'The Tale of Aypi' by Ak Welsapar

'The Tale of Aypi' by Ak Welsapar, translated by WM Coulson (Glagoslav Publications, 168 pages, €18)

On the surface, "The Tale of Aypi" seems to be a traditional novel dealing with well-worn themes: A small coastal village community faces displacement from its ancestral home as the state eyes land for development. One brave fisherman decides to confront the authorities and fight for his native shore, with tragic consequences.

In fact, the novel is more surprising and complex than it appears at first glance. Its author Ak Welsapar is a proscribed writer in his native Turkmenistan and lives in exile in Sweden after years of persecution at home. Set on the coast of the Caspian Sea during the Soviet era, "The Tale of Aypi" combines a distinctive location with universally recognizable themes. Billed as the first novel appearing in English to emerge from Turkmenistan, it won an English PEN award in 2014. At just 160 pages it is a beautifully constructed minor masterpiece.

Our protagonist Araz has vowed to resist the relocation decision. While other villagers wring their hands, he continues to fish in the Caspian, defying a ban imposed by the authorities. The issue is one of honor for Araz, who complains that "everyone else's weakness" got the village into this state in the first place. As he rails to his wife Ay-Bebek: "I'll stay here, and I won't go anywhere even if they kill me. This is where my umbilical cord was cut; my true birthplace! ... How could I let myself be forced out from here? My father, and my father's father too, lie mixed with that sand, and his grandfather as well - all seven generations of my ancestors!" 

Complaining that "the fire has been taken out of folks' eyes," Araz implores the villagers to ...