Akram Aylisli is a former member of Azerbaijan's National Assembly whose writing has been translated into more than twenty languages, but he lives in de facto house arrest in his home country, persecuted for speaking out against state repression and ethnic cleansing. In 2014 he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in connection with his novella, Stone Dreams, one of several works included in this volume—along with the only publication of the title essay in any language. Rendered into English by Katherine E. Young, award-winning translator of Russian poets and former poet laureate of Arlington, Virginia, the book introduces American audiences to a singular voice of conscience and raises awareness of the challenges Azerbaijan has faced in establishing itself as an independent nation over the last thirty years. Young will be in conversation with Richard Kauzlarich, ambassador to Azerbaijan from 1994 to 1997.
