Heritage of Smoke

Short story writer, novelist and essayist Josip Novakovich returns with his first collection of stories since being named a finalist for the 2013 Man Booker International Prize. In Heritage of Smoke, he explores the themes of war and exile, of religiosity and existentialism, that have defined his fiction and earned him a place among most admired international writers addressing contemporary literature's most pressing questions. Masterpieces such "When the Saints Come", "White Mustache", and "Acorns", unflinching in their humanity and realism, take us into the recent Balkan wars and their aftermath. In between, dry humor 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 to reinvent oneself.