Skip to product information
1 of 1

Heritage of Smoke

Publisher:

Regular price $16.95
Sale price $16.95 Regular price $16.95
Sale Sold out
Short story writer, novelist and essayist Josip Novakovich returns with his first collection of stories since being named a finalist for the prestigious 2013 Man Booker International Prize. In Ex-Y...
Read More
  • Format:
  • 10 January 2017
View Product Details
Short story writer, novelist and essayist Josip Novakovich returns with his first collection of stories since being named a finalist for the prestigious 2013 Man Booker International Prize. In Ex-Yu, he explores the major themes of war and exile, of religiosity and existentialism, that have defined his fiction and earned him a place among the pantheon of international writers addressing contemporary literature’s most pressing questions. Masterpieces such “Honey in the Carcase”, “White Mustache”, and “Acorns”, unflinching in their humanity and realism, take us into the brutal despair of the Bosnian War. In between, dry humor and world-weary wisdom infuse such exile preoccupations as soccer, terrorism, and cigarettes. Taken together, this latest collection comprises a bravely intelligent mosaic of what it means to be torn from one’s country and one’s self.
files/i.png Icon
Price: $16.95
Pages: 256
Publisher: Dzanc Books
Imprint: Dzanc Books
Publication Date: 10 January 2017
Trim Size: 8.50 X 5.50 in
ISBN: 9781941088661
Format: Paperback
BISACs:

“Novakovich’s language is always supple. Strange, lyrical beauty abounds here.”
New York Times Book Review


“A host of characters grapple with the legacy of war, religious obsessions, surreal instances of violence, and an enduring guilt…. These often haunting stories of violence, faith, and disconnection make for a memorable voyage into a number of unsettled minds.”
Kirkus Reviews


“Novakovich’s bruising and beautiful short stories cast new light on the experience of war and exile. A potent and intoxicating brew of comedy and tragedy. Heritage of Smoke is an exquisite work of short fiction by a master of the form.”
—Laila Lalami, author of The Moor's Account


“Some grim historical realities haunt many of the stories in this extraordinary collection. Sometimes with dark humor but always with an understanding eye toward his characters, Novakovich illuminates darkness more humanely than any writer since Chekhov.”
—Jim Heynen, author of The Boys' House and Fishing for Chickens


“In the visionary prose of Novakovich, the Balkans are a toxic mix of medieval primitiveness and modern technology. Novakovich tells stories of individuals suffering against this background of regional catastrophe. He reveals reveal the worst things people can do to each other in the absolutely best way.”
—Melvin Jules Bukiet, author of Strange Fire and Undertown