30 stories •
Original illustrations •
English eBook
Nobody Told Me About Tbilisi
Notes from Someone Who Only Meant to Stay for a While
I came to Tbilisi for a little while. At least, that was what I told everyone.
Then came neighbours who knew everything, hot bread that never made it home intact, taxi drivers who had already chosen the route, old lifts, disappearing water and conversations that always lasted longer than expected.
Nobody Told Me About Tbilisi is a collection of thirty warm and gently ironic stories about a city that feels unfamiliar at first and then, almost without warning, becomes home.
What Is Nobody Told Me About Tbilisi About?
Nobody Told Me About Tbilisi is a collection of thirty warm and gently ironic stories about the real Tbilisi – not the tourist version and not the polished postcard, but the city people actually live in.
I came to Tbilisi for a little while. At least, that was what I told everyone.
At first, I simply wrote down small scenes I did not want to forget. Someone said, “I’ll be quick,” and returned forty minutes later. A fresh loaf of shoti once again failed to reach home in one piece. Salt came down from the third floor in a basket. A taxi driver had already chosen the route before we had even finished giving him the address.
Gradually, I realised that these were not separate observations. They all belonged to the same city.
A Tbilisi of neighbours, courtyards, balconies, markets, old lifts, missing water and conversations that always last longer than anyone expected.
That is how Nobody Told Me About Tbilisi came to life – a book about everyday routines, unwritten city rules and the people without whom Tbilisi would be nothing more than a beautiful place on a map.
I came to Tbilisi for a little while. At least, that was what I told everyone.
Not a Guidebook. Which Is Exactly Why It Is About Tbilisi
There is no three-day itinerary in this book, no list of restaurants you absolutely must visit and no promise to reveal “the real Georgia in one evening.” This is a different Tbilisi.
A city where a neighbour may learn your entire life story before asking your name. Where the taxi driver does not ask which route you prefer because he settled that question before you got into the car. Where hot bread exists only until the first street corner, and “I’ll be quick” is not a promise but a completely separate unit of time.
Each chapter is a short story of its own. Together, they tell a larger story about getting used to a new city, learning its unwritten rules and one day realising that you are no longer simply returning to Tbilisi.
You are returning home.
What You Will Find in the Book
There are thirty short stories that can be read one at a time: over morning coffee, on a journey or late in the evening, when starting a long novel feels too ambitious but going to sleep still feels premature. The everyday Tbilisi is here – neighbours, courtyards, balconies, markets, old lifts, traffic jams, dogs, missing water, hot bread and conversations that never end when they are supposed to. Not the postcard city, but the one its residents see every day.
The book includes original illustrations created especially for every chapter. They do more than decorate the pages: they capture the mood, humour and small details of each story. I love Tbilisi, but that does not stop me from noticing its peculiarities. Quite the opposite. Some things become truly lovable only after you stop pretending that you understand them. That is why the book is filled with gentle self-irony, familiar situations and affectionate humour.
At the end of every chapter, you will also find a Georgian Word of the Day, with a translation, a short explanation and occasional proof that a literal translation is simply not enough.
Who Will Enjoy Nobody Told Me About Tbilisi?
This book is for people who have lived in Tbilisi and will recognise situations they thought happened only to them. It is for readers planning their first visit who would like to see the city beyond its tourist attractions. It is for anyone who has moved to another country and knows how a strange place gradually becomes familiar. And it is for anyone who enjoys short, lively stories about people, cities and the small absurdities of everyday life.
Read Nobody Told Me About Tbilisi for Free
You can meet the book before buying it. The prologue and the first five chapters of Nobody Told Me About Tbilisi are available to read free on this website. Start with the prologue, then continue with stories about people who say “I’ll be quick,” hot bread, balconies, salt travelling between floors and Tbilisi taxi drivers who have already made all the important decisions for you.
Start Reading Nobody Told Me About Tbilisi
The prologue and first five chapters are available free.
Buy Nobody Told Me About Tbilisi
The complete English edition contains thirty illustrated stories about everyday life in Tbilisi.
Choose the format that works best for you.
Kindle eBook
- English Kindle edition
- Read on Kindle or in the Kindle app
- Available immediately after purchase
Paperback
- Printed paperback edition
- Delivered by Amazon
- Available in selected countries
Gumroad eBook
Contact the Author
If you would like to ask a question about Nobody Told Me About Tbilisi, discuss publishing, collaboration or an interview, contact Olga Sverchkova directly.