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The President's Cat
The famous Georgian writer, Guram Odisharia born in Sukhumi in 1951 and raised in the Abkhazia ASSR of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. His poetry and novels have been translated into over 25 languages. His collections like: "Psalms for You", "Key of the Sea", "Seven Pictures for Children" and "Midnight Tree" are a testament to his creative essence.
His storytelling prowess beautifully intertwines facts with imagination, showcased in works such as "The Pass of the Persecuted" and timeless novels like "Return to Sukhumi", "Black Sea Ocean", "The Cyclops Bomb" and "TogetherWithoutYou."
Literary scholars note that the Black Sea is a source of inspiration for Guram Odisharia.
"The President's Cat" is considered his masterpiece, has garnered international acclaim, translated and published in over 20 languages, including English, German, Italian, Chinese, Ukrainian, Russian, Dutch... His literary achievements have eaarned him esteemed awards both locally and abroad.
Beyond his writing, Odisharia served as a correspondent for various media outlets and led as the editor-in-chief at the literary magazine "Ritsa." Notably, he held the role of Minister of Culture and Monuments Protection in Georgia from 2012 to 2014.
Recognised as an expert in conflict and peace transformation in the Caucasus, his dedication to collaborative projects, including literary endeavours, led to his recognition as an "Ambassador of Peace" by esteemed international organisations.
After the armed conflict in Abkhazia (1992-1993), Guram Odisharia lives in Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia.
His storytelling prowess beautifully intertwines facts with imagination, showcased in works such as "The Pass of the Persecuted" and timeless novels like "Return to Sukhumi", "Black Sea Ocean", "The Cyclops Bomb" and "TogetherWithoutYou."
Literary scholars note that the Black Sea is a source of inspiration for Guram Odisharia.
"The President's Cat" is considered his masterpiece, has garnered international acclaim, translated and published in over 20 languages, including English, German, Italian, Chinese, Ukrainian, Russian, Dutch... His literary achievements have eaarned him esteemed awards both locally and abroad.
Beyond his writing, Odisharia served as a correspondent for various media outlets and led as the editor-in-chief at the literary magazine "Ritsa." Notably, he held the role of Minister of Culture and Monuments Protection in Georgia from 2012 to 2014.
Recognised as an expert in conflict and peace transformation in the Caucasus, his dedication to collaborative projects, including literary endeavours, led to his recognition as an "Ambassador of Peace" by esteemed international organisations.
After the armed conflict in Abkhazia (1992-1993), Guram Odisharia lives in Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia.
238 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 29, 2020
Müasir gürcü ədəbiyyatı ilə ilk tanışlığım deyildi, amma ev kitabxanımızda bu kitabı seçməyim təsadüfi oldu, çünki ölkəmizin keçdiyi çətin dönəmdə müharibə mövzusunu əhatə edən kitabı oxumuş olmaqla qəribə hisslər keçirdim. Kitabın ön sözündə isti hisslər və vətənə məhəbbət vəd edilirdi. Amma oxuduqca həm də bir az ümidsizlik, nostalji və xeyirxahlıq dolu xatirələrlə də rastlaşdım. Bu kitab keçmiş üçün darıxanlar, nostalji ab-havalı qocaman insanların daha çox xoşuna gələcək, kitabda ümumi qəmgin məzmunla sonlanmasına baxmayaraq həm də sevinc və empati dolu xatirələr də yer alır.
July 18, 2025
(3.5) “It wasn't a khachapuri guest, it was a man deserving of a goat on the table..”
“In short, only after these words did everyone apprehend the voices of the garden, as if someone had suddenly switched on an old radio from childhood.”
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I’ve recently come to assign 3 stars to books I have genuinely enjoyed reading (as opposed to giving 3 stars for average or unremarkable books). The President’s Cat was not only entertaining but also offered numerous complex and compelling interpretations. I don’t think it would be one that I’d recommend to all audiences - this is not an airport purchase/beach read - but it is a beautifully written account of life before the outbreak of the Abkhazian war.
A patchwork portrait of Mikhail Temurovich, pieced together through the voices of all those fortunate enough to have crossed paths with this (regrettably fictional) man. Though the narrative leans toward the whimsical, filled with moments of absurd charm, it gradually gives way to something more somber. Having immersed the reader in the culture, lifestyle and everyday joys of Temurovich, the sudden onset of the Abkhazian war lands with even greater emotional weight and poignancy.
“In short, only after these words did everyone apprehend the voices of the garden, as if someone had suddenly switched on an old radio from childhood.”
-
I’ve recently come to assign 3 stars to books I have genuinely enjoyed reading (as opposed to giving 3 stars for average or unremarkable books). The President’s Cat was not only entertaining but also offered numerous complex and compelling interpretations. I don’t think it would be one that I’d recommend to all audiences - this is not an airport purchase/beach read - but it is a beautifully written account of life before the outbreak of the Abkhazian war.
A patchwork portrait of Mikhail Temurovich, pieced together through the voices of all those fortunate enough to have crossed paths with this (regrettably fictional) man. Though the narrative leans toward the whimsical, filled with moments of absurd charm, it gradually gives way to something more somber. Having immersed the reader in the culture, lifestyle and everyday joys of Temurovich, the sudden onset of the Abkhazian war lands with even greater emotional weight and poignancy.
November 19, 2020
Kitabı adına aldanaraq aldığımı etiraf etməliyəm və elə ilk səhifələrdən adla süjetin bir-birinə zidd olduğunu biləndə bir qədər dilxor olmuşdum. Çünki prezidentin pişiyinin həyat tərzi, onun dünyaya baxışını oxumaq, ümumiyyətlə heyvanların gözü ilə yazılan kitablar xüsusilə marağımı cəlb edirdi.
Kitab üçün deyə bilmərəm ki, möhtəşəm sənət əsəridir, lakin səmimi qəlbdən vurğulamaq istərdim ki, gözəl və əyləncəli həmsöhbətdir. Kitabda bir obraz var - Mixail Timuroviç. Bu obrazla real həyatda tanış olmaq, vaxtaşırı görüşüb-danışmaq və onun hekayələrini öz dilindən dinləməyi çox istərdim. Kitab mənə XX əsrin əvvəlləri Azərbaycan ədəbiyyatını xatırladır. Hansı ki, "Molla Nəsrəddin" və "Füyuzat" jurnalı dərc olunan illəri. Əli bəy Hüseynzadənin, Cəlil Məmmədquluzadənin simasında publisistika özünün qızıl dövrünü yaşayırdı. Bəli, Quramın yazı üslubunda mən bu dövrün satirik, publisistik yazılarının havasını duyuram.
Sonluğu kədərləndirsə də, bəzən güldürən, bəzən də düşündürən, xoş xatirələrin yer aldığı bu kitab oxunmağa, Mixail Timuroviç isə tanınmağa layiqdir!
Gürcü ədəbiyyatı ilə tanış olduğum, zənnimcə, ilk əsərdir və ilk tanışlıq üçün uğurlu seçim olduğunu düşünürəm.
Kitab üçün deyə bilmərəm ki, möhtəşəm sənət əsəridir, lakin səmimi qəlbdən vurğulamaq istərdim ki, gözəl və əyləncəli həmsöhbətdir. Kitabda bir obraz var - Mixail Timuroviç. Bu obrazla real həyatda tanış olmaq, vaxtaşırı görüşüb-danışmaq və onun hekayələrini öz dilindən dinləməyi çox istərdim. Kitab mənə XX əsrin əvvəlləri Azərbaycan ədəbiyyatını xatırladır. Hansı ki, "Molla Nəsrəddin" və "Füyuzat" jurnalı dərc olunan illəri. Əli bəy Hüseynzadənin, Cəlil Məmmədquluzadənin simasında publisistika özünün qızıl dövrünü yaşayırdı. Bəli, Quramın yazı üslubunda mən bu dövrün satirik, publisistik yazılarının havasını duyuram.
Sonluğu kədərləndirsə də, bəzən güldürən, bəzən də düşündürən, xoş xatirələrin yer aldığı bu kitab oxunmağa, Mixail Timuroviç isə tanınmağa layiqdir!
Gürcü ədəbiyyatı ilə tanış olduğum, zənnimcə, ilk əsərdir və ilk tanışlıq üçün uğurlu seçim olduğunu düşünürəm.
May 31, 2023
3,5 ⭐ Is it a novel? A bouquet of second hand memoires and gathered 'facts' around pre-war Abkhazia? To me it read like a collection of anecdotes, tales, gossip and proverbs, sprinkled with a few drops of 'Eau de Biographie', presented in a frame narrative.
It was't easy to adjust to this book. It didn't feel like a novel, despite the 'determination' on the cover. But as many stories and toasts passed by, one funnier, crazier or sillier than the other, I understood that even our main character himself, Mikhail Temurovich Bgazhba, could not tell you what was fiction or fact. And if he knew, he would only tell you the gloriest version of 'facts' he could come up with! In that way, this book reminded me of the movie 'Big Fish'. One thing is for sure: Mikhail Temurovich must have been a legendary person.
An entertaining read for anyone with an interest in Fidel Castro's midnight visit to Abkhazia, community life at the Black Sea, whoring birds and quests for yeti's, Georgian history and culture, or district politics in the final days of the USSR.
It was't easy to adjust to this book. It didn't feel like a novel, despite the 'determination' on the cover. But as many stories and toasts passed by, one funnier, crazier or sillier than the other, I understood that even our main character himself, Mikhail Temurovich Bgazhba, could not tell you what was fiction or fact. And if he knew, he would only tell you the gloriest version of 'facts' he could come up with! In that way, this book reminded me of the movie 'Big Fish'. One thing is for sure: Mikhail Temurovich must have been a legendary person.
An entertaining read for anyone with an interest in Fidel Castro's midnight visit to Abkhazia, community life at the Black Sea, whoring birds and quests for yeti's, Georgian history and culture, or district politics in the final days of the USSR.
August 9, 2025
A deceng little easy read. A bit repetitive here and there. A bit too much boomer in the humour. Though of course the characters and the author are distinct (in most chapters), the are s couple of chapters which touch on rape, and brush it off too lightly for comfort... though, maybe historically accurate, i suppose?
Overall, a fun book.
Overall, a fun book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews