AFGHANISTAN: THROUGH THE KEYHOLE OF BARON COMPOUND
DUMBADZE MANANA
Couple of years ago a Georgian journalist Manana Dumbadze was invited by American company to work in Afghanistan in the framework of TAFA (Trade Accession and Facilitation of Afghanistan) project. Consequently, she undertook that hazardous trip. 'Baron' is the district in Kabul city where the author dared to live for a year and exactly this district, its lifestyle and inhabitants became the inspiration for her future book, which attracted attention of many in Georgia. The story focuses on the portraits of Afghan women, their needs, stories, desires and everyday longings. The background of unfolding events is mostly the streets of local slushy and poor huts built of mud; Though the surrounding shown in the text is very sharp the author manages to offer a colorful book, revealing inspiring images of those women who have to face every day struggle for survival and on the same time remain so exquisite and charming.
According to some critics, the book is a curious mix of different literary genres; It is the genre in which the individualism of an author is shown most vividly. Her manner is very distinct. In spite of psychological portraits and philosophic passages, the book is very easy to read, rich with gradations from monologue to dialogue, which prevents the author from being monotonous and makes the book very dynamic.
“I would say that Manana Dumbadze has restored a forgotten genre of literature in Georgia – it is a travelogue, a traveling genre. The birth of that genre in Georgia is attributed to Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani. The interest in the traveling genre was kindled by the strong desire to get information about the rest of the world and peoples." -
Madona Ujmajuridze, Philologist
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