George Papashvily (1898–1978)

I bought this book since it was written by two of my favorite authors, Helen and George Papashvily. I have often wondered how much of their wonderful novels were written by Helen or George, and if this book is an indication, I would say that George had much to do with the writing of his heart-warming and delightful stories. The one chapter he wrote in this cookbook has the same flavor, while those written by Helen were somewhat dry and at times remote. All of them were interesting though. I wonder how much they restricted themselves on their commentary, seeing that it was researched and written in the middle of the Communist regime. They give a nice introduction to each area of the U.S.S.R., describing the land, food grown there and the traditional preparations of that food. Then they give five or six recipes to illustrate. Lovely photographs throughout.… (mehr)

"There was, there was, and yet there was not..." So begins each fable in this collection. George and Helen Papashvily have produced a collection of moral tales in the same vein as Aesop's fables, but with more warmth and depth. Some are very similar to tales we are used to, others reflect the Georgian customs and mores, giving insight into that culture. A couple are heartbreaking, and others perverse and silly. I enjoyed reading this very much, and the illustrations are a lovely folk art addition to the book.… (mehr)