The Navigator

ავტორი: ლაშა ბუღაძე; Bugadze Lasha; სერია: Georgian Fiction The novel is about literature and writers, more precisely, about unknown and mediocre authors travelling together. A literary association has invited authors of various nationalities to a seminar and the narrative follows their train journey through Europe on the Literature Express, a train specially chartered for the occasion. The novel describes the self-absorption of the authors and their inability to communicate with one another. They are portrayed as inward-looking and largely disinterested in their fellow travelers’ work. The novel is therefore a reflection on literature and the unsuccessful author. The main character of the story is a Georgian author. At the heart of the novel lies the love story between him and his Polish translator’s wife. However, their romance is as unsuccessful as the protagonist’s attempts at literary success. At the end of the fascinating voyage through Europe, we find out that all authors participating in the seminar are writing their new books on the Literature Express. Let’s see how the Georgian author will fare.  

ავტორი: ლაშა ბუღაძე; Lasha Bugadze სერია: Georgian Fiction Lasha Bugadze’s play is a tragicomedy about loneliness and alienation. The narrative of the radio play is highly dynamic while the drama takes a somewhat absurd turn, which has a deep impact on listeners and readers. In 2011 the play won the Best Radio Play award in the First Language Category at the competition held by the BBC and the British Council. The same year the play was recorded by the British actors and aired by the BBC.

ავტორი: დათო ტურაშვილი; Dato Turashvili სერია: Georgian Fiction “American Fairy-Tales” tells us a story about a distant country, where the author Dato Turashvili spent hundred days on an international literary program. Despite the fact that the book is based on a documentary facts, it is difficult to tell where reality ends and fiction begins. Therefore, “American Fairy-Tales” is both a short novel and a story told as a fairy tale, since, according to the author, America itself is in between the fairy tale and reality.

ავტორი: Dato Turashvili   The bestselling novel of Dato Turashvili is based on the most tragic and scandalous story of Soviet Georgia of 1980s. Seven young people hijacked an airplane to escape from the Soviet Union, which was an exceptional action, because at that time even a thought of escaping from the Soviet Union was criminal! The Soviet government condemned most of these young people to death for their naive even if dangerous attempt. The public opinion was split. A part of the public considered the youngsters to be just ordinary terrorists. The other part would argue that living under the Soviet regime was so unbearable that this could even justify the hijacking of a plane. Flight from the USSR gives an opportunity to the reader to closely follow the leading characters, and learn more about their motifs and intentions than it would be possible by just reading dry court documents. Flight from the USSR was staged in Georgian Free Theatre and is one of the most successful plays. 1983 წელს რამდენიმე ქართველმა ახალგაზრდამ საბჭოთა საქართველოდან თვითმფრინავის გატაცება და ამ გზით ამერიკაში მოხვედრა სცადა. გულუბრყვილო მცდელობა წარუმატებელი აღმოჩნდა, რომელსაც  მსხვერპლიც მოჰყვა თვითმფრინავის ეკიპაჟის წევრებსა და მგზავრებს შორის. დაიღუპნენ გამტაცებლებიც, მათი უმეტესობა კი სასამართლოს წინაშე წარსდგა. ტერორიზმის ბრალდებით დაპატიმრებულ ახალგაზრდებს, ფეხმძიმე გოგონას გარდა, საბჭოთა ხელისუფლებამ სასჯელის უმაღლესი ზომა, დახვრეტა მიუსაჯა. სიკვდილით დასაჯეს ადამიანიც, რომელიც თვითმფრინავში საერთოდ არ მჯდარა, მაგრამ გამტაცებლების მეგობარი იყო. „თვითმფრინავის ბიჭების საქმე“ თანამედროვე, პოსტსაბჭოთა საქართველოში ჯერ კიდევ აქტუალურია. დღემდე კამათობენ იმაზე, სინამდვილეში ვინ იყვნენ ეს ახალგაზრდები: ჩვეულებრივი ტერორისტები თუ გმირები, რომლებიც საბჭოთა ხელისუფლებას დემონსტრაციულად დაუპირისპირდნენ. დათო ტურაშვილის წიგნი „ჯინსების თაობა“ სწორედ ამ ტრაგიკულ ისტორიას ეძღვნება. .