ABSTRACT

First Published in 2015. The author of the acclaimed Azerbaijan Diary and Chechnya Diary now recounts his experiences in the strife-ridden Republic of Georgia. Soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Republic of Georgia fell prey to a series of power struggles, rampant crime and corruption, secessionist wars, and the spillover of the war in neighboring Chechenya. Journalist Goltz traces these developments with the same kind of vivid, personal narrative that made his previous books so compelling. This fast-paced, first-person account is filled with fascinating details about the ongoing struggles of this little-known region of the former Soviet Union. Featuring memorable portraits of individuals in high places and low, it traces the story from 1992 through the Rose Revolution, the resignation of Eduard Shevardnadze, and the new presidency of U.S.-educated Mikhail Saakashvili.

part I|2 pages

A Complex History

chapter 1|16 pages

The Quest for Gamsakhurdia

chapter 2|24 pages

A Far-Flung Piece of Paradise

chapter 3|13 pages

The Silver Fox

chapter 4|16 pages

An Abkhazian Interlude

chapter 5|11 pages

The Fall of Zugdidi

part II|2 pages

Past as Prelude

chapter 6|21 pages

Along the Banks of Mtkvari

chapter 7|23 pages

(Muslim) Georgia on My Mind

chapter 8|8 pages

Storm Clouds over Sukhumi

chapter 9|12 pages

Pending War and the Death of a Friend

part III|2 pages

The Wretched Riviera

chapter 10|17 pages

Sarajevo by the Sea

chapter 11|15 pages

Black Sea Refugee

chapter 12|26 pages

Aftermath in the Mountains

part IV|2 pages

There Dwell Dragons

chapter 13|13 pages

Chaos in the Caucasus

chapter 14|17 pages

Bridge Across the Inguri

chapter 15|25 pages

Trying to Square a Chalk Circle