Ali and Nino

By Kurban Said

Ali and Nino is the epic novel of enduring romance in a time of war. It has been hailed as one of the most romantic epic novels of all time. Ali and Nino, two lovers from vastly different backgrounds, grow up together in carefree innocence in Baku on the Caspian Sea. Here, where Eastern and Occidental collide, they are inevitably drawn into the events of the First World War and the Russian Revolution. Torn apart by the turmoil, Ali joins the defense of Azerbajan from the onslaught of the Red Army, and Nino flees to the safety of Paris with their child, not knowing whether they will ever see each other again. A sweeping tale, as romantic and gripping as Gone with the Wind or Dr. Zhivago, it portrays, against a gloriously exotic backdrop, the enduring love between childhood friends divided by their separate cultures.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Release date: Sep 1, 1999
• ISBN: 9781590209783

Reviews for Ali and Nino

[theonearmedcrab · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There is perhaps no better introduction to the Caucasus than reading the fictional “Ali and Nino” (1937), by Kurban Said (pseudonym for Lev Nussimbaum). Part touching love story, part description of the contrasting cultures in this part of the world, set against the outbreak of the First World War and the Russian Revolution, and its effects on Azerbaijan. Ali Khan is a Muslim Azerbaijani of Persian origin, Nino a Georgian, thus European, and Christian, but their love for each other seems to overcome the cultural differences, and their parents are modern enough to ultimately accept this. Yet, their live together becomes increasingly difficult because of a treacherous Armenian (of course, in an Azerbijani book), and modernity-opposing habits as blood honour and broader family values rooted in religion. And is ultimately undone by Azarbaijani nationalism. Read this book!

[ameise1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a beautiful sad story. It's like a chapter from the stories of 'One Thousand and One Nights'. Ali and Nino grow up in Baku. Both come from wealthy 'noble families', although the differences could not be greater. Ali is a Muslim and Nino is a Christian. Ali stands for the Asian, the desert and the traditional, while Nino stands for the European, the modern and the urban. Ali falls in love with Nino during school. They are sure that they want to marry later. But the turmoil of WWI stands in their way for a long time. Baku is conquered by the Russians, then again freed from the English and last but not least it is Russian again. Ali always hopes that the Turks rush to help Baku, which turns out to be a mistake. Nino flees to Tbilisi, where her family is safe, while Ali, later with Nino, seeks protection in Persia.This story is not only about the love between different religions, but also about the confusion in the Middle East. A fantastic book that I can highly recommend.

[jonfaith · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Two years ago I was going to buy The Orientalist for my friend Tim, the owner of the now defunct Booklore siad, oh, we also have acopy of Ali and nino in presently. i looked at him rather blankly. He then elaborated on the significanc eof such corresponding iwth the book I presently held, ready to purchase. I see. This occurred rather slowly, mind you. I bought such and read it that weekend. Oh, I didn't give the biography to Tim either.

[kakadoo202 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Colorful and progressive and moving story about an interracial and interreligous couple.

[petrificius-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When I picked Ali and Nino for my Books-of-Asia read from Azerbaijan, I was skeptical, owing to the fact that this is a love story, and I generally run away from romances. By the time I finished however, I was captivated. Ali and Nino is more than a love story. It is passion, religion, war, history, culture, honor, beliefs, friendship, and so much more.

Set in a small town in Baku, Azerbaijan at the onset of the First World War, it is a narrative through the eyes of Ali Khan Shirvanshir, growing up as a Mohammedan in a country home to various ethnicities, lying at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. Nino Kipiani is a Georgian Christian who goes to the girls’ school in the same town, and they like each other. Their families and friends know it and accept it, despite the differences in culture and sensibilities.

In their quest to be together, they overcome a kidnap, a blood feud and a scandal, fleeing from Baku, through beautiful desert roads and remote villages in the mountains, to the neighboring Persia. Nino hates it there, as she is forced to abide by Persian customs she despises.
Eventually, the lovers (now married) move back to their homeland, but are forced to flee again when war comes to Baku. Ali now has to choose between his loyalties to his Asian family’s upbringing and his unwavering love and devotion to Nino.

By the time this novel finishes, you experience a time in history so fascinating, you can’t help feel sad it’s over. You know about harems, Muslim households, local beliefs, norms, wedding rituals, the place of women, Greek customs, camels and horses, deserts and trees, towns and bazaars; and it weaves a tapestry so rich in your mind, you wish you were exported to that era, even for a day.

Ali’s refusal to treat Nino as “an acre on which the man sows”, loving her just for who she is; Nino’s acceptance of Ali even when their customs are as different as chalk and cheese, and their ever-evolving relationship as they try to balance Eastern and Western beliefs in a marriage, are what makes these characters so endearing. I wasn’t aware how much I was rooting for them until the tragic, but powerful ending.

Ali and Nino is a beautiful, beautiful lesson in history, culture, love and war. A book the world deserves to know better.

[dubaireader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A little gem of a book.This novel was published in German in 1937, but it was not until 1970 that a chance find resulted in it being republished in English. It represents a rare view into a time long passed, narrated by a youngster who meets the love of his life in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.Ali Khan Shirvanshir is a Muslim from the oil rich desert town of Baku and Nino Kipiani is a Christian princess from Georgia. Their paths cross while still in school and Ali Khan is completely besotted. As the first World War approaches, the novel narrates the opinions of the day from an Asian view-point. Georgia is in Europe and Nino's family sees events with a different eye, this is not an acceptable match from their point of view.Ali Khan is determined, but also very respectful. He treats Nino better than many men of his era treated their women.I was particularly fascinated by the references to kidnapping with a view to marriage. I had never heard of this practice until a recent visit to Kyrgyzstan, where our guide informed us that it still took place, even now. Initially Ali Khan resists the move to fight with Russia, he feels this is not his war, but as events bring the battles much closer to home he joins his compatriots in defending Baku. The ending is both sad and brilliant. An excellent book that I will probably read again in the future.

[fist_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This unabashedly Orientalist love story, first published in 1937, details the love story between the Azeri boy Ali (standing for Islam and the mystique of the East) and the Georgian girl Nino (symbolising Europe, Christendom and civilisation) against the short-lived independence of Azerbaijan around WWI. The author clearly had some familiary with the Caucasus, and I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of life in old Baku, Dagestan and Teheran, or of the customs of the other nations that co-existed there, such as Georgians, Armenians and Russians. Its sentimentality and its stock characters have aged a bit, and failed to move me. The book ends as could be expected: East is East and West is West.Not knowing that the original had been written in German, I have read this in the English translation, which was old-fashioned and a bit clunky at times (except when it mentioned "joy boys" as potential competitors for the wives in the harem, which suddenly sounded quite modern). The translator omitted to adapt the transliteration out of the Russian to English spelling, resulting in oddities such as 'salam alejkum', 'Iljas' instead of 'Ilyas' and 'Azerbeidschan', which might puzzle readers who don't know German spelling conventions.

[bookwoman247 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I would characterize this book as Romeo and Juliet with an East/West culture clash rather than a familial clash. The setting, Baku, a crossroads between East and West is essential to the story.Ali is a Muslim boy and Nino is a Christian, Georgian girl who happen to fall deeply in love.While Ali's father agrees to the marriage, Nino's family at first refuses, until a supposed friend intervenes on Ali's behalf.In the course of their courtship and marriage there are many obstacles thrown in their way - blood fueds, cultural and religious differences, and war. Much of their quest for happiness is played out in physical journeys from Baku to Persia, to Tiflis.There was a fairy-tale quality about this story that I really enjoyed.

[labfs39 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

If Azerbaijan were to have a national book, many say that Ali and Nino would be it. A sweeping historical novel set in Baku during World War I, the protagonists Ali and Nino represent all the contradictions, alliances, and compromises that bring such complex diversity to such a geographically small region.Ali Khan Shirvanshir loves Baku, the East, the desert, and his religion as a Mohammedan. His family has lived, and died in heroic battles against outsiders, in the Caucasus for centuries. But he is coming of age at a difficult time. Russia has introduced European sensibilities to the region, and with the outbreak of a distant world war, allegiances must be decided. Nino Kipiani is a Georgian princess, a Christian, and raised as a European. She loves all things cosmopolitan and detests the idea of wearing a veil or adopting Eastern customs that are denigrating to women. As fate would have it, the two meet as schoolchildren, fall in love, and must defy parents, convention, and ethnic rancor to be together. Much like the tale told by Robert Duvall in "Secondhand Lions", there is much swashbuckling: wild rides through the desert on horseback, blood feuds, mountain escapes, eunuchs and harems. But rescuing the novel from a Hollywood blockbuster fate is the historical setting and the complexity of the competing forces tearing at the lovers and the region. Situated in Baku, but with excursions into Georgia, Persia, and Dagestan, and Armenia in the wings, the novel takes us through the collection of ethnically different peoples with different languages, religions, and cultural norms that comprise the Caucuses. The book begins with a catalogue of some of these differences.We were a very mixed lot, we forty schoolboys who were having a Geography lesson one hot afternoon in the Imperial Russian Humanistic High School of Baku, Transcaucasia: thirty Mohammedans, four Armenians, two Poles, three Sectarians, and one Russian.The quote also highlights the numerical disadvantage of the Russians, and yet how much influence they have in the region. As the book progresses, nascent nation building is caught up in larger battles between the new Soviet regime and the Ottomans.Even the authorship of the book reflects the ambiguity and overlapping influences of the region. First published in Germany in 1937, the book was said to be the work of Kurban Said, but his true identity remained a mystery for decades. Even today there is some question, but it is generally believed to be the pen name for a joint collaboration between Baroness Elfriede Ehrenfels and an émigré from Azerbaijan, Lev Nussimbaum, who was born Jewish and converted to Islam. Azerbaijanis often cite an Azerbaijani writer named Chemenzeminli as the author. Once again Europe and Asia meet, Christians, Jews, and Muslims mingle, and nationalities collide in a muddle that seems indecipherable. But as Paul Theroux writes in the afterword:Ali and Nino is both a love story and a cultural artifact, and part of its message is that governments rise and fall, wars rage, cities are laid to waste, people are displaced, authors die. What remains? Well, written words remain, and perhaps it is of little consequence who wrote them.

[bonneyandrews_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful book giving insight into Azerbaijan in a long past era. I think this is still relevant to modern politics, because the ethnic tensions it mentions and social norms continue til today and still cause misunderstanding.

[allthesedarnbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had a hard time getting into the first few chapters of this book, but I stuck with it, and I'm glad that I did. Around the middle, the story picks up and starts to get breathlessly exciting, and beautiful descriptions of cultures and places. The story mainly takes place in Daku, Azerbeijan, but parts of it also take place in the surrounding Caucasus, Georgia, and Iran. Minutely detailed descriptions of setting, food, people, and customs are poetic and really make the reader feel as if they are in a bustling foreign locale. Legends and religious stories are retold without distracting from the overall flow of the narrative, but instead only adding to the background of the characters and the story. The two main characters, Ali, a Muslim, and Nino, his Christian love, are well-drawn, especially Ali, who narrates with a distinctive voice. This is a timely love story as divisions between Christians and Muslims continue to exist through out the world. Although the period details of the story are concrete, the essence feels as if it could happen today. A beautiful work of art, and I highly recommend it.

[jwhenderson_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is not just a simple love story. But it is a romance, and a journey through the Caucasus, and a love story of operatic proportions. Ali & Nino by Kurban Said is all of these things presented as a somewhat traditional novel by a very nontraditional author. It is a romance in the tradition of great romantic literature. Ali Kahn, the narrator and hero, becomes a hero conquering his enemies in love and in war. As a national hero he is portrayed as growing into the position of national icon, the sort of mythic hero about whom wonderful stories are told. We are fortunate to read his own story. The novel shows us the Caucasus of the early twentieth century as it undergoes tremendous political change and must react to world events of war and revolution that impinge on the life of the local culture. It is a culture for which blood feuds are as important as international news. We see new nations in the process of formation: Georgia, Azerbaijan and modern Iran. At the center of the novel is the love story of Ali Kahn Shirvanshir and Nino Kipiani, one Muslim and one Christian, whose love transcends religion and culture and national borders. The author develops these characters with depth so you know them and share in their feelings. They live in the real world of the Orient but share in Western culture as naturally as they adapt to the change from the rustic village in the Caucasus to the luxurious palace in Muslim Azerbaijan. One reads of Western Opera, Faust & Eugene Onegin, being as much a part of their culture as the great Islamic poets. This made the book more engaging than any simple love story. Kurban Said, who was himself something of a mystery, created a lasting work to read again and again in Ali & Nino.

[tinwara · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ali and Nino is a lovestory, but what struck me was that it's not so much about the love between two people. Much more about the love for a country, love for the idea of a multiethnic state, love for freedom of foreign aggressors. Ali and Nino represent two of the main ethnic groups in the Caucasus, the muslim Azerbaijani and the Christian Georgians. They also represent two important political ideas in the 1910's in the Caucasus, namely the glorification of traditional life (named Asia), and the glorification of modern life (named Europe). We're talking about the era of the first world war. The Caucasus was caught up in the tensions between Russia, Turkey, and the British colonial empire. Azerbaijan as an oil rich region was too important an area to be left alone by these foreign powers. The main idea of this book to me, was that a multiethnic independent Azerbaijan would have been possible, had it not been sadly caught up in this international turmoil. Look at Nino (representing the west) and Ali (representing the east). Their love is not without troubles, but it IS possible. Nino is terribly unhappy during their short exile in islamic Persia, Ali is sure that he would be as unhappy in modern Europe, however, their love blossoms exactely in this fragile border region of Europe and Asia. Both want to stay, to defend it till the bitter end. Ali dies with Azerbaijan. Multietnic love dies with Azerbaijan. The sad ending of this story is the ending of the possibility of this free state. All the more relevant today (August 2008), as news reached us of Russian aggression in Azerbaijan's neighbouring country, Georgia. It seems history is repeating itself. Perhaps it is because of this actuality that to me the "lovestory" became symbolic more than the real topic of this book.What I appreciated about this book was its style, pure and sober, and it's Romantic theme, which was not so much the romance between Ali and Nino, but more the Romantic idea of freedom and independency. What troubled me at times were the stereotypical ideas of east and west. However, considering that this novel was originally published in the 1930's, I managed to see through that. It is striking that some of the main troubles of our world today are foreseen in this novel.

[cestovatela · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In Azerbaijan at the eve of World War I, Ali, a young Muslim nobeman, falls hopelessly in love with Nino, a Europeanized Christian princess. The star crossed lovers unite in spite of a string of theatrical obstacles like bridal kidnappings, blood feuds and several desperate battles to defend the homeland against foreign invaders.If this were a movie, it would be one of those big studio blockbusters with not-quite-deserved Oscar pretentions. I can tell that this book desperately wants to be important, but it also desperately wants to make money. Written in 1937 by an Austrian baroness and an exiled Azeri Jew-turned-Muslim, it trades on exotic, romanticized stereotypes of "the East." No doubt many of the ancient customs it describes are real, but its portrayal of them is so sensationalized that I felt I had to take the whole book with a grain of salt. Both of the lead characters are puppets who move through the plot, which didn't help the book's contrived feel. The rich writing and action-packed story line propelled me to finish the book, but it was a slow read and not quite satisfying. Although the book does manage to raise some thought-provoking questions about cultural differences, I wouldn't really recommend it.

[owenre · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed the bittersweet story, really liked the historical setting since there isn't a great deal of good fiction about this time and place. The book was written in 1937 and the issues facing Azerbaijan had some parallels with the East/West dichotomy.

[pmpariseau · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Couldn't finish it

[nwhyte-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is just one of the most fantastic love stories ever written, as well as being a brilliant introduction to the mysterious region of the Caucasus.

[sschriefer_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this years ago and found the story of clashing cultures (Arab/Russian or Muslim/Christian) very interesting--particularly with events in the Middle East.

[elenasimona_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favourites; an irresistible love story taking place at caucasus at the beginning of the 20th century.