Georgia: In the Mountains of Poetry [Hardcover]

Peter Nasmyth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 1998

This book is the first comprehensive cultural and historical introduction to modern Georgia. It covers the country region by region, taking the form of a literary journey through the transition from Soviet Georgia to the modern independent nation state. Peter Nasmyth traveled extensively in Georgia over a period of 5 years, and his lively and topical survey charts the nation's remarkable cultural and historical journey to statehood. This authoritative, lively and perceptive book is based on hundreds of interviews with modern Georgians, from country priests to black marketeers. Georgia: Mountains and Honour will be essential reading for anyone interested in this fascinating region, as well as those requiring an insight into the life after the collapse of the old Soviet order in the richest and most dramatic of the former republics.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An enthusiast for his subject, Nasmyth discovers Georgia precisely at the moment of the tiny democratic republic's post-Soviet reawakening. Notable for its hospitality, its wines, its intellectual tradition and a remarkable ability to preserve its national identity under successive occupations, Georgia appeals wildly to the senses even while its people face immense political and economic challenges. Nasmyth shows how this early Christian kingdom, once nestled between the Russian, Turkish and Persian empires, casts a spell over all those who visit. As he portrays Georgia's regions with descriptions of landscape and customs, Nasmyth also refers to a rich tradition of epic and religious writing and storytelling. While the interviews with people he encounters capture a portrait of Georgia in transition, there is a disappointing reliance on obvious metaphors to reflect the death of the Soviet order: rust, rickety buses, decrepit buildings and prostitution. Likewise, Nasmyth's digressions into the meaning of Soviet history and his occasional personal revelations are superficial and distract from an otherwise strong exercise in observation. Certain reminiscences are rewarding, however: wandering the twisting streets of Tbilisi, or imbibing a cold drink from a sacred pool in ancient cave dwellings. The author's occasional failure to provide profound commentary makes Georgia no less attractive as a destination. 170 b&w photos and illustrations.

Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

"All voyages are searches in disguise," says Nasmyth as he opens this disquisition on his travels through the former Soviet republic of GeorgiaAand at first readers may find this too annoyingly true. Nasmyth concedes that he's partly searching for himself here, and we hear rather too much about him as he weaves together impressions from his travels with the history of the country. But at least he's honest enough to admit it, and readers will learn a lot about Georgia from reading his book, though it's not really a comprehensive cultural and historical introduction, as it's billed. Rather, it is one slightly pushy but still pretty keen-eyed reporter's account of how the country opened up to him, with a somewhat stronger (and certainly welcome) focus on the arts than one typically finds in books of this sort. Nasmyth has been reporting on the Caucasus for 11 years (he currently runs a charity for children in the area), and though more of this material dates from early in his travels than one might like, he does vividly show us a society in flux. Recommended where Soviet/Russian studies, cultural studies, and unusual travelogs are popular.ABarbara Hoffert, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 322 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (December 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031221524X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312215248
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,641,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > Travel > Asia > Georgia
  • #63 in Books > History > Asia > Georgia

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Presents an excellent picture of Georgia's people, May 10, 1999

By 

Lancelot R. Fletcher (Tbilisi, Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Georgia: In the Mountains of Poetry (Hardcover)

I just returned from my first trip to the Republic of Georgia. I say "first" because my wife and I both fell in love with the place and we are already planning our return.

I read Peter Nasmyth's book shortly before travelling to Georgia, and I found it an excellent preparation. Nasmyth's book is largely a report of his own travels in Georgia, first shortly before independence, then just after the brief civil war and also more recently. It doesn't give as much historical and descriptive material as a standard travel book would, and the photos (which Nasmyth took himself) are in black and white.

What comes across most vividly, however, is the Georgian people, and this is as it should be, since, although Georgia has an abundance of natural and historical beauty, it is the people that one falls in love with.

Lancelot Fletcher [e-mail]

PS. My wife and I returned and are now living in Georgia. Peter Nasmyth's book is still, in my opinion, the best introduction to Georgia, even though the country has changed tremendously since the book was published. Too bad it's so expensive.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Starting Place, May 14, 2004

By 

Christian Moulton "Andrew Moulton" (Lawrence, KS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Georgia: In the Mountains of Poetry (Hardcover)

This is not a travel book. This is, however, an excellent introduction to the country Georgia. As a grad student preparing to write on Georgia, this was a great starting place. You will get a real feel for the country and the recent issues of current events there.
Mr. Nasmyth has been blessed with an extraordinary ability to filter through what he's seeing (even drunk!) and spot the trends in a foreign country.