How does the son of a Central Asian ruler end up in a small Georgian town, and what binds his fate to the chaotic 1990s?

One of Aka Morchiladze’s most celebrated works, Mameluke (მამლუქი) was awarded the Ilia State University Prize for Best Novel in 2010. The story follows the son of the last ruler of Kirbali, a fictional Central Asian autonomous region, whom fate deposits in a small Georgian town. There, his life becomes inextricably linked with a local Georgian boy. Through the bond between these two characters, Morchiladze vividly illuminates the tragic and turbulent atmosphere of 1990s Georgia, exploring themes of displacement, friendship, and the echoing consequences of political collapse.