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Part Lion, Part Wolf

In this essay, I begin by examining arguments concerning “Orientalism” from the work of the late Edward W. Said. I then highlight the way that Kurban Said’s novella Ali and Nino is indebted to this tradition, the author relying upon it in order to create a complex world within a few pages. On the one hand, this novella is a wonderful work of art with which to work out some of Edward Said’s key ideas, and on the other hand, appreciating Edward Said’s key ideas is also crucial for a better appreciation of this novella’s complexity. The second part of the paper focuses on the novella itself, so as to think of Ali and Nino with Edward Said’s critique of Orientalism in the foreground of one’s mind. In conclusion, I not only highlight why this also sheds light on art and literature, religion and politics, history and current affairs, in such a geopolitically important area as the Caucasus as well as elsewhere the world over; I also point out parallels between the Orientalist stereotypes examined in this essay and key ideas from ascetic religious traditions.