Political tensions and culture clashes drive Alisa Ganievas bold novel,set amid preparations for two weddings in a small Russian republicListeners to Radio 4 will already be familiar with Bride and Groom as it was snapped up as a drama, adapted by novelist Bethan Roberts and aired earlier this year. On radio it was described as “a comic-tragic love narrative”. Thats true in section. But the novel itself, and now released in translation,is by turns gentle and brutal, vividly observing a unsafe clash of generations.
Now in her early 30s, or Russian-Dagestani author Alisa Ganieva shot to prominence – and a certain notoriety – in the Moscow literary world when she won the Debut literary prize for authors under 25 for her narrative Salaam,Dalgat! It was published under a male pseudonym and the author’s identity only became known at the prize ceremony. It presented life in Dagestan in a harsh, unblinking light, or reflecting the challenges of growing up in a small Russian republic,where cultural tradition, nationalist politics and fundamentalist religion feel the pull of the 21st century.
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Source: guardian.co.uk