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Alisa Ganieva

Alisa Ganieva (b 1985, Dagestan, now lives in Moscow) is an author, journalist and literary critic.

She made her literary debut with Salaam, Dalgat!, published under the male pseudonym Gulla Khiratsjev. The book describes the everyday life of Dagestani youth in the cities, and addresses current social and religious issues. Salaam, Dalgat! won the prestigious Debut Prize in 2009, and Ganieva did not reveal her true identity until the award ceremony.

Since her debut, she has written several novels: The Mountain and the Wall, Bride and Groom and, most recently, Offended Sensibilities. Ganieva has received the Triumph Prize, and been shortlisted for the Yury Kazakov Prize, the Belkin Prize, the Yasnaya Polyana literary prize and the Russian Booker Prize. Her work has been translated into such languages as English, Spanish and Turkish.

One of those novels that reminds us why reading world literature can be so compelling. (..) Ganieva’s story masterfully blends the ingredients of a society being torn apart by ideologies with all the little details that make the nonnative reader feel as if he or she has tasted the local cuisine from a family kitchen rather than a concept gastropub.

ROB VOLLMAR, WORLD LITERATURE TODAY (Editor’s Pick) - about The Mountain and the Wall

Bride and Groom will appeal to anyone interested in Russia’s peripheries, the threat of extremism, or how we grapple with corruption after the fall of Soviet communism. But more importantly, it speaks to the greater themes of family, faith, and our place in the world. (...) Bride and Groom is funny and perceptive and concept-dense, which proves to be a winning combination. I want more.

HANNAH WEBER, ASYMPTOTE
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