A collection of stories “Tales of Grandma Gulifat” by Tajik writer Gulsifat Shahidi has been recognized the best in the “Best Author” nomination of Hertfordshire Press Literary Award 2018.
Each person will find something both attractive and instructive in this volume. The heroes of these fairy tales: a wounded dove which refuses to surrender, a tricky monkey called Cutie, an old-time doll named Alyonushka, a naive lamb, a young wolf which does not want to grow bloodthirsty, and other animals will tell their stories to readers.
Organized by Eurasian Creative Guild, an awarding ceremony for the winners took place at the British Library Knowledge Center in London on January 11.
Recall, Gulsifat Shahidi was awarded the “Dove of Peace” medal in 2015 for the best work on the topic of strengthening of peace, friendship and mutual understanding between people. The medal, which is the highest award of the Association of Generals “Generals of the World are for Peace,” was handed over to Gulsifat Shahidi on the sidelines of the Fourth International literary festival and forum “Open Eurasia and Central Asia Book Forum & Literature Festival – 2015,” which was held in London from November 6 to 9, 2015.
In March 2016, ‘The City Where Dreams Come True’ by Gulsifat Shahidi was presented in London. “The City Where Dreams Come True” is a collection of four stories viewed from the perspective of three generations. Gulsifat Shahidi presents a rare and poignant insight into the impact which Tajikistan’s civil war had on its people and its culture during the early 1990s.
Informed partly by her own experiences as a journalist, these beautifully interwoven stories are imbued with both her affection for her native land and her hopes for its future. The narrators – Horosho, his granddaughter Nekbakht, her husband Ali and his cousin Shernazar – each endure harrowing episodes of loss, injustice and violence but against all odds, remain driven by a will to survive, and restore peace, prosperity and new opportunities for themselves and fellow citizens.
