Granny, Iliko, Illarion, and I (Ya Babushka Iliko i Illarion)

Nodar Dumbadze (1928–1984) is the most renowned Georgian writer; his works have been translated into ninety-six languages. His prose is filled with a love for simple human values; his characters, selflessly in love with life, seem only fit for warm Georgia, where even a blind person, according to the author, can see the sun. This edition includes two stories by Nodar Dumbadze: the story of first love, 'I See the Sun,' and his most famous work, 'Me, Grandmother, Iliko, and Illarion,' about a boy's life in a Georgian village during the Great Patriotic War. It seems to reflect all the most characteristic features of Nodar Dumbadze's prose: subtle humor, the grotesque, a colorful everyday life, the pain and horror of war. But perhaps the most unforgettable character in this story is the stern grandmother Olga, who can swear like no other woman in Georgia. However, the main character is not afraid of her curses, because one day the grandmother revealed her secret: “My lips curse, but my heart blesses you...”