Mebet concerns a man of the taiga, a hunter, in a moving narrative that blends ethnographic detail, indigenous mythology, and the snowy landscapes of the Arctic. The protagonist is a Nenets, a member of one of the peoples who call far northern Russia home. Dubbed “The Gods’ Favorite” for his seeming imperviousness to harm or grief, Mebet earns the envy and derision of his fellow tribesmen. He lives that carefree and blessed life until his old age, when one day a supernatural messenger arrives to lead him to where the realms of the living and the dead meet. Now the God’s Favorite must confront the price to be paid for his elevated position, and a series of dread trials that lie in store.
Called a dark and terrifying fantasy and the Nenets Lord of the Rings by Russian writer and journalist Sergey Kuznetsov, Grigorenko’s Mebet is a powerful story about humanity, personal fate, and responsibility. Leading Russian literary critic Galina Yuzefovich welcomed Mebet as a true epic for the Nenets, a book that is profound, thrilling and vibrant. Whether the book will earn that lofty place within Nenets culture remains to be seen, but the very publication of the book marks a watershed event.
About the author:
Alexander Grigorenko was born in Novocherkassk, south of Moscow, but has spent most of his life in the depths of Siberia. Since completing his studies at the Kemerovo University of Cinema and Photography, he has worked as a journalist for the East Siberian bureau of Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russian Newspaper). Mebet is his highly-acclaimed debut novel, and the first installment of the trilogy, followed by Ilget and The Blind Man Lost His Fife which were published in 2013 and 2016 respectively. He is a finalist for the literary awards such as The Big Book (2012), NOS (2013), and Yasnaya Polyana (2015). For his third novel The Blind Man Lost His Fife, Grigorenko was awarded the prestigious Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award in 2016. He lives near the city of Krasnoyarsk.
Title: Mebet
Author: Alexander Grigorenko
Translator: Christopher Culver
Publisher: Glagoslav Publications
Language: English
ISBN: 9781912894901, 9781912894918, 9781912894925
Extent: 175 pages
Price: €20.99 (PB), €28.99 (HB), €9.95 (e-book)
Format: paperback, hardback, e-book
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