Zora Books: New and Old Literary Voices

New and Old Literary Voices
from Balkan Europe

Sun

Zorica Radosavljevic, zorabooks@btinternet.com
Phone 44 (UK) 207 602 1691, fax 44 (UK) 207 610 4255

The Balkans- an ethnic and religious powder keg or an unique repository of old and living cultural and spiritual traditions.

Gracanica monastery, Kosovo.

Milorad Pavic: LAST LOVE IN CONSTANTINOPLE (Poslednja ljubav u Carigradu) Translated from Serbian by Christina Pribichevich-Zoric
UK 1998 February, 176pp Hbk with 22 Tarot card illustrations by Ivan Pavic £15.95

In this last work Pavic, the recognised master of European post modernist prose, goes into enigmatic and unexpected territory. To those acquainted with his earlier tour de force, Dictionary of the Khazars, the dilemma would be - is it another conjuration of the dream world of the European East or the beginning of a new Byzantine magical realism.

'Last Love in Constantinople' recounts the strange, reversing fortunes of two generations of two very different families across Europe during the time of the Napoleonic wars from the Elbe to Constantinople.
The reader may venture through the use of the Tarot card illustrations at the end of the book, to obtain his own, unique reading of the text.
Not only can the reader divine the interlocking fates of the families by dealing the cards, but he can also use them as an oracle for foretelling his own fortune.

From praise of Pavic's Dictionary of the Khazars: 'Borges and Nabokov, Singer and Calvino, Eco's The Name of the Rose- Pavic's novel conjures up images (dreams?) of some of our century's most enthralling imaginative literature. I would say that in its teasing way it is a masterpiece.' Sunday Times

Stoyanov, Y. HIDDEN TRADITION IN EUROPE: The Secret History of Medieval Christian Heresy.
UK 1996 Pbk 309pp £8.99

A widely acclaimed scholarly detective exploration of the hidden world of the medieval secret sects, from the Balkan Bogomils to the French Cathars, and their predecessors, in Europe and the Middle East.
Will be of major importance to everyone interested in the history of religions, Balkan and Byzantine history and the undercurrents and subcultures of European religious development.

'Like Umberto Eco, Yuri Stoyanov is one of the rare "complete" Europeans. He comprehends the hidden and traditional thought of the Balkans and eastern Europe and the spiritual traditions of Western Europe past and present. His book helps us to think of Europe in a more exact and just way, creating conditions for us to grasp the spiritual balance which we in Europe have lost.' Milorad Pavic

Selimovic, Mesha. DEATH AND THE DERVISH
Translated by Bogdan Rakic and Stephen M. Dickey; 'Writings from an unbound Europe' series
USA 1996, Pbk 473pp £13.00

Here is at last the long-awaited translation of this literary masterpiece by one the best and most original novelists to come out of Bosnia and Herzegovina, M. Selimovic (1910-1982).

"This is a narrative told from the point of view of a dervish at a Sarajevo monastery in the 18th century during the Turkish occupation. The point made in a complex and poetic way is simple: love will indeed remove fear, destroy hate, exorcise the past, generate new life, allow the sun in, bring peace. The masterful expression of this ancient wisdom although only depicted may prove salvific yet".[from the Introduction by H.R.Cooper, Jr.]

Peic, Sava. MEDIEVAL SERBIAN CULTURE
UK 1994(6) 240 pp 27x32cm 240 illustrations (120 in colour) £35.00
The book explores the history of Serbian art from the emergence of South Slavs in the Balkan Peninsula and the Central Europe in the 6th century up to 15th and 17th centuries. This book offers a historical perspective of the Serbs, their land and their culture during the Middle Ages. It begins with a brief description and overview of the many events and personalities that shaped medieval Serbian history; then proceeds with a more detailed account of the three most important cultural, artistic and architectural schools from the 9thto15th centuries, and ends with an epilogue describing Serbia under the Turks.

Isak Samokovlija: TALES OF OLD SARAJEVO
Translated from Serbo-Croat by Celia Hawkesworth and Christina Pribicevic-Zoric with an introduction by Ivo Andric and selection and epilogue by Z Lesic
UK November 1997 192pp Pbk 11 illustrations £13.50

Ivo Andric, the Nobel Price winner, wrote in 1955: 'Short stories of Isak Samokovlija are vibrant and exquisite in their simplicity'.
Sephardic Jews settled in Bosnia after being expelled from Spain at the time when Ottoman Turks occupied Bosnia. Four monotheistic religions existed along each other : Orthodox Christianity, Catholicism, Islam and Judaism. Although Isak Samokovlija wrote most vividly about the Jews, especially about the Sarajevo ones, he wrote about other of his compatriots as ethnic groups in Bosnia were mixed over the centuries.
His stories are grand stories about ordinary people and about the world that is no more.

Milka Bajic Poderegin DAWNING
UK 1987 Pbk 365pp £5.95

A family saga evolving against the turbulent background in Herzegovina at the end of 19th century as it emerges from five centuries of foreign occupation in the wake of the collapse of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires.

The book is available in three languages:
Serbian: Svitanje, Roman 1997 Pbk 286pp £12.50
French: Le Point du Jour, France, 1996 350pp £11.50
English: The Dawning, Translated by Nadja Poderegin, Pbk. 365pp £6.00

THE SERBIAN EPIC BALLADS: AN ANTHOLOGY
Translated into English verse by G.N.W. Locke, bi-lingual edition (the original text in Cyrillic).
Belgrade 1997, 436pp 21cm.Hbk £20.00 incl postage in UK.

The Serbian Epics are a pinnacle of European literature, recognised as such by Goethe, Pushkin, and others, but hitherto largely unknown for want of adequate translation.

A representative selection has now, for the first time, been translated into fluent, readable English to reveal freshness, zest, and grandeur of the originals without sacrificing accuracy. As well as being highly entertaining, these unique ballads provide an essential key to understanding the character and outlook of this ancient and significant European nation.

Maria Todorova IMAGINING THE BALKANS
UK 1997 Pbk. 257pp £18.00

"A ground-breaking, well-argued account of the formation and crystallization of Western approaches to and images of the Balkans. A welcome "Balkan" addition to Said's "Orientalism".

Branko Bokun HUMOUR AND PATHOS In Judaeo-Christianity
UK 1997, Pbk 165pp £7.00

These are the questions:
Would our life have been less dramatic if God has asked Christ's mother's permission to send her son to his death?
Having created us in His own image, could it not be that God is Himself a capricious, self-centred and jealous infant, dreaming of omnipotence?

These and many more questions are discussed in this devastating critique of Judaeo-Christian Culture by the author of the best-selling 'Humour Therapy'.

Ordering information.
(When publishers change their prices, ours may change as well.)
Special lower postage rates for selected dictionaries. Details on application.
Free Bonus Offer on orders over £30.00.

Copyright © 2001 Zora Books. All rights reserved.
Updated 04 June 2001.


		New and Old Literary Voices from Balkan Europe
		Zorica Radosavljevic, zorabooks@btinternet.com Phone 44 (UK) 207 602 1691, fax 44 (UK) 207 610 4255
		The Balkans- an ethnic and religious powder keg or an unique repository of old and living cultural and spiritual traditions. Gracanica monastery, Kosovo. Milorad Pavic: LAST LOVE IN CONSTANTINOPLE (Poslednja ljubav u Carigradu) Translated from Serbian by Christina Pribichevich-Zoric UK 1998 February, 176pp Hbk with 22 Tarot card illustrations by Ivan Pavic £15.95 In this last work Pavic, the recognised master of European post modernist prose, goes into enigmatic and unexpected territory. To those acquainted with his earlier tour de force, Dictionary of the Khazars, the dilemma would be - is it another conjuration of the dream world of the European East or the beginning of a new Byzantine magical realism. 'Last Love in Constantinople' recounts the strange, reversing fortunes of two generations of two very different families across Europe during the time of the Napoleonic wars from the Elbe to Constantinople. The reader may venture through the use of the Tarot card illustrations at the end of the book, to obtain his own, unique reading of the text. Not only can the reader divine the interlocking fates of the families by dealing the cards, but he can also use them as an oracle for foretelling his own fortune. From praise of Pavic's Dictionary of the Khazars: 'Borges and Nabokov, Singer and Calvino, Eco's The Name of the Rose- Pavic's novel conjures up images (dreams?) of some of our century's most enthralling imaginative literature. I would say that in its teasing way it is a masterpiece.' Sunday Times Stoyanov, Y. HIDDEN TRADITION IN EUROPE: The Secret History of Medieval Christian Heresy. UK 1996 Pbk 309pp £8.99 A widely acclaimed scholarly detective exploration of the hidden world of the medieval secret sects, from the Balkan Bogomils to the French Cathars, and their predecessors, in Europe and the Middle East. Will be of major importance to everyone interested in the history of religions, Balkan and Byzantine history and the undercurrents and subcultures of European religious development. 'Like Umberto Eco, Yuri Stoyanov is one of the rare "complete" Europeans. He comprehends the hidden and traditional thought of the Balkans and eastern Europe and the spiritual traditions of Western Europe past and present. His book helps us to think of Europe in a more exact and just way, creating conditions for us to grasp the spiritual balance which we in Europe have lost.' Milorad Pavic Selimovic, Mesha. DEATH AND THE DERVISH Translated by Bogdan Rakic and Stephen M. Dickey; 'Writings from an unbound Europe' series USA 1996, Pbk 473pp £13.00 Here is at last the long-awaited translation of this literary masterpiece by one the best and most original novelists to come out of Bosnia and Herzegovina, M. Selimovic (1910-1982). "This is a narrative told from the point of view of a dervish at a Sarajevo monastery in the 18th century during the Turkish occupation. The point made in a complex and poetic way is simple: love will indeed remove fear, destroy hate, exorcise the past, generate new life, allow the sun in, bring peace. The masterful expression of this ancient wisdom although only depicted may prove salvific yet".[from the Introduction by H.R.Cooper, Jr.] Peic, Sava. MEDIEVAL SERBIAN CULTURE UK 1994(6) 240 pp 27x32cm 240 illustrations (120 in colour) £35.00 The book explores the history of Serbian art from the emergence of South Slavs in the Balkan Peninsula and the Central Europe in the 6th century up to 15th and 17th centuries. This book offers a historical perspective of the Serbs, their land and their culture during the Middle Ages. It begins with a brief description and overview of the many events and personalities that shaped medieval Serbian history; then proceeds with a more detailed account of the three most important cultural, artistic and architectural schools from the 9thto15th centuries, and ends with an epilogue describing Serbia under the Turks. Isak Samokovlija: TALES OF OLD SARAJEVO Translated from Serbo-Croat by Celia Hawkesworth and Christina Pribicevic-Zoric with an introduction by Ivo Andric and selection and epilogue by Z Lesic UK November 1997 192pp Pbk 11 illustrations £13.50 Ivo Andric, the Nobel Price winner, wrote in 1955: 'Short stories of Isak Samokovlija are vibrant and exquisite in their simplicity'. Sephardic Jews settled in Bosnia after being expelled from Spain at the time when Ottoman Turks occupied Bosnia. Four monotheistic religions existed along each other : Orthodox Christianity, Catholicism, Islam and Judaism. Although Isak Samokovlija wrote most vividly about the Jews, especially about the Sarajevo ones, he wrote about other of his compatriots as ethnic groups in Bosnia were mixed over the centuries. His stories are grand stories about ordinary people and about the world that is no more. Milka Bajic Poderegin DAWNING UK 1987 Pbk 365pp £5.95 A family saga evolving against the turbulent background in Herzegovina at the end of 19th century as it emerges from five centuries of foreign occupation in the wake of the collapse of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires. The book is available in three languages: Serbian: Svitanje, Roman 1997 Pbk 286pp £12.50 French: Le Point du Jour, France, 1996 350pp £11.50 English: The Dawning, Translated by Nadja Poderegin, Pbk. 365pp £6.00 THE SERBIAN EPIC BALLADS: AN ANTHOLOGY Translated into English verse by G.N.W. Locke, bi-lingual edition (the original text in Cyrillic). Belgrade 1997, 436pp 21cm.Hbk £20.00 incl postage in UK. The Serbian Epics are a pinnacle of European literature, recognised as such by Goethe, Pushkin, and others, but hitherto largely unknown for want of adequate translation. A representative selection has now, for the first time, been translated into fluent, readable English to reveal freshness, zest, and grandeur of the originals without sacrificing accuracy. As well as being highly entertaining, these unique ballads provide an essential key to understanding the character and outlook of this ancient and significant European nation. Maria Todorova IMAGINING THE BALKANS UK 1997 Pbk. 257pp £18.00 "A ground-breaking, well-argued account of the formation and crystallization of Western approaches to and images of the Balkans. A welcome "Balkan" addition to Said's "Orientalism". Branko Bokun HUMOUR AND PATHOS In Judaeo-Christianity UK 1997, Pbk 165pp £7.00 These are the questions: Would our life have been less dramatic if God has asked Christ's mother's permission to send her son to his death? Having created us in His own image, could it not be that God is Himself a capricious, self-centred and jealous infant, dreaming of omnipotence? These and many more questions are discussed in this devastating critique of Judaeo-Christian Culture by the author of the best-selling 'Humour Therapy'.
		Ordering information. (When publishers change their prices, ours may change as well.) Special lower postage rates for selected dictionaries. Details on application. Free Bonus Offer on orders over £30.00.
		Copyright © 2001 Zora Books. All rights reserved. Updated 04 June 2001.