The dangers of idealizing a place include the overesteeming of men and the exoticizing of their attributes. It was an exhilarating time to be in Tbilisi. Young researchers, mainly from the United States and Europe, older practitioners and inquiring minds from the world over had flocked to the city. Change of every kind abounded, with academic niches just waiting to be carved out and political glory there for the taking. Though I had had trouble finding my place, I was eager to learn from and praise the higher-ranking members of the growing expat community. Then came a singular stroke of luck. An enlightened friend, himself an entrenched expatriate, called to say that he was throwing a party that very night. He insisted on my coming and mentioned that all of Tbilisi’s renowned rays of light were due to attend. And even the Big Yin would be there. Now, my main interest in the country was originally the Georgian tongue. The Big Yin, said to be from Iowa or Indiana, speaks
Excerpts from bygone days abroad