Hurramabad
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The 1998 winner of the Anti-Booker Prize, Hurramabad describes the bloody national strife and the eviction of Russians from Tadjikistan following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The title is the name of a mythical city of joy and happiness where there is always plenty of fresh water and shade. When civil war erupts in the country, many Russians are reluctant to leave their home. But normal life gradually vanishes, replaced by atrocity and death. This shifting world is the setting of Andrei Volos s powerful novel. He masterfully creates vivid pictures from street scenes, snatches of conversation at the bazaar, comments by wise old men, and life stories of simple people, Russians and Tadjiks alike. His prose is poetic, with colorful lyrical digressions. Mr. Volos continues the tradition of stern realism in Russian literature, with his economical but expressive language, his sharp psychological insights, and his gorgeous descriptions of nature and national traditions. The best book to come out of Russia in the last decade. Neue Zuricher Zeitung.
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