Identity & Belonging

Explorations of self, belonging, and what it means to find your place.

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Of Strangers and Bees

Of Strangers and Bees

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

Gaia, Queen of Ants

Gaia, Queen of Ants

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

About this theme

Books: 2
Countries: 72

Countries with this theme

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Congo, Democratic Republic

Dominican Republic

North Macedonia