Avelum

Avelum, Otar Chiladze's fifth novel, is the second to be translated into English.

Plot

The introductory chapter of the novel explores the moral and ethical dilemmas of contemporary life. Its chronotope, Tbilisi in 1989, is deeply symbolic, representing a historical threshold between two epochs: the Soviet past and the emergence of Georgia’s national independence movement. The protagonist, Avelum, is a Georgian writer from the latter half of the twentieth century. According to the author, the name “Avelum” is of Sumerian origin and signifies “a free and full-fledged citizen.” Within the narrative, Avelum functions as a reflective observer who contemplates events and human archetypes in what the author metaphorically calls the “prison of nations,” referring to the Soviet Empire.

Translations

The Russian translation of Avelum was rejected by every publisher in Moscow, even though Chiladze’s other novels had been bestsellers in Russia. The novel was published in English by Garnet Press in 2013 and has since been translated into several languages, including German.