Bugadze, Lasha

Literature express

Tbilisi: Sulakauri, 2019.

New book.

Item #33661
ISBN: 9789941239564

Paperback
318 pp.

A literary association has invited unknown and mediocre writers of various nationalities to a seminar, so the narrative follows the train as it travels through Europe. The novel describes the self-absorption of the authors and their inability to communicate with each other. They are portrayed as inward-looking and disinterested in their fellow travelers’ works. The novel speculates on the subject of literature and unsuccessful writing.

The main character of the story is a Georgian author. At the heart of the novel is a love story between him and his Polish translator’s wife. However, their romance is as unsuccessful as the protagonist’s attempts at literary success. At the end of the fascinating journey through Europe, we discover that all the authors participating in the seminar are writing their new books about the Literature Express.

The Literature Express is about literature and writers, but also subtly reflects the tragedy of a Georgian man who cannot integrate into the European society because of his mind frame.

Lasha Bugadze writes fiction and is also a playwright and the host of book programs on Georgian TV. Born in 1977, he lives and works in Tbilisi. His novel A Small Country (2017), won all three big literary awards in Georgia in 2018: Saba, Ilia State University Award and Litera. Lasha won the International BBC Playwriting Competition in 2011 for the play The Navigator, and his play The President Has Come to See You was performed at London’s Royal Court Theatre in 2013.

Price: $17.00