The Sanctuary Called Home - Khizanishvili, Nana

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Résumé :
It is a collection of vignettes describing the author's formative years in Tbilisi, Georgia during the Cold War. The narrative is intertwined with stories from the author's parents' past. It is a firsthand account of the shattered life of a family after the Soviet takeover. It is a story of strength and resilience and how characters were molded to withstand injustice, hardship, as well as inconveniences and peculiarities of everyday life behind the Iron Curtain. The book captures how ordinary people survived and persevered; how against all odds the author's father became a successful surgeon, and his family enjoyed the relative prosperity as much as it was allowed in the Soviet Union. The book is a tribute of love to the parents who never succumbed to the fear infused by the State, rather instilled the sense of goodness and character in their children. They promoted the importance of hard work, tenacity, and determination. The glimpse into the cultural life and educational system provides a staggering contrast to the world where everyday lives are not controlled by one party's directives. The book will give one of the many reasons how it was possible that such a vicious and relentless state as the USSR could one day collapse. (FROM FINAL MS) The Sanctuary Called Home is a collection of vignettes describing the author's formative years in Tbilisi, Georgia, during the Cold War. The narrative is intertwined with stories from the author's parents' past. It is a firsthand account of the shattered life of a family after the Soviet takeover. It is a story of strength and resilience and how characters were molded to withstand injustice and hardship, as well as the inconveniences and peculiarities of everyday life behind the iron curtain. The book captures how ordinary people survived and persevered; how against all odds the author's father became a successful surgeon; and how his family enjoyed relative prosperity, as much as it was allowed in the Soviet Union. The book is a tribute of love to the parents who never succumbed to the fear infused by the state but rather instilled a sense of goodness and character in their children. They promoted the importance of hard work, tenacity, and determination. The glimpse into the cultural life and educational system provides a staggering contrast to the world where everyday lives are not controlled by one party's directives. The book will show many of the reasons why it was possible for such a vicious and relentless state as the USSR to one day collapse.

Biographie:
Nana Khizanishvili grew up in Tbilisi, Georgia. She studied in Tbilisi and Moscow and holds a doctoral degree in comparative linguistics from Moscow State University. She was a professor of English at Tbilisi State University until she relocated to the United States together with her family in 1992 and was a visiting professor at Meredith College. She developed the Georgian language course and taught Georgian to the State Department employees for several years. Currently she is a software quality analyst. Her daughters Tika and Annie grew up in the United States. Nana has three grandchildren. She lives in the suburb of Washington D.C. with her husband and yellow lab Gabo.