"This is a strong collection, and I look forward to reading the others in the series. I’d also happily read more." -- Lizzie Siddall This volume brings together six unique female voices: Magdalena Blazevic, Tatjana Gromaca, Vesna Peric, Natali Spasova, Sonja Zivaljevic and Ana Svetel from six countries that were part of Yugoslavia until the early 1990s. Elements of a common history shine through in this smorgasbord of classic short stories, travel writing, diarylike accounts and stand-alon...

New Year's Eve. The last day of the last year of human existence. A high-ranking minister criss-crosses the city with blood on his hands, a dying necrophile attempts to go clean before God, and a traumatized nurse is pressured into keeping a powerful secret. With undisguised glee, a nameless narrator unravels these twisted tales of moral turmoil, all of which are brought to an abrupt close by a cataclysmic collision of time and space. What will remain on New Year's Day? An exhilarating, pr...

A subtle exploration of identity and displacement in post-war Bosnia.Bekim Sejranovic's From Nowhere to Nowhere follows an unnamed narrator, scattered from his Bosnian hometown during the Yugoslav Wars, as he journeys through Croatia and Norway. He grapples with reclaiming a sense of self that feels perpetually out of reach.From childhood soccer games on Unity Street to Muslim funerals, interpreting for Balkan refugees, and navigating complex relat...

A family unravels amidst war and mental illness in 1990s Croatia.As Yugoslavia crumbles, so does Mother. Ostracized for her Serbian background, her bright cheer darkens with mental illness, devouring her family. Through her daughter's wry perspective, Divine Child reveals the forces shaping individuals during economic crisis and rabid nationalism.This survival narrative explores family secrets, identity, and resilience. What happens when a mother's...

In his novel The Eighth Wonder of the World, Plevnes takes his dark sense of humor and undeniable wit on a search for a common ground in an uncommon world. His protagonist Alexander Simsar, during the last 3.3 seconds of his life in Berlin in 1989 (weeks before the fall of Berlin Wall), envisions the creation of a monument—an eighth wonder of the world—that would embrace humanity in all its layers and countenances. In this absurdist novel, Plevnes invents a utopia that unites many...

Wryly incisive stories from a major contemporary Croatian voice.Robert Perišić is celebrated for his novels, but his short stories first garnered recognition, establishing him as a vital voice in Croatian literature. Horror and Huge Expenses showcases Perišić's ability to capture a wide range of experiences with humor and sharp insight.From tragic ethnic conflicts to the absurdities of globalism, Perišić fearlessly explores failure and loss, findin...

There is nothing easy about being the Minister of Culture of Montenegro— but the next nine days for Valentin Kovacevic will be especially difficult. During an artist' s performance, he has accidentally killed her, and now, if he hopes to preserve both his position and his sanity, he must navigate the murky corridors of government bureaucracy, cultural expectations, and relentless family pressures. The Minister, winner of the 2020 European Union Prize for Literature, is a darkly satirical p...