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Beograd noar
Ideja da se neki od najeminentnijih savremenih književnica i književnika nađu među koricama jedne knjige, ujedinjeni u nastojanju da ispripovedaju priče smeštene u Beogradu, pokazala se kao značajna i plodotvorna. Ona je, pre svega, potvrdila da je talenat podjednako snažan u svim književnim žanrovima – te će čitaoci imati priliku da upoznaju svoje omiljene autorke i autore kao vešte pripovedače noar priča.
Na stranicama pred vama, svi oni otkrili su istu sliku iz različitih perspektiva – mračno lice Beograda, koje skriva priče o kojima se ćuti. Upravo na toj poliperspektivnosti počiva raznolikost koju uočavamo na svim pripovednim nivoima: svaka priča u ovoj knjizi jeste fragmentarna slika sveta u kojem je Beograd protagonista – pred njegovim licem odvijaju se i smenjuju životi i sudbine, a njegove ulice jesu pozornice na kojima se odigravaju bizarne priče. U njima se obrisi fiktivnog i stvarnog stapaju i potom gube u nemirnim senkama grada, ostavljajući iza sebe samo tihe odjeke priča koje se ne zaboravljaju, već nastavljaju da žive na beogradskim ulicama.
Tematski i stilski raznovrsna, ova knjiga priča, zasnovana na noar matrici, prikazuje galeriju likova koji nas vode kroz skrivene kutke Beograda, oblikujući tako i jedan od njegovih mogućih identiteta.
Na stranicama pred vama, svi oni otkrili su istu sliku iz različitih perspektiva – mračno lice Beograda, koje skriva priče o kojima se ćuti. Upravo na toj poliperspektivnosti počiva raznolikost koju uočavamo na svim pripovednim nivoima: svaka priča u ovoj knjizi jeste fragmentarna slika sveta u kojem je Beograd protagonista – pred njegovim licem odvijaju se i smenjuju životi i sudbine, a njegove ulice jesu pozornice na kojima se odigravaju bizarne priče. U njima se obrisi fiktivnog i stvarnog stapaju i potom gube u nemirnim senkama grada, ostavljajući iza sebe samo tihe odjeke priča koje se ne zaboravljaju, već nastavljaju da žive na beogradskim ulicama.
Tematski i stilski raznovrsna, ova knjiga priča, zasnovana na noar matrici, prikazuje galeriju likova koji nas vode kroz skrivene kutke Beograda, oblikujući tako i jedan od njegovih mogućih identiteta.
272 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 2, 2021
Belgrade Noir is an excellent installment in the Akashic Noir series of traveling anthologies. This one takes us to Belgrade with a reporter editor who did an excellent job of choosing stories. Serbia, like the rest of the Balkan nations, has seen more than its share of invasion, occupation, and oppression. After Tito died and Yugoslavia broke up, ethno-nationalists took control and began an imperialist ethnic cleansing of surrounding areas. Add to that its place as the birthplace of vampires and you have fertile ground for storytelling.
From the first story, “Underneath It All Runs the River of Sadness” by Oto Oltvanji, there is the landscape of the city that seems almost a character of its own. “So many were stories that made me shiver, such as “An Ad in Večernje Novosti” by Kati Hiekkapelto and “A Different Person” by Vladan Matijević. There were elements of the supernatural such as in “Phantom of the National Theater” by Aleksandar Gatalica and “The Man Who Wasn’t Mars.” True brilliance, though, was Milorad Ivanovic’s decision to finish the anthology with “The RAT” by Misha Glenny which made me laugh out loud. Even now, thinking of the story, I will laugh.
I loved Belgrade Noir. I love how varied the stories were. I didn’t know what to expect from one story to the next. I didn’t mind the injection of the supernatural as it fit the city. It was interesting to read the perspective of the war from the point of view of Serbians and the continuing complexities of Serb and Croat relations. I also appreciate that the author did not go for the avant-garde but really focused on noir as it is currently understood, not trying to expand its meaning. And really, I loved the placement of the final story. It was wonderful to finish this book with a good laugh.
I received an ARC of Belgrade Noir from the publisher via Edelweiss and LibraryThing.
Belgrade Noir at Akashic Books
Milorad Ivanovic at Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN)
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
From the first story, “Underneath It All Runs the River of Sadness” by Oto Oltvanji, there is the landscape of the city that seems almost a character of its own. “So many were stories that made me shiver, such as “An Ad in Večernje Novosti” by Kati Hiekkapelto and “A Different Person” by Vladan Matijević. There were elements of the supernatural such as in “Phantom of the National Theater” by Aleksandar Gatalica and “The Man Who Wasn’t Mars.” True brilliance, though, was Milorad Ivanovic’s decision to finish the anthology with “The RAT” by Misha Glenny which made me laugh out loud. Even now, thinking of the story, I will laugh.
I loved Belgrade Noir. I love how varied the stories were. I didn’t know what to expect from one story to the next. I didn’t mind the injection of the supernatural as it fit the city. It was interesting to read the perspective of the war from the point of view of Serbians and the continuing complexities of Serb and Croat relations. I also appreciate that the author did not go for the avant-garde but really focused on noir as it is currently understood, not trying to expand its meaning. And really, I loved the placement of the final story. It was wonderful to finish this book with a good laugh.
I received an ARC of Belgrade Noir from the publisher via Edelweiss and LibraryThing.
Belgrade Noir at Akashic Books
Milorad Ivanovic at Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN)
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
December 14, 2025
U principu retko čitam zbirke krimi priča (mislim da je poslednja bila neka Diverova), ali me je ova privukla reprezentativnim izborom pisaca i, naravno, mestom dešavanja :)
Nisam mogao da odolim da se upustim u mračne beogradske tajne. I zaista, već prva priča Ispod svega teče reka sete me je prijatno obradovala. Zabavna postava penzionera koji istražuju komšiluk bila je više pulp nego noir, ali prilično solidan i sa finom dozom humora i ironije. Jedino što je doživljaj bio američke priče izmeštene u novobeogradske blokove.
Narednih par priča su taj osećaj još više pojačalo. Veza sa Beogradom se svodila na puko pominjanje ulica ili lokacija a radnja, likovi nisu baš bili lokalni. Oglas u Večernjim novostima je prilično slaba i previše preterana da bi bila makar smešna, Kako ukiseliti glavicu kupusa je solidna i aktuelna a Undermarket bi mogla biti i sjajna da je bila prilagođenija likovima sa Balkana i angažovanija u dočaravanju sve te logistike oko pijace i ljudi koji tu obitavaju.
Sledeća sekcija se bavi ratom 90-ih i deluje kao stilske vežbe na istu temu (otkrivanja počinilaca zločina mnogo godina kasnije). Drugi čovek je sjajna, tu sam zaista osetio život koji se odvijao Bulevarom a i narator je skroz uverljiv, a Black widow, white Russian i Pitanje oca su voše stereotipne, mada Pitanje oca upada više u američki stereotip.
Sekcija koja se bavi prošlošću mi se i najviše svidela sa izuzetno uspelim Činovnik Hinko, omča i luminal i Čovek koji nije bio Mars koje imaju likove veće od života i uspele su da me potpuno uvuku i u njihovo vreme i u njihov um. Tu su još i Neonski bluz - prepoznatljivi Stojiljković, u vinjeti koja bi mogla biti delić iz Konstantinovo raskršće (i ovde Stojiljković uspešno translira pulp horor u srpske okvire) i Ubica iz Narodnog pozorišta koja se poigrava sa sf-om ali malo manje efektno, i ostavila me je zbunjenog referencom na kraju.
Poslednja sekcija se bavi realizmom i bliskom budućnosti i počinje izuzetno efektnom Dodir zla koja se završava iznad očekivanja, prepoznatljivim Skrobonjom Alter Ego d. o. o. (za mene on ostaje pisac b kategorije) i kratkom Pacov koja je mogla biti smeštena bilo gde pa I u Beogradu, a i koja baš i nije neka za kraj.
Sve u svemu, zabavno i inspirisalo me je da potražim još koji naslov u Noir ediciji Akashic Books-a.
Nisam mogao da odolim da se upustim u mračne beogradske tajne. I zaista, već prva priča Ispod svega teče reka sete me je prijatno obradovala. Zabavna postava penzionera koji istražuju komšiluk bila je više pulp nego noir, ali prilično solidan i sa finom dozom humora i ironije. Jedino što je doživljaj bio američke priče izmeštene u novobeogradske blokove.
Narednih par priča su taj osećaj još više pojačalo. Veza sa Beogradom se svodila na puko pominjanje ulica ili lokacija a radnja, likovi nisu baš bili lokalni. Oglas u Večernjim novostima je prilično slaba i previše preterana da bi bila makar smešna, Kako ukiseliti glavicu kupusa je solidna i aktuelna a Undermarket bi mogla biti i sjajna da je bila prilagođenija likovima sa Balkana i angažovanija u dočaravanju sve te logistike oko pijace i ljudi koji tu obitavaju.
Sledeća sekcija se bavi ratom 90-ih i deluje kao stilske vežbe na istu temu (otkrivanja počinilaca zločina mnogo godina kasnije). Drugi čovek je sjajna, tu sam zaista osetio život koji se odvijao Bulevarom a i narator je skroz uverljiv, a Black widow, white Russian i Pitanje oca su voše stereotipne, mada Pitanje oca upada više u američki stereotip.
Sekcija koja se bavi prošlošću mi se i najviše svidela sa izuzetno uspelim Činovnik Hinko, omča i luminal i Čovek koji nije bio Mars koje imaju likove veće od života i uspele su da me potpuno uvuku i u njihovo vreme i u njihov um. Tu su još i Neonski bluz - prepoznatljivi Stojiljković, u vinjeti koja bi mogla biti delić iz Konstantinovo raskršće (i ovde Stojiljković uspešno translira pulp horor u srpske okvire) i Ubica iz Narodnog pozorišta koja se poigrava sa sf-om ali malo manje efektno, i ostavila me je zbunjenog referencom na kraju.
Poslednja sekcija se bavi realizmom i bliskom budućnosti i počinje izuzetno efektnom Dodir zla koja se završava iznad očekivanja, prepoznatljivim Skrobonjom Alter Ego d. o. o. (za mene on ostaje pisac b kategorije) i kratkom Pacov koja je mogla biti smeštena bilo gde pa I u Beogradu, a i koja baš i nije neka za kraj.
Sve u svemu, zabavno i inspirisalo me je da potražim još koji naslov u Noir ediciji Akashic Books-a.
January 25, 2021
Like most of the Akasic Noir books, this one is of mixed quality. Those that are good are very good and others can be described as mediocre. This appears to be true of many of the books from third world cities and countries. I like to think that some authors are not as attractive to me because I have little or no cultural understanding of the country.
But in this case there is more than a bit of Balkan in my family and though its' probably been a hundred years since any of my living family has been there, something never changes. But aside from some pre-WWII communications, that part of my family died under the Croatian and Nazi rule. This same racism occurred after WWII and was only covered up during Tito's reign in the late twentieth century. I visited all of the Yugoslav republics, Albania and Greece in the 1970s and found the country to be just as I heard it described. The people were open and friendly, but only because they were under constant surveillance.
Being an American gave me the ability to travel without running into the undercurrent of religious and ethnic hatred that boiled over during the 1990s, and led to the disintegration of Yugoslavia. The stories in this collection include times under the Nazis, Tito and before and after these wars. Each of the stories takes a look at Yugoslavia from a different place in the republics by people who had to flee to Belgrade at one time or another. This is probably the major reason to read this book.
But in this case there is more than a bit of Balkan in my family and though its' probably been a hundred years since any of my living family has been there, something never changes. But aside from some pre-WWII communications, that part of my family died under the Croatian and Nazi rule. This same racism occurred after WWII and was only covered up during Tito's reign in the late twentieth century. I visited all of the Yugoslav republics, Albania and Greece in the 1970s and found the country to be just as I heard it described. The people were open and friendly, but only because they were under constant surveillance.
Being an American gave me the ability to travel without running into the undercurrent of religious and ethnic hatred that boiled over during the 1990s, and led to the disintegration of Yugoslavia. The stories in this collection include times under the Nazis, Tito and before and after these wars. Each of the stories takes a look at Yugoslavia from a different place in the republics by people who had to flee to Belgrade at one time or another. This is probably the major reason to read this book.
March 23, 2021
Belgrade. So far, of the Akashic Books noir series, Belgrade is the "noirest"! In this collection of short stories about the dark side of a city, the reader catches glimpses of the past, present, and future of this complex, sophisticated yet primal place. Driven by long held, essentially tribal conflict, violence and curiosity about violence appear embedded in the psyche of its residents. Detachment, distrust, and disillusionment permeate these stories, so prepare yourself before diving in. The writing is excellent, if frighteningly dark!
December 15, 2020
I have read other Noir books that made me not like that genre. But Belgrade noir was such an excellent read. The stories had me from the first and even though short I was completely satisfied when they ended. There were a few that I would have liked to be a little longer but only because I didn't want them to end. This was so worth the read. I received this book from LibraryThing Early Reviewer for and honest review.
August 19, 2025
2,2 underwhelming to say the least, and not very noir. the stories are of varying quality, but most tend to be unimpressive and either not very interesting, well written, nor compelling. the stories tend to be either predictable, or to take such a random impossible turn that it becomes almost laughable. i have been to belgrade and seen the allure of the white city myself, and this collection of stories does not do it justice.
January 27, 2021
Enjoyable collection of short noir stories. All set in Belgrade. I enjoyed almost all of them. The last one made me chuckle at the end.
June 23, 2021
Just excellent!
January 7, 2022
Grim, dark, noir, shocking at times. Loved it
June 28, 2025
This is certainly one of the best books in the Noir series published by Akashic Books.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews