Balkan Bombshells

by Will Firth (Editor), Svetlana Slapšak, Jelena Lengold

A collection to whet the appetite of anyone wishing to learn more about a region rich in history, folklore and (her)stories. Telling it like a woman does not mean literature for women only: it provides an insight into half of humanity, a window onto the lives of citizens who work, love and develop their inner lives. This collection brings together established Serbian and Montenegrin writers like Svetlana Slapsak, Jelena Lengold (winner of the EU Prize for Literature 2013), Dana Todorovic and Olja Kneżevic (author of Catherine the Great and the Small, Istros 2020), together with a select group of up-coming writers.

144 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2023

Reviews

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Balkan Bombshells is an anthology of 17 contemporary women writers from Serbia and Montenegro compiled and translated into English by Will Firth. The stories are written in different writing styles and shifting themes but the glue holding them all together is the fact that they are written from a female perspective and telling stories about what it means being a woman in a man's world.

This anthology is permeated by an ironic female voice and plays with the typical stereotypes that strongly characterize not only Serbia and Montenegro but most countries in the world. While reading Balkan Bombshells, I was wondering: Can a male translator capture the strong female voices penetrating the pages? It's a known fact that women and men have different interaction styles which affect our way of talking but also our way of writing and translating. I believe that Firth did an amzing job with these short stories and capturing their ironic female voices. All stories felt fluent and I love that some foreign words were kept, which in my opinion made the stories feel authentic.

Some of these stories show us that men are not the only ones affected by war. Everyone suffers in a war. I believe that you can interpret the stories as everyday being a struggle (dreams are put aside) and being at war with society and oneself. Maya Angelou said, "Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning." Human voices charge the words and if we are aware of that, if we realize that, then we can change our mindset. That is hope of a more equal world.

[Joseph Schreiber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This compilation of short fiction by women writers from Serbia and Montenegro is a very strong collection. The seventeen pieces feature a variety of voices and styles, from both established and newer authors. Many have never been published in English translation. The presentation, alphabetical by author, avoids any attempt to classify by theme allowing a natural flow to develop. Several stories are directly political in subject, but most deal with the lives, hopes and dreams of ordinary people.
A longer review can be found here: https://roughghosts.com/2023/02/15/an...

[Among Shelves and Novels Bookclub · Rating 3 out of 5]

Balkan Bombshells was our Book Club's book of the Month for September 2024. An anthology of 17 short stories by both acclaimed and emerging writers from Serbia and Montenegro. Except for "Do You Remember Me?" by Jelena Lengold, all the stories feature female protagonists. Lengold’s story, told in the first person, revolves around a man infatuated with a woman he thought he once knew.
Discussing an anthology is always a challenge, given the diverse perspectives of our members. But reviewing Balkan Bombshells posed an even greater challenge, as we had to explore themes of war, violence, and their lasting impact on a region that some of us call home, and others have come to see as such.
For many members who did not experience the conflicts referenced in the stories, the book opened up conversations about topics often left unspoken.
Despite living in a different era and hailing from various parts of the world, we found much to discuss. We questioned whether the portrayal of the Balkans in the anthology was true to the current reality or whether it represented a version of the region that no longer exists.
Our discussion ultimately focused on the particular and the universal themes woven throughout the book. Like the Balkans itself, the anthology seems to speak to a universal—and uniquely female—journey of defining and redefining our roles in an ever-changing world.

[Carolien · Rating 4 out of 5]

The seventeen short stories contained in this volume, translated by Will Firth, serves as a very good introduction to feminist thinking and writing from Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro, and covers a range of topics. Given that there is not a lot of translated fiction from the area, it gives a taste of the talent of these writers.

[Patricia Raposo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good collection of stories that reflect so much from these two countries. It was a pleasure to read it.

[stef · Rating 2 out of 5]

→ my rating: 2.0 ★

This collection started off really interesting and I enjoyed a few of the first short stories, but by the end it became such a slog to get through and the final entries were a bit of a let down. Felt like they weren’t as thematically connected as I might have hoped, but if you’re interested in reading it I’d give it a go anyway! Seems like the kind of collection that everyone would have wildly different experiences with :)