Varliq ve Yoxluq Arasinda - Book Cover
“When will they destroy us?” — William Faulkner

Between Existence
and Nothingness

Varlıq və Yoxluq Arasında
by Xancan Kərimov (Jhan Karimov)
A novel about the war between existence and nothingness
◆ 396 pages ◆ 12 chapters ◆ Alatoran, 2017
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About the Book

A Novel of Existential Rebellion

Varlıq və Yoxluq Arasında follows Mavi — a young man whose name means “Blue” — as he navigates a world suspended between existence and nothingness. In a near-future where euthanasia camps have become an accepted institution, consciousness wages war against the primal survival instincts encoded in our genes.

Through fourteen chapters that move from the roar of silence to the inevitability of death, the novel interrogates what it means to exist in a universe indifferent to our suffering. Nostalgia becomes a disease, gratitude for existence becomes absurd, and the ultimate rebellion against creation takes the form of the most forbidden act.

Written in Azerbaijani and published by Alatoran in 2017, this philosophical novel draws on the existentialist tradition of Camus, Sartre, and Faulkner while forging its own raw, surrealist vision.

Existentialism Consciousness vs Genes Euthanasia Nostalgia Absurdity Rebellion Dystopia Philosophical Fiction
Publisher
Alatoran, 2017
Pages
396
Genre
Existentialist Fiction
ISBN
978-9953-8066-5-9
..Qırmızı, bir xatirədir. Zərərsiz və kiçik xatirə. Mavi, soyuq, isti, qaranlıq, yaşıl, dəniz, A’nın tələffüzü, qaçmaq və gülmək an incə təfərrüatlarına qədər işlənilib yaddaşa yüzlərlə ya minlərlə neyron şəbəkəsi tərəfindən hakk olunmuş xatirələrdir. Bütün bu zərərsiz və kiçik təfərrüatlar birləşərək daha böyük, kompleks və bəzən zərərli xatirələr yaradırlar..
“Red is a memory. A harmless and small memory. Blue, cold, hot, darkness, green, the sea, the pronunciation of A’s name, running and laughing — all etched into memory down to the finest details by hundreds or thousands of neural networks. All these harmless little details combine to create larger, more complex, and sometimes harmful memories.”
Full book cover - front, spine, and back
Full cover artwork — front, spine & back
12 Chapters

Table of Contents

Character & Theme Map

The Constellation of Mavi

Narrative Structure

The Hero's Journey

14 chapters arranged as a clock — from existence to nothingness and back

Descent Ascent MAVI BETWEEN EXISTENCE AND NOTHINGNESS
Cold / Death / Nothingness
Turning Point / Ordeal
Warm / Life / Acceptance
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English Translation

Read Chapter 1 Now

The English translation of Between Existence and Nothingness is currently in progress. Sign up below to be notified when it becomes available.

The novel was originally written in Azerbaijani. Translating its existentialist prose — where every word carries philosophical weight — requires careful attention to preserve both meaning and atmosphere.

Chapter 1

Səssizliyin Gurultusu — The Roar of Silence

Some griefs have no cure — only a name, and that name is misery. There come moments in life when you find yourself drowning inside your own existence. You collapse beneath the weight of all the notes you've kept, all those warm and optimistic hopes, all those plans you once made. The longing and regret of the past press from one side, the panic and dread of the future from the other, squeezing your heart like a vise. Your whole world caves in on you.

Living wasn't worth the trouble — not for him, at the very least. And he was tired now. He had just left his job. He thought of it like zugzwang in chess — whatever move you make, you're mated, you've already lost, and there is no escape.

Death was like an enormously wide river teeming with crocodiles, separating two cities. Every time you approach to cross, you recoil in terror. And the far bank of that river was paradise — yes, paradise. Nonexistence. Is that not the greatest paradise of all?

— Read the full chapter in the English edition, coming soon —

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Where to Find It

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Printed Copy

The original Azerbaijani edition, 396 pages. Published by Alatoran, 2017.

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The Author

Xancan Kərimov

XK

Jhan Karimov (Khanjan Karimov)

Xancan Kərimov · Khanjan Karimov

Jhan Karimov is an Azerbaijani writer whose work explores the boundaries between philosophical inquiry and literary fiction. Varlıq və Yoxluq Arasında (Between Existence and Nothingness), published in 2017, is a novel that channels the existentialist tradition through a distinctly contemporary and deeply personal lens.

Drawing inspiration from Faulkner, Camus, and the absurdist tradition, Karimov constructs narratives that probe the fundamental questions of consciousness, mortality, and the meaning — or meaninglessness — of human existence.