The latest addition to my website is Sultan Raev‘s Жанжаза (Castigation). This a Kyrgyz novel set in the post Soviet era. It involves seven people who escape from a mental institution and cross the desert with a view to reaching the HolyLand. Unfortunately, the leader, who claims to know the way to the Holy Land, does not. Several of the characters have names of famous historical characters: Alexander the Great, Ceopatra, Genghis Khan, and King Lear. We get the back stories of the characters, including the stories of the historical characters they are based on on though the historical stories we get are highly creative. The leader of the group is known as the Emperor and he has a mortal fear of snakes, of which there are plenty in the desert. On their way, they meet various characters such as Death and one of the people who was on Moses.’ journey in the wilderness. Our seven heroes, of course, generally have mental health issues. It is a wonderfully creative book, highly imaginative, and one that, amongst other things, condemns the lust for power and sexual lust as well as human cruelty.