The Railway
About the book
The inhabitants of the Uzbek town of Gilas form a many-voiced story of the twentieth century.
Original title: Железная дорога
Asia · A READING GUIDE
Uzbekistan
Hamid Ismailov depicts Uzbekistan’s multiethnic and multilingual world. The Railway concentrates a history of change in a small railway town. Cho'lpon and Abdulla Qodiriy offer entry points into classic twentieth-century Uzbek prose. Isajon Sulton adds a contemporary parable alongside Ismailov's novels of memory, power and exile.
WHERE TO START
- The RailwayHamid Ismailov
- Night and DayAbdulhamid Sulaymon o‘g‘li Cho‘lpon
- The Days Gone ByAbdulla Qodiriy
Books to begin with
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The Dead Lake
About the book
An encounter with a young violinist reveals a child’s life near a nuclear testing ground.
Original title: Вундеркинд
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About the book
The imprisoned Abdulla Qodiriy imagines a lost novel about nineteenth-century Turkestan.
Original title: Jinlar bazmi
Night and Day
About the book
Young Zebi’s fate exposes patriarchal power and tensions in Turkestan under Russian rule.
Original title: Kecha va kunduz
The Days Gone By
About the book
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Original title: O‘tkan kunlar
The Eternal Wanderer
About the book
The eternal wanderer motif connects religious traditions with questions of modernity and the meaning of home.
Original title: Boqiy darbadar
Of Strangers and Bees
About the book
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Gaia, Queen of Ants
About the book
Three expatriates in England are linked by memories of violence, dependence and Soviet power.
Context and sources
Sources on authors and their connections to this country. Specific edition details appear beside each book. Polish and English originals are not labelled as translations.
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