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Offended Sensibilities
Offended Sensibilities chronicles a series of sudden deaths that occur among officials of a provincial Russian town. The events in the plot relate to the notorious recent law banning forms of expression that "offend the sensibilities" of religious believers.
With this novel, Ganieva moves beyond the Dagestani setting and themes of her previous writing to address contemporary themes such as nationalism, Orthodox religiosity, sexuality, and political corruption. She addresses these weighty issues with a light touch and at times rollicking sense of humor that will keep the reader turning the pages. This timely, entertaining and thought-provoking novel can be read as an allegory for the current political, social, religious, and cultural climate in Russia today.
With this novel, Ganieva moves beyond the Dagestani setting and themes of her previous writing to address contemporary themes such as nationalism, Orthodox religiosity, sexuality, and political corruption. She addresses these weighty issues with a light touch and at times rollicking sense of humor that will keep the reader turning the pages. This timely, entertaining and thought-provoking novel can be read as an allegory for the current political, social, religious, and cultural climate in Russia today.
252 pages, Paperback
Published November 7, 2022
3 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
About the author
Alisa Ganieva
11 books46 followersAlisa Ganieva (or Ganiyeva; Russian: Алиса Аркадьевна Ганиева) is a Russian author, writing short prose and essays. In 2009, she was awarded the Debut literary prize for her debut novel Salaam, Dalgat!, published using the pseudonym of Gulla Khirachev.
Ganieva was born in Moscow in an Avar family but moved with her family to Dagestan, where she lived in Gunib and later attended school in Makhachkala. In 2002 she moved back to Moscow and graduated from the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute. She works as a literary critic for the Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily.
She won the Debut literary prize, the under-25 competition for authors writing in Russian, in 2009 for Salaam, Dalgat!. The identity of the author, who published it pseudonymously, was only discovered at the award ceremony. The novel describes the everyday life of Dagestani youth in the cities and shows the decay of traditional life and their difficult relations with Islam, the traditional religion of Dagestanis. The characters use the "Dagestani Russian", a pidgin version of Russian, to communicate, the first instance when this was presented in a literary work.
In 2012, Ganieva published her second novel, Holiday Mountain, also set in Dagestan. In 2014, it was translated to German. In 2015 the Italian and the american translations came out. The last one published by the Deep Vellum Publishing House (USA) is called "The Mountain And The Wall". Ganieva spoke about the book to the audience of the London bureau of the Voice Of Russia radio.
In April 2015 her new novel "The Bride And The Bridegroom" was released in Russia and is already listed for the major literary awards.
She also published short stories and fairy tales. She has received a number of literary awards for her fiction.
In June 2015 Ganieva was listed by The Guardian as one of the most talented and influential young people living in Moscow.[
Ganieva was born in Moscow in an Avar family but moved with her family to Dagestan, where she lived in Gunib and later attended school in Makhachkala. In 2002 she moved back to Moscow and graduated from the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute. She works as a literary critic for the Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily.
She won the Debut literary prize, the under-25 competition for authors writing in Russian, in 2009 for Salaam, Dalgat!. The identity of the author, who published it pseudonymously, was only discovered at the award ceremony. The novel describes the everyday life of Dagestani youth in the cities and shows the decay of traditional life and their difficult relations with Islam, the traditional religion of Dagestanis. The characters use the "Dagestani Russian", a pidgin version of Russian, to communicate, the first instance when this was presented in a literary work.
In 2012, Ganieva published her second novel, Holiday Mountain, also set in Dagestan. In 2014, it was translated to German. In 2015 the Italian and the american translations came out. The last one published by the Deep Vellum Publishing House (USA) is called "The Mountain And The Wall". Ganieva spoke about the book to the audience of the London bureau of the Voice Of Russia radio.
In April 2015 her new novel "The Bride And The Bridegroom" was released in Russia and is already listed for the major literary awards.
She also published short stories and fairy tales. She has received a number of literary awards for her fiction.
In June 2015 Ganieva was listed by The Guardian as one of the most talented and influential young people living in Moscow.[
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 10, 2023
Offended Sensibilities offers a very dark view into the realities of an average town somewhere in Russia — corruption, absence of any morality or ethics, flaunting of ill-gained and fleeting wealth, and snitching. Everyone snitches on everyone; nobody is safe from the deadly snitching machine. Human life is nothing more than an afterthought.
Ganieva paints the town with harsh satire that is, sadly, too close to reality. She does not let in even a glimmer of light. There is not a single character that gains the reader's empathy.
Who did she write this novel for? I doubt the Russians who live this reality daily would want to read this painful noir satire. The book, albeit fast and entertaining read, leaves the reader with dim desperation, powerlessness, and disgust. What many Russians feel daily without having to turn to literature.
This book may be for us, the outsiders looking in. So we know exactly how they feel...
PS I listened to this book on audio in Russian.
Ganieva paints the town with harsh satire that is, sadly, too close to reality. She does not let in even a glimmer of light. There is not a single character that gains the reader's empathy.
Who did she write this novel for? I doubt the Russians who live this reality daily would want to read this painful noir satire. The book, albeit fast and entertaining read, leaves the reader with dim desperation, powerlessness, and disgust. What many Russians feel daily without having to turn to literature.
This book may be for us, the outsiders looking in. So we know exactly how they feel...
PS I listened to this book on audio in Russian.
November 5, 2020
если кратко: вместо этой книги лучше бы я пересмотрела «последнего министра».
если подлиннее: персонажи картонные, автор пытается рассказать их прошлое, объяснить их настоящее, но эти истории всё равно будто рождены 3D-принтером. у ганиевой ужасны все, все почему-то тупые, некрасивые, злые. наверно, ей кажется, такой должна быть сатира — безусловно злой, но какой смысл высмеивать коррупцию и сталинизм, если не сочувствуешь хотя бы немного людям, которые воруют и верят в эффективного менеджера. у автора нет чувства ритма и чувства стиля, простые вещи описаны сложно и заковыристо, сложные — одномерно. вся книга — как запутанный лес, бессмысленный и страшный.
если подлиннее: персонажи картонные, автор пытается рассказать их прошлое, объяснить их настоящее, но эти истории всё равно будто рождены 3D-принтером. у ганиевой ужасны все, все почему-то тупые, некрасивые, злые. наверно, ей кажется, такой должна быть сатира — безусловно злой, но какой смысл высмеивать коррупцию и сталинизм, если не сочувствуешь хотя бы немного людям, которые воруют и верят в эффективного менеджера. у автора нет чувства ритма и чувства стиля, простые вещи описаны сложно и заковыристо, сложные — одномерно. вся книга — как запутанный лес, бессмысленный и страшный.
October 22, 2023
This is a well-written drama showcasing many aspects of modern Russian life with wit, restraint, humor, and even surpassing tenderness at moments. Of course it ends in great tragedy as a warning of excesses of zeal, especially a fear-based nationalist zeal.
The excerpt that cuts through the entire drama for me is:
--"And Siga would touch her shoulder and say, 'Oh, Lena, you're such a. . .' And that would be all. And he would walk away." pg. 237
It's my favorite because it shows that Lenochka, despite the ugliness of her deeds and circumstances, is a tender young girl with subtle but powerful dreams, so pure and lovable at heart. As we all were as children.
The excerpt that cuts through the entire drama for me is:
--"And Siga would touch her shoulder and say, 'Oh, Lena, you're such a. . .' And that would be all. And he would walk away." pg. 237
It's my favorite because it shows that Lenochka, despite the ugliness of her deeds and circumstances, is a tender young girl with subtle but powerful dreams, so pure and lovable at heart. As we all were as children.
August 19, 2023
Lost stars because of how actually disappointing this one was. I couldn’t keep track of or care about the characters, and the whole book seemed to not really go anywhere and just end where it started, emotionally and thoughtfully, at least. It is a *very* Russian crime?-comedy?-satire? but ultimately it just did not keep my attention. Would’ve DNFed if it hadn’t been one of my women in translation month picks.
May 30, 2023
Decent plotting and characters, weighed down with clunky prose (maybe it sounds better in Russian?) and a flimsy ending. Good sense of atmosphere at its strongest points, preachy at its weakest. Wants you to know “PUTINISM IS BAD” without weaving it into the main thrust of the plot.
January 17, 2023
Dystopic account of Putinist culture wars
March 13, 2023
thought-provoking political drama on modern Russia
May 13, 2023
Neo-noir, in which no characters are likable. Not a genre I am inclined to read again.
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May 1, 2024always a delight when a book you picked bc the cover is cool turns out to be really good!!
July 29, 2024
"That Stalin, despite all the excesses of the repressions, was an effective manager."
August 16, 2024
mix out of Bulgakovs wit and comic with Gogol provincal corruption stories
September 14, 2024
Dystopian satire about life in modern/post Soviet Russia. None of the characters are particularly likable, but they are not supposed to be. I found the book entertaining and I liked the author’s commentary on the ridiculous pomp, abuses of power, and scheming that occur in everyday life in Putin’s Russia.
October 3, 2019
Как будто перечитал ленту фейсбука или подборку курьезов и маразма из новостей — и непонятно зачем.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews