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I am a Chechen!
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I am a Chechen! Paperback - 2011

by German Sadulaev


From the publisher

The first compelling voice in literary fiction to emerge from the Chechen War With a lyrical fusion of exotic legends, stories, and memories of Chechnya, this fictionalized biography offers a rare glimpse of a land of wondrous beauty, site of genocides past and present, and the author's ancestral home. Haunted by memories of the land he deserted, Sadulaev tells the stories of those who stayed behind. He brings dead friends back to life again, revisiting their first loves, their passion for rock music, and their quests for martyrdom. He immerses readers in the intoxicating beauty of his homeland's mountains, blossoms, and the flocks of migratory swallows that fill its skies. This is an intensely personal journey through the carnage of the war, exploring the pain, the challenge, and above all the meaning of being a Chechen.

Details

  • Title I am a Chechen!
  • Author German Sadulaev
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 247
  • Language EN
  • Publisher Random House UK, London, Canada
  • Date 2011-12-01
  • ISBN 9780099532354

Media reviews

"This unique mixture of lyricism, legend, memoir and fiction captures the sorrows of his nation... Tragedy is everywhere here, but the most powerful element is the sheer beauty of the land and the singularity of its people. Excellent."
—The Times

"Powerful stuff... flashes of brilliance."
—Independent

About the author

German Sadulaev was born in 1973 and grew up in the Chechen village of Shali. At 16, before the start of the first Chechen war, he left to study law in St. Petersburg, and lives there now. He is the author of five books, of which I Am a Chechen! is the second. Sadulaev's work has unleashed heated debate in Russia; it has been shortlisted for the Russian Booker Prize, twice for the National Bestseller award, and has won the Eureka Prize.