On 24 May in London, as part of the opening ceremony of the sixth Eurasian Film Festival, the first presentation of the book ‘Akhriman, Lord of Darkness’, which collects selected works by Gulsifat Shahidi, an iconic figure of contemporary Uzbek literature, took place. The book received the highest acclaim from the professional audience at the largest Eurasian Film Festival in the UK.
Gulsifat Shahidi is a novelist, essayist, literary critic, academician of the International Academy for the Promotion of Literature (MARLI), winner of many international awards, current member of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London)… The list of achievements of this beautiful writer from Tajikistan and incredible person could be continued for a long time. Her books have been repeatedly published in London and have found the most enthusiastic response in the hearts of readers. On the eve of her anniversary, Gulsifat Gafarovna presented the literary world with a collection of her works, published in English in London by Hertfordshire Press.
The book was presented by the publisher and vice-president of the international organisation Eurasian Creative Guild (London) Marat Akhmedjanov and the editor of the English translation by the popular British writer, poet and musician, Guardian of ECG (London) John Farndon. The Austrian expert Kistian Gössel and the renowned British film director Kerry Currie-Anne Kendall also took part in the presentation. The literary launch was supported by the Mayor of the Borough of Havening, Gary O’Sullivan, and his wife, who received a copy of the publication; the book’s translator, Timur Akhmedjanov; representatives of Creativity magazine and other press; producers Meredith Brett and Paul Brett; writer Sahib Mammadov from Azerbaijan, member of ECG (London); and artist and founder of the NO Collective, Natalie Bays. Guests at the presentation came from the UK, South Africa, Italy, Poland and the CIS countries. An exhibition of works by the artist Rahima Arli and other artists from Central Asian countries adorned the presentation, immersing the guests in the atmosphere of Oriental life.
The new edition includes three works that have become modern classics and show Gulsifat Shahidi’s talent for writing in different genres. The story ‘Akhriman, Lord of Darkness’, which gives the collection its title, is a social drama; ‘Protect Me’ is a surprisingly heartfelt tale in fantasy format; and the novel ‘Labyrinths of Loneliness’ represents a genre as complex and multifaceted as detective fiction. Gulsifat Gafarovna’s books are currently available from Amazon and Discovery Bookshop.
Any questions can be directed to the contacts below.
The Mystery of Kaunis,
Advisor to Silk Road Media Ltd and Hertfordshire Press,
herts@ocamagazine.com
Instant messengers (WhatsApp) +44 7938 823815
Synopsis
Hertfordshire Press (UK) – specialises in publishing contemporary popular literature by Eurasian authors since 2014, as well as reprinting important works from the past that are currently unavailable in English, despite their continuing relevance.
The Eurasian Creative Guild (London) is a non-profit public organisation established in London in 2015 to unite and promote artists from the Eurasian region in the English-speaking world. The main activities of ECG (London) are organising and holding festivals in different countries of the world, literary and creative competitions, conferences and other events where creative people have the opportunity to discuss new projects, present their work, get acquainted with the work of colleagues and get the chance to reach the international level.
Gulsifat Shahidi’s books previously published by Hertfordshire Press
