Impossible Encounters

by Zoran Živković

Six strangely related stories about six encounters that could or should have never happened. A post mortem encounter with a clerk who has a most bizarre offer; an elusive encounter with oneself, only decades older; a seemingly innocent encounter with a bookshop visitor who is desperately looking for an ordinary SF story; a memorable encounter with God in a train which, unfortunately, has to be forgotten; a dreamlike encounter with Devil in a Church as a first step on a road which doesn’t lead to Hell; finally, a forbidden encounter of a dying author with one of his protagonists who brings an impossible book as a gift.

Genres: Serbian Literature, Fiction, Fantasy

131 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Zoran Živković was born in Belgrade, former Yugoslavia, in 1948. In 1973 he graduated from the Department of General Literature with the theory of literature, Faculty of Philology of the University of Belgrade; he received his master's degree in 1979 and his doctorate in 1982 from the same school. He lives in Belgrade, Serbia, with his wife Mia, who is French, and their twin sons Uroš and Andreja. He teaches Creative Writing at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philology. He's received plenty of awards, one of them being the World Fantasy Award for Best Novella (The Library, 2003).

Reviews

[Glenn Russell]

"I placed my fingers lightly on the keys, barely touching them. I did not start to type right away. All at once I was no longer in a hurry. The story now stood before me, formed, final, whole. Almost palpable. All I had to do was write it. I wanted this moment to last as long as possible." - Zoran Živković, Impossible Encounters

Zoran Živković recounts how a number of his novels, including Impossible Encounters, share a similar internal architecture in that they consist of seemingly stand-alone stories, however, upon reaching the end, a reader discovers an underlying unity forming an organic whole.

The author acknowledges he himself didn't invent what he terms a "mosaic novel" nor did he apply this form intentionally as a narrative strategy; rather, the mosaic architectural form came to him spontaneously as the optimal way to accomplish what he was attempting to convey in his prose. Beyond a doubt, such spontaneity fits in with his description of his creative process ever since his first novel written back at age forty-five: the non-rational part of his mind dictates his stories as he sits at his computer and types out what he is being told.

In retrospect, Zoran Živković could see this mosaic novel form possessed a most appealing quality: it represents a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. Bull's eye, Zoran! That's precisely the feeling I came away with upon reading the concluding paragraphs of Impossible Encounters: this short novel contains an underlying cohesion and unity that's greater than the sum of its six individual chapters.

In pursuit of the novel's underlying unity, the author urges us to take on the role of detective in hunting for clues beginning from the first chapter. I wouldn't want to give away too much but I will share two obvious threads running through each of the six chapters: 1) a book entitled Impossible Encounters appears at some point in the story, 2) the main character, always a quiet, sedate, orderly type of individual, meets a mysterious older man who injects an element of Middle-European "fantastika" which might be translated as "fantasy" if the term wasn't immediately associated with Tolkienesque fiction. Perhaps a better translation would be "fantastic" in somewhat similar spirit a Jorge Luis Borges tale is fantastic.

So as to share a modest sip, here's a direct quote from each of the chapters along with my reflections:

1. The Window
"I was not overly surprised when I finally saw my own portrait next to one of the doors. I hadn't expected it, but it didn't seem out of place. After all, if so many others had their portraits hanging there, why shouldn't I? Where else can one hope for a privileged position if not in one's own dream?" The narrator tells us he died in his sleep. But what he finds so strange about his current after death state is its lack of strangeness; quite the contrary, all of what he sees and experiences appears entirely normal, even finding his own portrait among a series of portraits hanging in a long, narrow hallway. One can only wonder if such a prim and proper fellow could have predicted in what life form he would have chosen to make his return trip.

2. The Cone
"I stopped, still in cloud from the waist down, and waited for my eyes to adjust. Above me stretched the immeasurable, bright blue firmament, and as far as I could see below me was a motionless sea, its uniformity disturbed here and there by the islands of mountain peaks similar to the one I had just reached, forming a scattered archipelago in the sky." What is it about a mountain top that brings out the philosopher in even the most lackluster bookkeeper type? Zoran Živković is the first to admit his tales touch on our ultimate questions of life and death, identity and freedom.

3. The Bookshop
"The work I'm looking for is in this bookshop," he said. His tone had lost its previous uncertainty and become self-confident. Even more than that: he said it in a voice that would brook no objection. "And it's not old at all. Quite the contrary, it's just been written."" The narrator runs a bookshop specializing in science fiction. Not only does an inquisitive visitor to his bookstore one foggy evening claim to have traveled from a distant star but speaks of a strange fifth force and insists he be given the book he needs to resolve a problem of cosmic proportion. Can you guess the title of that book? Nope! Sorry - you will have to read to find out.

4. The Train
"Mr. Pohotny, Senior Vice President of a bank prominent in the capital city, met God on a train. In a First Class compartment, of course." So begins this quizzical chapter. Turns out, God will answer Mr. Pohotny's questions. Oh, good, I thought, we will find out if this God has limited or unlimited powers. Not at all. As Vice President of a prominent bank, Mr. Pohotny has a more profound question to ask of God.

5. The Confessional
"The deep, harsh coughing that came from the other compartment of the confessional sounded almost like a distant growl." The church is empty; guess who our priest has occasion to speak with in the confessional? Again, Zoran Živković enjoys playing with ultimate questions, this time with memory, identity and the nature of good and evil.

6. The Atelier
"Holding his hat in his hand, the old man bowed again. "I cannot tell you my name, unfortunately, since you did not give me one. I am a character from one of your stories who remained nameless. But so it is with many of your characters, is it not?" Oh, my. Not only does a character want to discuss his own life with his author, he would dearly enjoy discussing a number of other lives as well. If you give it some thought, I suspect you will be able to guess which ones.


Zoran Živković, born 1948

[Sagahigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Một sự đọc thú vị đối với tôi.

Trong buổi gặp mặt bạn đọc xung quanh tập truyện "Những gặp gỡ không thể có", tôi đã "tiết lộ" rằng tôi nghĩ ra nhan đề cuốn sách bằng tiếng Anh trước ("Impossible Encounters"), sau đó tôi mới chuyển nó thành tiếng Việt - đó là lý do tại sao nó nghe "hơi Tây" như nhận xét chuẩn xác của một bạn đọc. Lúc đó, tôi không biết rằng đây cũng là nhan đề của một cuốn sách được in từ năm 2008, tập truyện ngắn hay "tiểu thuyết tranh khảm" (mosaic novel) của Zoran Zivkovic, nhà văn người Serbia ("Nemoguci susreti" trong nguyên tác).

Thú vị, khi ta thấy, từ cùng một nhan đề "Impossible Encounters", ta có hai thế giới rất khác nhau nhưng đồng thời có gì đó chung ở tầng sâu nhất - như hai dị bản vũ trụ sinh ra từ cùng một vụ Nổ Lớn - như thế nào.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Con voce piana Zivkovic ci racconta di incontri fantastici che irrompono in vite normali, quasi addormentate. Dall'incontro nasce un significato, ma raramente le manifestazioni del destino aiutano a cambiarlo.

[Georgiana 1792 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sei racconti di incontri assurdi, fantascientifici, a volte paradossali. Incontri che forse anche noi abbiamo immaginato, sapendo che erano impossibili - con il nostro io nel futuro, con Dio, con un alieno così come noi lo avevamo immaginato, col personaggio del racconto che stiamo scrivendo - come quello con il libro Racconti impossibili, che ricompare puntualmente all'interno di ciascuna storia, praticamente mentre lo stesso autore lo sta scrivendo.

«Tutti questi libri, da voi, sono narrativa d’invenzione, mentre nel mio mondo sarebbero documenti sulla cui autenticità nessuno dubiterebbe. Ma un giorno questo equivoco verrà rimosso, quando anche voi avrete imparato a padroneggiare la quinta forza, invece di usarla in modo selvaggio e incontrollato come finora.»
[...]
«La quinta forza?» ripetei con misurato stupore, come del resto conveniva.
«La chiamiamo così. Anche voi la conoscete, ma ancora non la riconoscete come forza, e quindi usate un altro termine. Anzi, ci sono tanti termini. Uno è, diciamo, immaginazione.»

Per poi ritrovarsi tutti nel sesto racconto, proprio come Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore (sarà per questo che le storie sono sei? È un omaggio a Pirandello?) in una Storia infinita, che si ripete ogni volta che qualcuno apre il libro. E anche un modo per l'autore per raggiungere l'immortalità, entrando nel suo stesso libro e sfuggendo alla morte perdendosi nei suoi meandri...

[Quiver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Serija priča o susretima koji su „nemogući" u okvirima poznatih zakona fizike, kulture, religije. Kraj kolekcije kruniše lagana (ili nasilna, kako već to čitalac interpretira) meta-sveza svih tih priča.

Živokvićeve priče su pitke, lagane, kratke, vuku napred kroz preplitanje poznatih književnih motiva na pomalo (ali samo pomalo) neočekivan način. Čini se kao da se Živković poigrava sa čitaočevim očekivanjima: motivi su kao poznati delići slagalice, i na Živkoviću je da ih složi na način na koji čitaoc neočekuje. Problem sa tom kombinatornom logikom jeste da su kombinacije već uglavnom istrošene i već viđene u drugim književnim delima (svakako pri čitanju u godini 2024, a i mnogo ranije), što znači čitalac već velikim delom pogađa šta će da se desi ili barem nije nešto preterano iznenađen. Uprkos tome nema se utisak dosade, već možda čak i nekog laganog divljenja da je uprkos toj očiglednoj kombinatornoj logici, Živković uspeo da stvori nešto vredno čitanja, čituckanja, zabave.

Za čitaoce nenavikle na književne motive biće pravi, nesmetani uvod.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deceptively simple, Zivkovic's little book plays with your concepts of time and reality. Try to read it in a single sitting. Mary, you will like this one.

[Madhuri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories have blown my mind. If the imagination and the philosophical were to meet in the most succinct manner possible, they would collaborate on these impossible encounters. There is a search for self here, and it is strangely unique. I was reminded of Borges while reading these encounters, but that is only because I started with the Cone.

My favourite story was The bookshop. To talk about it will be to give it away, but the fantastic in that story seemed to be possible. Consciousness creating reality.

The set is tied together beautifully. Do not read the last story till you have read the others.

[Pavle Pešić · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ovo je mislim prva knjiga koju sam pročitao bar tri puta, možda čak i četiri, nisam siguran. Ovo je takođe roman koji sam najviše puta poklonio nekome.

Ako neko nije upoznat sa radom i pisanjem Zorana Živkovića, smatram da je ovo odličan početak. Roman ima sve odlike živkovićovske proze: tekst je veoma čist i lak za čitanje, radnja teče, postoje primese fantastike, razgovori o velikim temama, i više naizgled nepovezanih priča se na kraju stapaju u celinu. Pored toga veoma je kratak, ne kažem to kao zamerku, zato je idealan za upoznavanje.

Nemogući susreti je zbirka priča gde se likovi susreću sa neverovatnim sagovornicima kao što su nečastivi, Bog i lik iz sopstvenog romana. Svi razgovori su sjajni i bave se, kao što sam rekao, velikim temama poput: prolaznosti, šta je to nadahnuće i kako dolazi, kako književnost utiče na svet, o gresima i oproštaju.

Zasigurno ću je pročitati ponovo za nekoliko godina. I pokloniti je još mnogo puta.

[Lance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zoran Živković's Impossible Encounters proves to be a memorable series of six thought experiments, tangentially related.

The first story, "The Window," is a glimpse into a possible afterlife reincarnation decision we may have to make. Readers follow a man who has just died into a room where another man gives him a choice: have another life as anything you want or stay here. What staying actually entails isn't ever clear, but the dead man gets a glimpse into a different possible life (of a butterfly, via a magical painting/window) and decides on reincarnation into a butterfly. This little story seems to suggest on the value and enjoyment of living lives other than your own, animals and insects included.

The second story, "The Cone," explores a fun, unique little time-travel happening. Instead of the normal avoid-at-all-costs or this-is-the-whole-point trope of meeting ones former self in time travel, this short story takes a different view: the older version is merely curious and wants to have a quick chat and see his younger self. The older version declines the opportunity to do anything to change his life, as he is happy and accepting of the one he has lived. It is this message of acceptance of life's journey and it's vicissitudes that seems to resonate here.

The third story, "The Bookshop," is a postmodern look at a possible source of fiction: unseen realities. The sci-fi bookstore owner gets an odd customer looking for a specific book that has just been finished, but it's not on the recent releases shelves. It turns out it's the very book the bookshop owner was writing on the shop computer moments ago. The customer wants the book for his world's archives, although it's about his world. The alien, transformed and teleported via the fifth force of imagination, is in a rush because the collision of the alien fifth force and the writer's will shortly start destroying the universe. It's not clear if retrieving the book is required to close the rift or if the alien merely wants to get it since he's been lucky enough to teleport there, but the writer gives it to him, deletes it from his computer, and decides to never write again. It's a strange look at being an artist. While the idea that inspiration does not come from within is NOT strange or new, the idea that finding out the truth behind our creativity and imagination may spoil the arts for the artists is. I've thought about this story a lot, and I still can't figure out why the writer stops writing. I imagine I'd write even MORE if I discovered this sort of thing was going on...

The fourth story, "The Train," is a meeting with God on a train. The man, a banker, is offered this short time to ask questions. God meets everyone at least once in their life for just this purpose. He thinks it's fair. The banker asks about the deal he's about to make. He learns it'll be a good one, but also learns he will soon die. Out of time, God gets off the train, but only before telling the banker that he will go back to ignorance, forgetting their conversation. The banker feels this is unfair, but God says it's all he can offer, a few minutes of knowing, and that it's better than nothing. This story seems to put God in a position of limited power and also someone oppressed by his own creation. He's imperfect, but doing his best. It's a unique take, but I'm not sure if I like or dislike this God any more or less than the ones in other books.

The fifth story, "The Confessional," is a meeting between the devil and a priest. The priest has taken to sleeping in the confessional since people don't tend to come to church much anymore. The devil shows up. They talk, and the devil turns the tables on the priest, getting him to tell of his sins of sleeping in confessional. Then the devil reveals he knows about the priest's horrible secret (his past affair that he refused to acknowledge after she became pregnant, to which she killed herself and the baby). The priest accepts this will send him to hell, as he cannot be forgiven for such a terrible sin. The devil disagrees, says he's got plenty, and destroys the memory that has haunted the priest, letting the pure soul of the priest enter heaven instead. It's to anger God, giving him souls he shouldn't have, but at the same time, it may be a nice thing to do for the priest, but that's unclear since the devil looks down on the heaven afterlife and suggests hell isn't so bad at all.

In the sixth story, "The Antelier," readers get another postmodern meeting between an author and a character. Here, we learn that characters are actors that get time off to hang out with each other between readings. The character from "The Window" that gave choices to the dead man visits the author. The author is dying soon, but the character is there to tell him to write himself into the book, so he can live forever as a character. This strange meeting gives the author the idea to write the final story and preserve himself immortally as a character in his own writing.

Although each story is short (as is the entire collection), they have their own distinct feel and narrative voice. They all contain a reference to the book itself, take place between two men in a small space, and exclude names beyond God. The themes of each seem to swing about wildly though, giving little cohesion to any overarching message of the collection. Several stories (1 and 4-6) are vaguely around death, but the two that aren't seem to be very much about life and then writing.

The ideas in Impossible Encounters serve as interesting and unique thought experiments. They are well-written in a pleasing style as well. However, my inability to find enough connection between the individual stories and the lack of much plot or characterization, leaves me desiring to read his other works, which may be more connected throughout than this one.

[Scotchneat · Rating 2 out of 5]

An imagined and maybe surreal look at how death arrives, or how we go to it. Instead of a light at the end of the tunnel, it's a portrait hall and finally a door that opens onto a room with the most important painting of all.

In other cases, people who are near the end or ready for the end find inspiration or forgiveness or new hope in places they might now have been expecting.

Very lyrical in tone. Quick read.

[Ezgi Çakın · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellant book i've come across in a long time... I loved it and i loved every moment i spent through it. Very well thought... His style is really different from the books we come across today. I do not know but all i know is it will take a long time for me to forget these beautifully written stories.. This is my first book from Zoran Zivkovic and i'm allready in love with him. This might be a short book but it's a must-read.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and am buying it to add to my personal collection. Translated into English from the Serbian World Fantasy Award-winning author's original words, I was amazed that the stories read as well as they did. The book is very short -- only six brief stories -- but they stay with you long after you've finished reading.

[Morteza Bahrami]

"death would come faster than inspiration."

[Manuele Gazzardi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Profondo e riflessivo nella sua semplicità

[Maddalena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il modo in cui gioca con vita e morte come niente è impressionante. Questo autore mi fa rivalutare tutte le mie scelte di vita.

[Aiden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story will never leave me... It is a book that I'm sure to read a million times over

[Branko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jako interesantan niz od 6 imaginarnih priča koje imaju crvenu nit koja ih povezuje. Poslednja priča mi samo odskače po kvalitetu.

[Shanti]

Very interesting book