Zagreb Noir

by Ivan Sršen (Editor), Darko Macan (Contributor), Josip Novakovich (Contributor)

Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book.

Featuring brand-new stories translated from Croatian by: Ivan Vidic, Josip Novakovich, Andrea Žigic-Dolenec, Robert Perišic, Mima Simic, Pero Kavesic, Nada Gašic, Zoran Pilic, Ružica Gašperov, Darko Milošic, Nora Verde, Ivan Sršen, Neven Ušumovic, and Darko Macan.

Eastern European history is filled with noir-ish and harrowing tales, and Zagreb, the capital city of Croatia, certainly has its fill. Editor Sršen has curated a diverse, powerful, and dramatic group of stories that offer tremendous insight into the perspectives of contemporary Croatians.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Mystery, Noir, Anthologies

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2014

Reviews

[Viv JM · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's always tricky to rate an anthology. Some stories were good, some were not so good. Some were downright weird. This is a noir anthology, so the vibe is dark and the undercurrent of violence is ever-present, but the overall impression for me was that Zagreb is very much a city haunted by its recent past of war and ethnic tensions. An interesting collection, but perhaps not for everyone.

[Kusaimamekirai · Rating 4 out of 5]

While as in most anthologies, some stories are better than others, the ones that stand out:
"Numbers 1-3" about a woman suffering from amnesia, mistaken identity, or a pathological need to lie and "The Crossbar" with its brutal tale of soccer, violence, and vengeance, stand out.
Even the weaker entries ("Headlessness" about some sad teens with pretensions toward Satanism and the equally sad adult who leads them is chief among them) however crackle with the sights and sounds of Zagreb, We walk down its back alleys, smell its aromas (both pleasant and not so much), and meet its inhabitants. The latter of which seem to be equal parts disturbed, gentle, or psychopathic. If you don't think you'll ever get to Croatia someday, why not pick up this book and lose yourself in these wonderfully readable if not dark stories.

[Erica G · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway. The downfall of short stories for me is that I don't get to know that character enough to feel a connection.

[Marc Slavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book with quirky stories. Twists and turns on every other page. I found it to be highly entertaining, and would recommend it to anyone.

[Tammie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um... This is a weird anthology. Maybe this is specific to the noir genre and I know it's not representative of the population but all the contributors have depicted Zagreb citizens to be sex crazed and addicted to violence for some reason. 🤷

[Jacca · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biggest twist of this collection was surpassing the miserable violent pornography of the first number of short stories to find some uniquely engaging pieces later in the book.

That will always be the problem with a compilation, you'll like some authors and certain stories better than others. Why they decided to introduce this package with some of the most pointlessly grim entries I don't know.

I started this during my short stay in Zagreb and ultimately read most of it far away from it on the contrastingly luscious coast of Croatia, almost as far as I could be from Zagreb whilst remaining within the same borders.

The more subtle and artful of authors deftly twine the hangovers of conflict into the mental states and cultural outlooks of the characters in their dark alternate realities. Getting inside the head of someone who lives through Croatia was my goal and I feel that in the better stories I got a taste of what that ingrained psychology is like. Admittedly, this short story collection is purposefully dark so it is not the greatest glimpse of the lighter, more hopeful aspects of this culture but certainly an insight into one who still feels the hangover of what has happened still so recently.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the idea of a series of noir stories that take place in Zagreb, a city I haven’t been to but would love to visit. Like most anthologies, some of the stories were better than others; I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this collection because the variation of quality between the stories was wider than I would have liked (not sure if this is due to the stories themselves or their translations), but the good stories were really good and I’d be curious to read more by those authors.

[Sarah Toppins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series of location-based short stories

This is my first international Noir read. I can't tell how accurate its depiction of the city is as most of my visit to the city was spent sick in bed in my hotel, but I do recognize the upper and lower cities and some sites.

[Oana-Maria Uliu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given the fact that this is a collection of stories by various authors, it is only natural that I should like some and not others, so my ranking of this book is the average between the highest and the lowest. My favourite - by far - is the very first story.

[Bill McFadyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting collection of short stories written by a dozen different Croat authors. The subject matter is generally dark and the tales are based in Zagreb.

[Dougie Robertson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great little stories, some I was less into. A lovely complement to my trip to Zagreb though!

[Brian Angle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Little noir stories from Zagreb. Mostly bad writing, or creepy

[Sara]

Tried finishing it but couldn't. Stories were too unpleasant and noir for me I guess.

[Sara]

Abandoned. Too gory, too gruesome, I read the first few stories, skimmed the next few and couldn't do it anymore.

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this dark and muscular collection, learning about a city decades ago I visited in the former Yugoslavia. Since then the warfare of the 1990s, more access to drugs and "capitalism" after the fall of the Soviet Republic.

[Aishe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am beginning to understand how much one can learn about a city and its people through its noir. The stories in this book and other books in the series reveal much about the histories of the places and the people who live there. I learned more than I thought and enjoyed the stories as well!

[Gabriela Galescu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stories, haunting city

It might be my Eastern European sensibility, but I found all the writers in this book fresh, funny-and sad, poetic and rough in just the right proportion.

The city is a haunting presence in all stories. Well done!

[Daisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

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