Translation from Russian

On my childhood world globe all of the USSR and China were colored in a light pink. In America, little was known, and nearly nothing was taught about the people and places included in the giant pink part of the globe. Even in college, the GWU Institute for Sino-Soviet Studies' main focus was theoretical aspects of their central economic planning systems. However, a few individuals and institutions maintained insider knowledge about the inner workings of the USSR.

So, when the USSR collapsed, predatory types from both outside and inside the USSR took the opportunity, derived from whatever inside knowledge they possessed, to move in and pillage the formerly state-owned enterprises and resources—with no regard to the livelihoods of their associated workers and communities. Chaos, poverty, famine, crime, and mass death ensued.

So, unlike my previous Russian translation projects, which mostly involved universal or even Western themes, translation of Boris Mainaev's Whispers of Chaos required deep dives into every aspect of life in the mountains of Central Asia—particularly of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. With some clarifications from the author, eventually all of the puzzles were solved, and the book was published. For the English-speaking world, this translation really brings the character and struggles of the Central Asian peoples to life.

Boris Mainaev has written over 20 novels in Russian and received 5 awards for his work. His style is classical, every character is straightforwardly developed with equal attention to detail and with neither condemnation nor adulation. Over the course of his stories, questions are raised but not answered. His writing leaves one thinking.

A second novel has been translated and will soon appear in English. More will follow.