Book of Tbilisi

In the 26 years since Georgia declared independence from the Soviet Union, the country and its capital, Tbilisi, have endured unimaginable hardships: one coup d'etat, two wars with Russia, the cancer of organised crime, and prolonged periods of brutalising, economic depression. Now, as the city begins to flourish again drawing hordes of tourists with its eclectic architecture and famous, welcoming spirit it's difficult to reconcile the recent past with this glamorous and exotic present. With wit, warmth, heartbreaking realism, and a distinctly Georgian sense of neighbourliness, these ten stories do just that. Published with the support of the Georgian National Book Center and the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia.