A rediscovered classic memoir - the scintillatingly witty account of one extraordinary woman's life during a turbulent century 'A voice so vivid it seems impossible that it should ever have been forgotten' Evening Standard 'An effervescent and irreverent feat of recollection and imagination'-Wall Street Journal We all know families that are poor but 'respectable'. Mine, in contrast, was extremely rich but not 'respectable' at all... This is the unforgettable memoir of a childhood spent in Azerbaijan in the turbulent early twentieth century, caught between East and West, tradition and modernity. Banine remembers her luxurious home, her beloved German governess and her imperious Muslim grandmother. She recalls how the Bolsheviks came, and how amid revolution and bloodshed she fell passionately in love, only to be forced into marriage with a man she loathed - until the chance of escape arrived... The story of Banine's life is both a wry, romantic coming-of-age tale and a touching portrait of a vanished world. It is continued in her companion memoir, Parisian Days. PRAISE FOR DAYS IN THE CAUCASUS 'An enchanting memoir' - Jane Shilling, Evening Standard 'This jewel of a memoir, written in 1945 but only now published in English, has all the makings of a Tolstoyan drama' - The New Internationalist 'Banine's autobiography captures a rarefied world on the brink of extinction' - Bryan Karetnyk, Spectator 'Banine's consummate prose is marked by undertones of erudite wittiness. Educated and pragmatic, but also hopeful, she expresses wanting nothing more than to be free to pursue self-realization. Days in the Caucasus was published in 1945; this first English translation of the memoir is an absolute joy-full of adventure, travel, and youthful dreams' - Foreword Review

"Every so often a voice emerges from the archive so vivid that it seems impossible that it should ever have been forgotten" - Evening Standard

"A delightful memoir of an eventful life set against the helter-skelter of the 20th century... Banine herself shines through as an intelligent and independent spirit, longing for her own self-determination" - Financial Times

"An enchanting memoir" - Evening Standard

"I started to leaf through the book and was soon engrossed... So vividly and wittily does the author reveal to us an utterly unfamiliar world" - Teffi

"An effervescent and irreverent feat of recollection and imagination-epic in sweep yet intimate in tone-that introduces the reader to an exotic, antique world and to characters so vividly drawn that their raucous voices seem to echo long after they have vanished from sight" - Wall Street Journal

"This jewel of a memoir, written in 1945 but only now published in English, has all the makings of a Tolstoyan drama." - The New Internationalist

"Banine's autobiography captures a rarefied world on the brink of extinction" - Spectator

"Filtering her childhood ambitions through the lens of maturity, Banine recreates a world that is both believable and thoroughly engrossing" - Times Literary Supplement

"Banine tells her story - first loves, forced marriage, exile and Paris - with wit and warmth. Never one to take anything too seriously, her company - and her memoir - is a delight" - Tatler

"Banine's consummate prose is marked by undertones of erudite wittiness. Educated and pragmatic, but also hopeful, she expresses wanting nothing more than to be free to pursue self-realization. Days in the Caucasus was published in 1945; this first English translation of the memoir is an absolute joy-full of adventure, travel, and youthful dreams" - Foreword Review

"An exquisite book" - Paysage dimanche

"A devilish story, like a finely spiced dish, bringing verve, joy and charm along with its delicious style" - Action

"A vivid coming-of-age story that also provides a valuable glimpse of a life lived in a half-Islamic, half-western world at a pivotal moment in history" - The National

"[Banine] has a wickedly whetted tongue, and enough self-awareness to refuse sparing herself from her own reflections... Her writing is gorgeously translated by Anne Thomson-Ahmadova" - The Arts Desk

"Recreates a vivid world... sardonic wit and colourful characterisation... reflective and heart-wrenching... powerfully conveyed in the translated prose" - Riveting Reviews

"The memoir of a turbulent childhood in Azerbaijan" - Traveller Magazine

"Beguiling humour... arresting... [the] translation is excellent" - The London Magazine

"[A] witty and wonderful childhood memoir" - Literary Review

"Leads us on a delightful stroll, occasionally breaking into a somewhat mad dance, across a colourful, unfamiliar world" - Paru

"A stunning book... With all the freshness of childhood memories, this is anything but some sentimental story nostalgically written in flowery script on sepia paper" - Critique des idées et des livres

"An extraordinary sense of humour and a certain poetry too" - La Presse

"An intense story, often amusing, which plunges the reader into the most unfamiliar territory imaginable" - Verités

"A book to give those gloomy souls who find daily existence banal" - Lettres francaises

"A tale of immense privilege and dramatic upheaval... The wry and ribald memoir of a young woman born into a Baku oil dynasty in the twilight of the Russian Empire" - Transitions