Andrzej Stasiuk’s poetic odyssey through Central Asia’s forgotten borderlands
Andrzej Stasiuk's latest book, 'The Beskidian Chronicles', takes readers on a mystical journey through Central Asia. The book, written in a poetic style, explores Stasiuk's travels from Poland to Mongolia, touching on themes of borderlands, identity, and the post-Soviet world. Stasiuk begins his journey in Belarus, a country he finds both familiar and unsettling. He reflects on its history and the fact that, despite suffering the highest population losses of any European nation in World War II, it has yet to draw its lot. His travels take him through Poland, Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Mongolia, eventually reaching the Beskids, a part of the Carpathian Mountains that serves as his borderland home. Throughout his journey, Stasiuk is struck by the pride of people in Kazakhstan for their capital, Astana, and its sudden rise from the steppe. He encounters a hitchhiker in the Kazakh steppe who claims God appeared to him and plans to seize power in Kazakhstan by 2030. Stasiuk's anecdotes, reminiscent of his travels, resonate with any traveler in the region. He contemplates the in-betweenness of Eastern Europeans, living in a strange borderland existence between Europe and Asia. In 'The Beskidian Chronicles', Stasiuk explores the mystical landscapes of Central Asia, drawing from his personal experiences and reflections. The book serves as a testament to the author's poetic style and his ability to capture the essence of the places he visits and the people he meets.
