike. We read fables about the shahs, warriors and feuds of centuries past; about a hedonistic weekend at a seaside resort that ends in tragedy; attempts to define Georgian identity during perestroika, amid Western cultural influence and the remnants of Soviet ideology; of the experience of Georgian emigres in the West; and of survival in the first years of independence, balancing freedom with poverty and a loss of livelihood.
The Reading Group will be focussing on the five stories by women authors featured in the anthology: Mariam Bekauri, Nino Tepnadze, Teona Dolenjashvili, Ana Kordzaia and Maka Mikeladze.
This is our first time reading a collection of stories. The group decided to focus on stories written by women mentioned above. You are welcome to read other stories too of course. We’ll aim to hear from everyone in the group about the stories they’ve read. Please let us know if you are struggling to find the book on reading.group@pushkinhouse.org.uk. We’ll try to help!
2021 saw the opening of Pushkin House’s very own physical bookshop in addition to our online store. While it is still being honed and developed, we are keen to highlight literature that inspires, encourages, moves and validates our readers. We also want to amplify the voices, writers and readers that historically didn’t get and, perhaps, still don’t get the visibility, power and appreciation they deserve. Most of all, we want to create a physical (and an online) place for connection where people can come and share their views.