Sayat Nova or Synesthetic Cinematography

Sofiko Chiaureli in Sayat Nova - The Colour of the Pomegranates (1968)

Almost impossible to describe is the nostalgic and aethereal feeling of the works of the Soviet Armenian cinematographer Sergei Parajanov (1924-1990). Archetypes of the collective memory of the Caucasus between Byzantine Icons, Persian poetry and early 20th century décadence, put together in dream-like sequences of exceptional beauty. The extremely slow movements of the characters are meticulously choregraphed into a almost mute dance, imbued in the deep sorrow of purple drops of pomegranate juice on ancient cloth. 

Watch the entire movie in its full beauty here.
With these magic pictures in mind I am working when I prepare some Georgian dishes...
Eggplants in Nut Sauce
Cut 1 kg of eggplants into slices, leave them with some salt on the surface for 40 min in order to let them loose some water, fry in vegetable oil, put aside.
Cut in a mixer 1/2 onion, 3 garlic cloves, 200g of walnuts, 1 cup of fresh coriander leaves, 1/2 cup of flat-leaved parsley, 2 tablespoons of fresh dill, 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, salt, pepper and turmeric powder, eventually adding some water.
Coat the eggplant slices from both sides, fold in half, decortate with pomegranate seeds, serve with white bread.
Enjoy.

Forgotten Treasures: Child's Books from the Soviet Union

When I feel a little bit blue or simply tired my best medicine is to treasure-hunting in charity shops. A few days ago I was miraculously rewarded with a whole pile of beauty and I picked up half a dozen of very well preserved children's books with fairy tales from the communist times. A lot of translation work from the soviet brother countries has been done in the German Democratic Republic, and not only literature for adults. The illustrations in the children's books are really adorable and mostly inspired by folk art. Don't get me wrong - I am not a nostalgic of communism. But as a complete stranger to the political reality of Socialism - I spend the first half of my life in the western part of Germany - I just pick up some leftovers of a vanishing culture, where Asia was much more near to a part of Europe than it seems to be now.
I love this first example which comes from Bulgaria (German edition Sofia 1989), the tale of the Prince and the Virgin of the Stars. Much of the illustration reminds me of Byzantine art; the depiction of the King, for example is almost a copy of the portrait of the Emperor Niceforos Botaniates (in the middle) from the 11th century.
The prince trying to catch the princess wears Roman armour that belongs to the traditional depiction of St. George. Also the architectural details on the picture can be found on Byzantine icons.
And, of course, folk art is the second source of the book's illustrations with monsters and mythical creatures.
Story: Fani Pejtschewa
Illustrations: Wenelin Walkanow
Published: Sofia, Bulgaria 1986, German translation 1989.
Byzantine icons: here and here.