How far can the echoes of a Tbilisi friendship travel across time, borders, and reimagined histories?

Aka Morchiladze’s Maid in Tiflis is a vibrant tapestry of stories and adventures, anchored by the enduring friendship of two boys from the Georgian capital. Structured as twelve interconnected "books," the novel seamlessly weaves together narratives stretching from the streets of Tbilisi to Holland, Leningrad, and the fictional Santa Esperanza. Morchiladze masterfully reimagines history and urban folklore, presenting love stories told in wildly unique ways—spanning from the ancient tragedy of Queen Shushanik to the street-level escapades of Plekhanovite Mogela and the "Shiraz Rose," or Barnovite Leviko’s encounters with five Soviet women. A kaleidoscope of Georgian life, this novel blends the mythical with the mundane in a distinctively atmospheric journey.