Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

This romantic novel is set in Azerbaijan during the ebbing period of imperialism's "Great Game" & along the fault-lines of history, involving a Georgian Christian girl, Nino Kipiani & a charming Moslem boy from Baku, Ali Khan Shirvanshir & their steadfast bond harkens back to "Romeo & Juliet" and other cross-cultural stories.



But more than just that, the book represents a literary excavation, a rediscovered work, long out of print, portraying a time & place on the verge of great upheaval, about to be redefined by world events forced upon it, just before WWI & then the incorporation of Azerbaijan into the Soviet sphere.

Added to the complexity of the story is the novel's authorship, listing Kurban Said, a pen name for Lev Nussimbaum, who also used the name Essad Bey, a somewhat shadowy author who was born a Jew in Kiev in pre-Soviet Ukraine but who converted to Islam & was aided on the road to publication by Baroness Elfriede Ehrenfels. Or, perhaps it was actually written by someone named Yusif Vazir Chamanzamlini.

Somehow, the mysterious authorship seems to make the novel even more interesting, as having been published in Vienna just prior to the "Anschluss" or annexation of Austria & the outbreak of WWII, it has only fairly recently been translated from German into more than a score of other languages.



Ali Shirvanshir is gifted at languages & accents and becomes quickly entranced by Nino Kipiani, a playful, proud Georgian Christian, though Ali is unable to "fathom Nino's soul." Here is just one memorable comment from Nino:

Maybe I will marry you Ali but quite apart from woods (the west) & deserts (the east), my mother & father will die of sorrow if I marry a Mohammedan, while the Czar will send us to Siberia & we will sit in the middle of the Arctic Sea on an iceberg & big white bears will eat us.

But soon, the loving couple is off to Tbilisi, Georgia & Nino's turf, where Ali feels "like being held between 2 claws of a hot pair of tongs." Meanwhile, Nino declares that she loves Ali but is unable to comprehend his world.



There are scenes that seem almost reminiscent of Scheherazade, including a wise man & devout Moslem, Seyd Mustafa, who against his better judgment marries Ali & Nino & gives them needed counsel. Seemingly alone in a sea of contrary forces & impending war, Nino declares that she can deal with anything, "except mice, crocodiles, exams & eunuchs." The pair faces a life in exile, including time at a small village in Dagestan in the Caucasus.

Indeed, Ali & Nino is a novel I first learned of when reading a book by Paul Theroux, who later wrote a preface for a reissue of the book. It is rich in memorable characters and interesting backdrops, has a bit of everything, including many examples of opposing images, among them minarets rising into the sky & almost seeming to joust with nearby oil derricks in Baku.



There is also evidence of the old Zoroastrian culture and even a lone Baha'i, all attempting to sort through the forces of change that envelop them. "Ali & Nino" is a remarkable tale, one I enjoyed on many levels!

Among the images within my review are: the most likely author, Lev Nussimbaum/Kurban Said; Baroness Elfriede Ehrenfels; the sculpted images of Ali & Nino in Batumi, Georgia & what I take to be the author & his companion in pre-WWII Vienna.