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Library staff lead a hybrid book discussion of "Hard by a Great Forest" by Leo Vardiashvili in advance of Princeton University Concerts' event with Georgian violinist Lisa Batiashvili.
Click the register button to the left to sign up to attend in person or register for Zoom attendance here.
Set in the aftermath of war in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia—a country still grappling with the consequences of Russian occupation and aggression—Leo Vardiashvili’s debut novel explores the legacy of conflict through a deeply personal lens. When a father disappears after returning to his homeland, his sons embark on a journey that confronts the wreckage of history and the longing for home. Participants will have the opportunity to submit a question for violinist Lisa Batiashvili to address during her onstage conversation, which will reflect on her own experiences and responses to the ongoing struggle in her native Georgia, and by extension, Ukraine.
About the book: Named one of NPR’s “Books We Love,” and praised by The Financial Times as a “propulsive page-turner [and] spellbinding achievement,” Leo Vardiashvili’s Hard by a Great Forest is a lyrical and unflinching portrait of a family shaped by displacement. Haunted by the violence of the past and the uncertain terrain of the present, the novel follows two brothers retracing their missing father’s path through a homeland scarred by war. At once brutal and tender, it’s a work that “has captured the winking, world-weary humor and magic-realist touches that mark a lot of literature from Europe’s war-torn corners.”(Los Angeles Times)
This book group discussion is held in advance of the Princeton University Concerts' April 29 event with violinist Lisa Batiashvili, "Sounding Defiance: Georgia & Ukraine."
Presented in partnership with Princeton University Concerts.
AGE GROUP: | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Music & Performances | Book Groups | *Registration Required |
