Ali and Nino – Literary Robbery!
Encyclopedia
Ali and Nino – Literary Robbery! is a book of literary criticism
written by author, researcher and professor of Georgian language
and literature - Tamar Injia
. The work presents a comparative analysis of discussions, descriptions, relationships, opinions and plot structure of two novels: Ali and Nino: A Love Story
by Kurban Said
(published in 1937, in Austria), and The Snake’s Skin
(Das Schlangenhemd) by Grigol Robakidze
(published in 1928, in Germany). By comparing passages from both novels (35 comprehensive extracts), the author argues that quotes from Ali and Nino: A Love Story have been copied from The Snake’s Skin, especially in passages related to Tbilisi and Iran. Additionally, by analyzing the literary parallels in both novels, the author shows “side-by-side” similarities in content, namely repeated stories, myths, legend
s, characters and plot structures.
Professor Injia concludes that Kurban Said’s Ali and Nino: A Love Story is extensively plagiarized
from, and owes much of its existence to Grigol Robakidze’s The Snake’s Skin. Some sentences in the original German versions of these two books are not similar but identical. The two pictures shown on the left demonstrates Prof. Injia's argument. The first picture is from Robakidze's "The Snake's Skin" and the second one is from Kurban Said's Ali and Nino: A Love Story. One may find many similar cases like this one if examine the books closely.
In her research, Professor Injia states "Unsurprisingly, the aspect of Kurban Said's life that garners the most attention is the controversy and mystery surrounding his identity, as well as the authorship of his most popular work Ali and Nino". Jewish writer and journalist Lev Nussimbaum
(Essad Bey) (1905–1942), Austria
n Baroness Elfriede von Ehrenfels (1894–1982) and Azerbaijan
i writer and statesman Yusif Vazir Chamanzaminli
(1887–1943) are three candidates who have been claimed to possess the pen name Kurban Said or had a hand in the authorship of the book.
However, in her research professor Injia highlights, that even though the authorship of Ali and Nino: A Love Story is a subject of speculation and controversy, her research does not intend to solve these problems. Therefore, in her research, she refers to Kurban Said as "the one responsible for the theft, equating him, as it is popularly done, with Essad Bey” and states: “It is difficult to say exactly when Kurban Said decided to copy Grigol Robakidze’s The Snake’s Skin into his novel Ali and Nino: after the publication of The Snake’s Skin (1928), after his interview with Grigol Robakidze (1931) or after Grigol Robakidze was nominated for the Nobel Prize
(1933). However, it is obvious that this idea of literary robbery was developed at some time from 1928 through 1937, and was fulfilled in 1937, when the novel Ali and Nino was published in Vienna, Austria..
Professor Injia’s research findings were first published in a series of articles in the Georgian
newspaper Our Literature (2003) and later printed as books Grigol Robakidze… Kurban Said – Literary Robbery (2005) in Georgian and Ali and Nino – Literary Robbery! (2009) in English.. The findings of professor Injia were supported and shared by the representatives from various literary circles, scholars and researchers from Georgia and the US: Gia Papuashvili – documentary movie producer and philologist; Levan Begadze – German linguist, Georgian literary critic and philologist; Zaza Alexidze – former Director of the Georgian National Center of Manuscripts
, and discoverer and decipherer of the Caucasian Albanian written script; Betty Blair – researcher of authorship of Ali and Nino: A Love Story and Editor of Azerbaijan International
magazine.
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
written by author, researcher and professor of Georgian language
Georgian language
Georgian is the native language of the Georgians and the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus.Georgian is the primary language of about 4 million people in Georgia itself, and of another 500,000 abroad...
and literature - Tamar Injia
Tamar Injia
Tamar Injia is a Georgian author and researcher, who lives and works in Tbilisi, Georgia. In 1974, Tamar Injia completed her MA in Georgian Philology at Tbilisi State University, and in 1968, she obtained her PhD in the same field from the same University...
. The work presents a comparative analysis of discussions, descriptions, relationships, opinions and plot structure of two novels: Ali and Nino: A Love Story
Ali and Nino: A Love Story
.Ali and Nino: A Love Story is a charming love story published under the pseudonym Kurban Said. The novel now has been or reprints. The book was first published in Vienna in the German language in 1937, by E.P. Tal Verlag...
by Kurban Said
Kurban Said
Kurban Said .Kurban Said is the pseudonym for the author of Ali and Nino, a novel originally published in 1937 in the German language by the Austrian publisher, E.P. Tal...
(published in 1937, in Austria), and The Snake’s Skin
The Snake’s Skin
The Snake’s Skin is a novel by prominent Georgian writer – Grigol Robakidze written and published in Georgian and German languages....
(Das Schlangenhemd) by Grigol Robakidze
Grigol Robakidze
Grigol Robakidze was a Georgian writer, publicist, and public figure primarily known for his exotic prose and anti-Soviet émigré activities....
(published in 1928, in Germany). By comparing passages from both novels (35 comprehensive extracts), the author argues that quotes from Ali and Nino: A Love Story have been copied from The Snake’s Skin, especially in passages related to Tbilisi and Iran. Additionally, by analyzing the literary parallels in both novels, the author shows “side-by-side” similarities in content, namely repeated stories, myths, legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
s, characters and plot structures.
Professor Injia concludes that Kurban Said’s Ali and Nino: A Love Story is extensively plagiarized
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
from, and owes much of its existence to Grigol Robakidze’s The Snake’s Skin. Some sentences in the original German versions of these two books are not similar but identical. The two pictures shown on the left demonstrates Prof. Injia's argument. The first picture is from Robakidze's "The Snake's Skin" and the second one is from Kurban Said's Ali and Nino: A Love Story. One may find many similar cases like this one if examine the books closely.
In her research, Professor Injia states "Unsurprisingly, the aspect of Kurban Said's life that garners the most attention is the controversy and mystery surrounding his identity, as well as the authorship of his most popular work Ali and Nino". Jewish writer and journalist Lev Nussimbaum
Lev Nussimbaum
Lev Nussimbaum was a writer and journalist, a Jew, born in Kiev, who spent his childhood in Baku before fleeing the Bolsheviks in 1920 at the age of 14...
(Essad Bey) (1905–1942), Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n Baroness Elfriede von Ehrenfels (1894–1982) and Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
i writer and statesman Yusif Vazir Chamanzaminli
Yusif Vazir Chamanzaminli
Yusif Vazir Chamanzaminli, , sometimes spelled Chemenzeminli, born Yusif Mirbaba oghlu Vazirov Russia.Chamanzaminli was an Azerbaijani writer and statesman remembered for his novels, short stories, essays, and diaries...
(1887–1943) are three candidates who have been claimed to possess the pen name Kurban Said or had a hand in the authorship of the book.
However, in her research professor Injia highlights, that even though the authorship of Ali and Nino: A Love Story is a subject of speculation and controversy, her research does not intend to solve these problems. Therefore, in her research, she refers to Kurban Said as "the one responsible for the theft, equating him, as it is popularly done, with Essad Bey” and states: “It is difficult to say exactly when Kurban Said decided to copy Grigol Robakidze’s The Snake’s Skin into his novel Ali and Nino: after the publication of The Snake’s Skin (1928), after his interview with Grigol Robakidze (1931) or after Grigol Robakidze was nominated for the Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
(1933). However, it is obvious that this idea of literary robbery was developed at some time from 1928 through 1937, and was fulfilled in 1937, when the novel Ali and Nino was published in Vienna, Austria..
Professor Injia’s research findings were first published in a series of articles in the Georgian
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
newspaper Our Literature (2003) and later printed as books Grigol Robakidze… Kurban Said – Literary Robbery (2005) in Georgian and Ali and Nino – Literary Robbery! (2009) in English.. The findings of professor Injia were supported and shared by the representatives from various literary circles, scholars and researchers from Georgia and the US: Gia Papuashvili – documentary movie producer and philologist; Levan Begadze – German linguist, Georgian literary critic and philologist; Zaza Alexidze – former Director of the Georgian National Center of Manuscripts
Georgian National Center of Manuscripts
The Georgian National Center of Manuscripts is a research and educational institution dedicated to studying old manuscripts and historical documents. The Center is based in Tbilisi . Was founded as Institute of Manuscripts on June 30, 1958...
, and discoverer and decipherer of the Caucasian Albanian written script; Betty Blair – researcher of authorship of Ali and Nino: A Love Story and Editor of Azerbaijan International
Azerbaijan International
Azerbaijan International is an independent magazine committed to the discussion of issues related to Azerbaijanis around the world. It was established in 1993 shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union when Azerbaijan gained its independence. Since then, it has been published quarterly in...
magazine.
External links
- IM Books - Publisher of "Ali and Nino - Literary Robbery!"
- Who Wrote Azerbaijan's Most Famous Novel 'Ali and Nino' - The Business of Literature - Azerbaijan International, Vol. 15:2-4 (2011)
- Was Essad Bey Too Prolific: 16 Books in 8 Years
- Essad Bey as Core Author of "Ali and Nino": Seven Reasons Why It Just Ain't So
- Life and Works of Grigol Robakidze in Georgian
- Life and Works of Essad Bey in German
- "Orientalist" by Tom Reiss
- Georgian National Center of Manuscripts
- Tom ReissTom ReissTom Reiss is an American author and journalist who lives in New York City. He has written for The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times...