The Foreign Service Journal, November 2009

his wife in Somerset, Md., Wachob continues to write verse for his parish newsletter and volunteers in a Wash- ington, D.C., high school. He is also the author of Ba- sics of Clause and Sentence Structure: A Handbook for New and Experienced Writers (Vantage Press, 2007). In the Distant Confines Nikolai N. Karazin, translated with an introduction by Anthony W. Sariti, Authorhouse, 2008, $20.49, paperback, 456 pages. A tale of the Wild, Wild East, Karazin’s first novel (published in the Russian literary journal Delo between 1872 and 1873) intro- duced Russians to their newly conquered and still rest- less frontiers in Central Asia. With this work, translator par excellence Anthony Sariti becomes the “Karazin of America,” not only introducing the relatively unknown Russian artist to the U.S., but bringing Central Asia to popular attention here, as well. Although the world Karazin depicts has changed in many ways, his novel remains instructive. It offers an enduring ethnographic portrait of the peoples and cul- tures of the region and — though told with a sympa- thetic slant that views Russian and native alike with equal sympathy, humanity and satire — a faithful de- piction of the depravity and racism of the czarist impe- rialists. Karazin’s tale chronicles the fate of a Russian military officer in Tashkent, Batogov, who has recently returned from the frontier wars with native nomadic peoples. With a loyal Uzbek companion, he navigates the drunken and licentious society of Russian exiles, op- portunists and megalomaniacal officials before he is kidnapped by Kirghiz natives. Anthony W. Sariti holds degrees in linguistics, his- tory and Chinese. He left a life of academia for a ca- reer in the Foreign Service in the 1970s, serving in Yaounde, Kuala Lumpur, Tashkent, Beijing, East and West Berlin, Shanghai and Washington, D.C. Fluent in many languages, he has previously translated a work from Chinese and translated this work from the origi- nal Russian. Mexican High Liza Monroy, Spiegel & Grau, 2009, $14, paperback, 352 pages. This novel not only captures the classic drama of the cusp of adulthood, but magnifies and revels in it. Monroy presents the longing of the displaced and distraught teen- ager with all the raw urgency of youth. After a lifetime of nomadism with her single, ex-hippie diplo- mat mother, Milagro (Mila) Mar- quez has settled in 1993 in Washington, D.C., for high school. She is a well-adjusted and successful youth — until a sudden reassignment pitches Mila and her mother into the heart of Mexico City for Mila’s senior year. There she is swept up into the exclusive cliques of the rich and famous at the International School of Mexico, quickly descending into a life of clubs and drugs. All the while, Mila pursues her search for identity —partially through a quest to find her mysterious, unknown father. Liza Monroy, the daughter of a Foreign Service of- ficer, attended high school at an international school in Mexico City. She has been previously published in the New York Times , The L.A. Times Magazine , Newsweek and The Village Voice . She is currently an MFA candi- date at Columbia University, where she teaches essay writing. Translating Libya: The Modern Libyan Short Story Ethan Chorin, Saqi Books, 2008, $19.95, paperback, 238 pages. In Translating Libya: The Mod- ern Libyan Short Story , author Ethan Chorin presents 16 short stories translated from Arabic to English. Not merely entertaining diversions, the stories —with titles that mention impor- tant cities and cultural landmarks — are the medium through which Chorin allows his readers to delve deep into the culture of this North African country. The book is divided into sections of stories from the east, south and west, reflecting the country’s cultural and geographical diversity, and includes short biographies of the various writers. The tales trace the influence of the ancient Romans, the Italian occupation and the current influx of foreign workers from Africa and further afield. In addition to social satires, love stories and fables, Chorin also includes some of his own memoirs of living in Tripoli. These aim to give readers a feel for the con- temporary reality of this rapidly urbanizing country that has been “off the beaten path” for a very long time. Ethan Chorin, a former FSO, served as commercial 34 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 9