Fiction

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1
The Railway
The Railway
Hamid Ismailov
In the fictional Uzbek town of Gilas, situated along the ancient Silk Road, a railway station becomes the centre of an extraordinary tapestry of human lives. Spanning much of the twentieth century, The Railway follows a diverse community of Uzbeks, Russians, Persians, Jews, Koreans, Tatars, and other ethnic groups whose lives intersect amid the upheavals of modern Central Asian history. Among its colourful inhabitants are an alcoholic intellectual, a Russian Orthodox priest, a formidable police chief, and an elderly moneylender. Through their stories, Hamid Ismailov captures a society caught between tradition and modernity, religious beliefs and revolutionary ideology, and local loyalties and outside influences. The arrival of the railway represents both opportunity and disruption, connecting this isolated community to a rapidly changing world while transforming its social structures. Blending humour, folklore, philosophical reflection, and historical observation, Ismailov creates a richly layered portrait of a multicultural society confronting the consequences of imperial expansion and Soviet rule. The novel offers a distinctive perspective on Central Asia’s complex cultural heritage and the profound changes that shaped the region during the twentieth century.
Uzbekistan 2006
2
The Devils' Dance
The Devils' Dance
Hamid Ismailov
In 1937, during Stalin’s Great Terror, the celebrated Uzbek writer Abdulla Qodiriy is arrested by the Soviet secret police and imprisoned in Tashkent. Facing brutal interrogations and the constant threat of execution, he seeks refuge in his imagination, attempting to reconstruct the historical novel he was writing before his arrest. His unfinished work tells the story of Oyxon, a nineteenth-century enslaved girl who rises to prominence in the courts of Central Asian khans, only to become entangled in a dangerous world of political rivalries, forced marriages, and imperial intrigue. As Qodiriy develops Oyxon’s story in his mind, the boundaries between his fictional world and his own terrifying circumstances begin to dissolve. Their experiences mirror one another, connecting the struggles of a woman fighting for agency in a patriarchal society with those of a writer facing persecution under a repressive regime. Rich in Uzbek poetry, folklore, and historical detail, Hamid Ismailov’s novel is both a tribute to Central Asian literary traditions and a powerful meditation on artistic freedom, cultural identity, and the devastating consequences of political oppression.
Uzbekistan 2018
3
Of Strangers and Bees
Of Strangers and Bees
Hamid Ismailov
In Of Strangers and Bees, Uzbek writer Hamid Ismailov weaves together the experiences of a contemporary exile and the extraordinary life of Avicenna, the celebrated medieval philosopher, physician, and polymath. The novel follows Sheikhov, an Uzbek writer living far from his homeland, who awakens from a troubling dream convinced that Avicenna continues to wander the world in different incarnations. Their journeys echo one another across centuries and cultures, moving through Ottoman Turkey, medieval Germany, and Renaissance Italy. Blending historical fiction, philosophical reflection, traditional storytelling, and Sufi mysticism, Ismailov explores the meaning of belonging and the loneliness of life in exile. The novel also draws on Hayy ibn Yaqzan, a landmark work of medieval Islamic philosophy concerned with knowledge, reason, and spiritual awakening. Through layered narratives and allegorical episodes, Ismailov considers how people search for truth and wisdom while negotiating the boundaries between cultures, histories, and identities. The result is an imaginative meditation on displacement, intellectual freedom, and the enduring human quest for understanding.
Uzbekistan 2019
4
Gaia, Queen of Ants
Gaia, Queen of Ants
Hamid Ismailov
In Gaia, Queen of Ants, Uzbek novelist Hamid Ismailov weaves together political intrigue, mythology, Sufi philosophy, and the complicated legacies of Central Asian history. Set primarily in contemporary England, the novel follows three characters whose lives have been shaped by displacement and ethnic conflict. Domrul, a young Meskhetian Turk who fled Uzbekistan as a child, struggles to reconcile his Muslim heritage with his life in the West. His Irish girlfriend, Emer, carries her own painful memories of growing up amid the violence of the Bosnian War. Their lives become entangled with Gaia, an eighty-year-old Russian-Uzbek woman whose formidable personality conceals a disturbing past connected to Soviet political power. As their stories unfold, Ismailov moves between contemporary Europe and the turbulent history of Central Asia, blending realistic encounters with fables, religious parables, and surreal imagery. The result is a richly layered exploration of exile, cultural identity, corruption, and the ways people use stories to make sense of their lives. With dark humour and lyrical prose, the novel challenges readers to question the boundaries between truth, myth, and personal memory.
Uzbekistan 2020
5
We Computers: A Ghazal Novel
We Computers: A Ghazal Novel
Hamid Ismailov
Set in the late 1980s, We Computers follows Jon-Perse, a French poet and psychologist who becomes fascinated by the possibilities of computer technology. With the help of his Uzbek translator, Abdulhamid Ismail, he develops a program designed to analyze and generate poetry. Yet the machine’s literary experiments open doors to worlds far beyond its code, weaving together philosophy, history, mysticism, and human longing. Drawing on the Persian poet Hafez, Sufi literature, French surrealism, and Central Asian storytelling, Hamid Ismailov creates an unconventional novel that moves through ideas and narratives like a literary labyrinth. Inspired by the ghazal—a poetic form traditionally associated with love and longing—the book explores the boundaries between human creativity and artificial intelligence, questioning who can claim authorship and whether literature can transcend the limits of its creator. It is a playful, intellectually adventurous meditation on poetry’s ability to connect cultures and centuries.
Uzbekistan 2025