It shows us that the cultural conflicts we are wrestling with today are not new and do not have any “solutions.” They will always be with us. This is not a “love conquers all” tale, because the protagonists struggle with conflicting passions - Nino is afraid, for instance, that Ali will make her wear a veil or will take additional wives. The romance between the Azerbaijani Muslim Ali and the Georgian Christian Nino in Baku in the wake of World War I obliges the partners to bridge the wide gulf between their two cultures even in a world where Muslims and Christians live peaceably side by side. Quite the contrary, for Ali and Nino by Kurban Said is a thrilling love story that has an end no happier than “Romeo and Juliet.” In an unsettled time riven by tensions between East and West, Muslim and Christian, there is one classic novel that can provide insight into our current situation even though it offers no solutions.
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