Mebet is a fable from the frozen edge of the world, set among the Nenets people of the Siberian taiga, in a time before Europeans, before the outside world had a name. Alexander Grigorenko’s acclaimed debut, translated by Christopher Culver, has been called the Nenets Lord of the Rings, and it drops the reader into a landscape of reindeer and sable, shamans and spirits, deer-skin tents and coffins left to rest in the branches of trees.
Mebet is known as the Gods’ Favourite. Strong, invincible, untouched by grief, he hunts where he pleases and answers to no one, earning the envy of his tribe and the suspicion that a god must be his true father. He lives that charmed life into old age, until a supernatural messenger arrives to lead him to the border of the living and the dead, where he must at last pay the price of his good fortune, through a series of dread trials.
“You’re unlikely to read another book like this all year,” wrote Peter Gordon in the Asian Review of Books. Critics have set it beside Eugene Vodolazkin’s Laurus for readers who love folklore made new. First of a celebrated trilogy, Mebet is a rare journey into a culture almost unknown in Western literature, and an unforgettable one.
Published with the support of the Institute for Literary Translation, Russia.
Endorsements and Review Quotes
“Mebet is anything but uninteresting, probably because Grigorenko so successfully channels what is frozen, anthropological, ethnographic, folkloric, and (again) frozen into the story of one man’s successes (mostly in hunting, often done in others’ territory, and in battle with neighboring peoples, sometimes using tricks) and failures (mostly in dealing with other human beings).” Lisa Hayden, Lizok’s Bookshelf
“It’s hardly going out on a limb to predict that you’re unlikely to read another book like this all year, or for several years, or at least not until Glagoslav releases the other two volumes of the trilogy, if they do.” Peter Gordon, Asian Review of Books
“Mebet is a welcome addition to the contemporary Russian literary scene, and will be of special interest to lovers of Russian folklore and the many readers who enjoyed Vodolazkin’s Laurus.” Brandy Harrison, Russophile Reads
“In the original Russian, Mebet is the first part of a trilogy by Grigorenko. English readers should hope that the subsequent two novels will also be translated to help open the window wider onto this little-discovered part of the world.” Stephen Dalziel, Sibirica
“Christopher Culver’s translation seems flawless.” Lisa Hill, ANZ LitLovers LitBlog
“I particularly enjoyed having a window into Nenets life, culture, myth and legend, and although Mebet is in no way a sympathetic protagonist, the adventure he embarks on is a compelling one.” Mandy Jenkinson, Historical Novel Society
“Readers who decide to try the book will be rewarded with a fast-paced story set in a little-known Siberian culture. It doesn’t quite fit in with most Western fantasy genres; the closest I can come would be a kind of fairy-tale retelling with elements of life Beyond the Wall in the Song of Ice and Fire series.” E.P. Clark, Goodreads
Grigorenko “gives us a fine tale of a people we rarely meet in literature. […] It is a fascinating book, particularly following the Siberian tribes without any Russians appearing.”
The Modern Novel
