Synopses & Reviews
These essays are written on the skin of the times. Dubravka Ugresic, winner of the Neustadt International Prize and one of Europe's most influential writers, with biting humor and a multitude of cultural references — from La La Land and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, to tattoos and body modification, World Cup chants, and the preservation of Lenin's corpse — takes on the dreams, hopes, and fears of modern life.
The collapse of Yugoslavia, and the author's subsequent exile from Croatia, leads to reflections on nationalism and the intertwining of crime and politics. Ugresic writes at eye level, from a human perspective, in portraits of people from the former Eastern Bloc, who work as cleaners in the Netherlands or start underground shops with products from their country of origin.
A rare and welcome combination of irony, compassion, and a sharp polemic gaze characterizes these beautiful and highly relevant essays.
Review
"Like Nabokov, Ugresic affirms our ability to remember as a source for saving our moral and compassionate identity."
John Balaban, Washington Post
Review
"Ugresic must be numbered among what Jacques Maritain called the dreamers of the true; she draws us into the dream."
New York Times
Review
"Ugresic's wit is bound by
no preconceived purposes, and once the story takes off, a wild freedom
of association and adventurous discernment is set in motion....Ugresic dissects the social world."
World Literature Today
Synopsis
A New York Times Editors' Choice
These essays are written on the skin of the times. Dubravka Ugresic, winner of the Neustadt International Prize and one of Europe's most influential writers, with biting humor and a multitude of cultural references--from La La Land and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, to tattoos and body modification, World Cup chants, and the preservation of Lenin's corpse--takes on the dreams, hopes, and fears of modern life. The collapse of Yugoslavia, and the author's subsequent exile from Croatia, leads to reflections on nationalism and the intertwining of crime and politics. Ugresic writes at eye level, from a human perspective, in portraits of people from the former Eastern Bloc, who work as cleaners in the Netherlands or start underground shops with products from their country of origin.
A rare and welcome combination of irony, compassion, and a sharp polemic gaze characterizes these beautiful and highly relevant essays.
About the Author
Dubravka Ugresic is the author of six works of fiction, including
The Museum of Unconditional Surrender, and six essay collections, including the NBCC award finalist,
Karaoke Culture. She went into exile from Croatia after being
labeled a "witch" for her anti-nationalistic stance during the Yugoslav
war. She now resides in the Netherlands. In 2016, she was awarded the
Neustadt International Prize for Literature for her body of work.
Ellen Elias-Bursac is a
translator of South Slavic literature. Her accolades include the 2006
National Translation Award for her translation of David Albahari's novel
Götz and Meyer. She is currently the President of the American Literary Translators Association.