Stories I Stole : from Georgia

The farthest edge of europe, beyond the Black Sea, overrun by Persians, Turks, Russians, Genghis Khan and Tamerlane; at the crossroads of history, Islam, Christianity and the Silk Road. Eight nationalities, five languages, two separatist regions, vast mountains, subtropical coastline, desert monasteries, ancient vineyards, wine, song, blood feuds, bandits and poetry.

Who knows from where it sprang; spirit, soul or only runaway? In any case, Wendell Steavenson boarded a plane to Georgia on a whim. At the edge of Europe, on the shores of the Black Sea, in the ruins left by despots and bureaucrats, she found a people in whom hospitality is both a gift and a challenge. In a city with electricity so unreliable that the mere anticipation of light brings joy, she heard tales of blood feuds and played hangman with a secret policeman. And, in less time than it takes to complete the toasts in honour of new friends, she fell in love.

Praise for Stories I Stole:

‘Stories I Stole is a stunning book: powerful, brave and funny. Wendell Steavenson brings a war correspondent's courage to a wild and bombed-out place, then uses it to explore the human heart, itself shattered and rebuilding. She has a poet's eye, a generous spirit and a rare and wonderful gift: she can write a sentence that pulls you up short, both with beauty and truth.’

Anna Funder, author of Stasiland

'A joyous, perceptive and haunting debut.'

Sunday Times

'Lively, atmospheric, honest, perceptive; a terrific account of Georgia's post-Soviet mess from a fresh and intelligent new writer.'

Anna Reid, author of Borderland

'Stories I Stole is a sparkling, poetical hymn to the most romantic and dangerous land in the world. It is also an outstanding new type of travel writing'

Simon Sebag-Montefiore, author of Princes: The Life of Potemkin