Friday 28 October 2016

Into the Thickening Fog by Andrei Gelasimov

Into the Thickening Fog by [Gelasimov, Andrei]

































A French theater agrees to stage the latest work by Filippov—the most prestigious and lucrative opportunity of his infamous career—but first he must sever ties with his longtime collaborator and childhood friend. So the internationally acclaimed Russian director makes a reluctant trip back to his hometown to deliver the news. His journey to the Far North, where the temperature remains dangerous all winter, unexpectedly blurs the distinctions between reality and art for this virtuoso, who prides himself on his ability to create shocking scenes and outrageous situations. And after the city’s power grid goes off-line, the brutal cold just might get the better of him.

The colder it gets, the more wickedly funny Filippov’s boozy exploits, which unravel into an unexpected chain of events—including run-ins with old lovers, meeting a woman who might be his daughter, encounters with the devil, and the unlikely affection of a dog that, like Filippov, is in desperate need of warmth.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Born in Irkutsk in 1965, Andrei Gelasimov studied foreign languages at Yakutsk State University and directing at State University of Theatre Arts in Moscow. In 2001, he became an overnight literary sensation in Russia when his story “A Tender Age,” which he published on the Internet, was awarded a prize for the year’s best debut. It went on to garner the Apollon Grigorev and Belkin Prizes, and his novels have regularly enjoyed critical and popular success in Russia and throughout Europe. This is his fifth novel to be published in English, following Thirst, The Lying Year, Rachel, and Gods of the Steppe, winner of Russia’s National Bestseller Prize in 2009 and praised by Bookslut as “a very rich, good book.” Gelasimov adapted Thirst for the screen, and the film, directed by Dmitriy Tyurin, won first prize in the Moscow Premiere Screenings at the Moscow International Film Festival and the Jury Prize at the Sochi Open Russian Film Festival.

The Draper's Daughter by Ellin Carsta

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A thrilling historical novel by the author of The Secret Healer.
 
Cologne, 1351: Elisabeth and Stephen Hardenstein are twins, but they could not be more different. While Elisabeth is inspired by the family business, absorbing everything her father shows her about the cloth trade, Stephen enjoys a leisurely life and pays little attention to their father’s teachings. Elisabeth recognizes her true vocation as a tradeswoman, and though the odds are stacked against her, she pursues her passion.

When the twins’ father suffers a tragic stroke, the tables turn. Suddenly Stephen is interested in running the draper’s shop his father left behind, and he takes the lead in managing the family business. But Elisabeth can’t sit idly by and watch as he makes bad decisions and accumulates debts. Stephen pushes her to marry as soon as possible, even proposing a suitor, but Elisabeth has her own ideas about matters of the heart. Are her talents in the art of negotiation enough to win her both the job of her dreams and the man she truly loves?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Born in 1970, Ellin Carsta is a successful German author who publishes under various pseudonyms. She is married with three grown children. Although writing books is her passion, she also enjoys sports, especially jogging and cross-training.

Nirzona by Abidah El Khalieqy

30333081When Sidan’s family and village are swept away in the 2004 tsunami that ravaged Indonesia, he rushes home to Aceh, leaving behind Yogyakarta, his studies, and his beloved, Firdaus. Interrupting their plan to marry, Sidan promises Firdaus he will soon return to her side so they can spend the rest of their lives together.

But the unimaginable scale of loss and the political and cultural complexities that ensnare the recovery make it impossible for Sidan to abandon his birthplace and the graves of his family. Stoked by his love for Firdaus and their shared devotion to the poetic beauty of Islam, Sidan remains in Aceh, doing everything in his power to help the survivors while keeping in close contact with his beloved.

In spirit Sidan and Firdaus are one, but in body they are distant. Theirs is a love bonded in the transcendent fires of death and destruction, but is that enough to sustain the relationship?


Author Abidah El Khalieqy was born in 1965 in Jombang, East Java. She graduated from an all-girls Persatuan Islam boarding school in Pasuruan and Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University in Yogyakarta. She began to write in her youth and has had a productive career, publishing nine novels, most recently Mimpi Anak Pulau (An Island Child’s Dream, 2013); two short story collections; and the poetry collection Ibuku Laut Berkobar (My Mother Is the Shining Sea, 1997). Her 2001 novel Perempuan Berkalung Sorban (The Woman in the Turban) was adapted for the screen and won several awards. Geni Jora (Light of the Morning Star, 2003) was judged Best Novel by the Jakarta Arts Council in 2003.

El Khalieqy’s work gives a voice to women, including victims of polygamy and domestic violence, whom she feels are still often marginalized in Indonesia. Her work has been widely anthologized and has received numerous awards.