Ex-Yu: Stories

by Josip Novakovich

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 humour 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.

Genres: Short Stories

240 pages, Paperback

Published September 30, 2015

About the author

Josip Novakovich (Croatian: Novaković) is a Croatian-American writer. His grandparents had immigrated from the Croatia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, to Cleveland, Ohio, and, after the First World War, his grandfather returned to what had become Yugoslavia. Josip Novakovich was born (in 1956) and grew up in the Central Croatian town of Daruvar, studied medicine in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad. At the age of 20 he left Yugoslavia, continuing his education at Vassar College (B.A.), Yale University (M.Div.), and the University of Texas, Austin (M.A.).

He has published a novel (April Fool's Day), three short story collections (Yolk, Salvation and Other Disasters, Infidelities: Stories of War and Lust), two collections of narrative essays (Apricots from Chernobyl, Plum Brandy: Croatian Journey) and a textbook (Fiction Writer's Workshop).

Novakovich has taught at Nebraska Indian Community College, Bard College, Moorhead State University, Antioch University in Los Angeles, the University of Cincinnati, and is now a professor at Pennsylvania State University.

Mr. Novakovich is the recipient of the Whiting Writer's Award, a Guggenheim fellowship, two fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts, an award from the Ingram Merrill Foundation, and an American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation. He was anthologized in Best American Poetry, Pushcart Prize, and O.Henry Prize Stories.

He taught in the Master's of Fine Arts program at Pennsylvania State University, where he lived under the iron rule of Reed Moyer's Halfmoon Township autocracy. He is currently in Montreal, Quebec teaching at Concordia University.

Reviews

[Tahmineh Baradaran · Rating 3 out of 5]

مجموعه داستانهایی از یوگسلاوی . خوبیش این است که داستانهای کوتاهی است وگرنه خواندن رمانی گزارش گونه وپاورقی گونه جالب نبود. نکته ادبی نداشت .شاید هم درترجمه این اتفاق برایش افتاده باشد . یکی دوتا ازداستانها بدنبود .داستان "تسلا" بسیاربدبود(چون من به تسلا علاقه دارم).
شاید فقط ازنظرآشنایی با قسمت متفاوتی ازجهان و بلاهایی که مردم آن تحمل کرده اند قابل توجه باشد.

[Maryam Manouchehri · Rating 4 out of 5]

مجموعه داستانی در مورد کشورهای حوزه بالکان که همه به جنگ-های داخلی یوگسلاوی و تجزیه‌ی این کشور ارتباط دارند.
ده‌تا داستان اول کتاب قابل توجه و خوندنی بودند اما دوتا داستان آخری از لحاظ مووع و محتوا متفاوت بودن و ربطی به مجموعه نداشتن که به نظرم از کیفیت کار کم کرده بودن.

[Saman Saee · Rating 3 out of 5]

از دوازده داستانی که تشکیل دهنده کتاب هستند در نظر من ده تای اول هم متفاوت بودن هم واقع گرایانه درباره جنگ یوگوسلاوی بود اما داستان یازدهم که راجب کافکا هست هم ساختار تخیلی داره هم نامربوط به بقیه داستان هاست از نظر دقیق بود مطالب فیزیکی بیان شده هم خیلی ضعیفه داستان اخر هم اصلا راجب یوگوسلاوی نیست

[Simin · Rating 5 out of 5]

مجموعه داستانی فوق العاده ..
روندی منسجم از درد و خشم و نفرت و انتقام و ..که تا پایان بی نظیر داستان ادامه دارد.
و امان از داستان آخر ...

[Barbara Sibbald]

An emotional and cultural journey into post-WW II Yugoslavia, & the recent wars in Bosnia and Croatia. I learned a great deal, mostly about how the people handled the disorientation, the daily violence and the incalculable -- and calculable --losses: brothers, parents,sanity, friends, as well as houses and homes, fortunes, peace of mind. Mostly though these stories are peopled with characters who have lost their country. The people are finely drawn and very human in their addictions, loves and superstition. The stories are superbly told, and often very humorous! It's difficult to believe that English isn't Novakovich's first language.