A creative encounter with writer Guzel Yakhina to mark the publication of her new novel A Special Train to Samarkand

The beginning of March sees AST “Yelena Shubina’s editorial office” publication of one of the most eagerly anticipated novels of 2021: Guzel Yakhina’s A Special Train to Samarkand. It is a travel novel, founded on overcoming adversity, faith in humanity, and the interlacing of cultures, peoples and fates. It is a true odyssey in the landscapes of a devastated country in the first years of Soviet power.

“The first decades of the Soviet era have a magnetic attraction,” Guzel Yakhina explains, describing her interest in the period. “It was a time when knots were tied that we’re still trying to undo now. It’s a time that resonates with us today and has in many ways shaped us. You can’t move into the future when you have holes the size of several million lives right behind you.”

Guzel Yakhina is contemporary Russian literature’s brightest new star. She is the winner of the Big Book Award and the Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award and the best-selling author of Zuleikha and My Children.