Tales of Serbian Life

Tales of Serbian Life
Author: Ellen Chivers Davies
Publisher: Cosimo, Inc.
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2007-12-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1605200220

First published in 1919, Tales of Serbian Life is one of two popular illustrated books by ELLEN CHIVERS DAVIES (b. 1889), author of Our Friends at the Farm. Tales of Serbian Life contains three stories set in the Serbian countryside: "The Little House at Novo Selo," "The Villa Golub," and "Stefan the Cowherd." These fictional tales, suitable for readers of all ages, offer a glimpse into the daily lives of those living in Eastern Europe.

The Tiger's Wife

The Tiger's Wife
Author: Téa Obreht
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2011-03-08
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0679604367

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • The instant classic debut novel from the author of Inland and The Morningside, hailed as “a thrilling beginning to what will certainly be a great literary career” (Elle) “Spectacular . . . [Téa Obreht] spins a tale of such marvel and magic in a literary voice so enchanting that the mesmerized reader wants her never to stop.”—Entertainment Weekly “Not since Zadie Smith has a young writer arrived with such power and grace.”—Time ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times; Entertainment Weekly; The Christian Science Monitor; The Kansas City Star; Library Journal In a Balkan country mending from war, Natalia, a young doctor, is compelled to unravel the mysterious circumstances surrounding her beloved grandfather’s recent death. Searching for clues, she turns to his worn copy of The Jungle Book and the stories he told her of his encounters over the years with “the deathless man.” But most extraordinary of all is the story her grandfather never told her—the legend of the tiger’s wife. Weaving a brilliant latticework of family legend, loss, and love, Téa Obreht, hailed by Colum McCann as “the most thrilling literary discovery in years,” has spun a timeless novel that will establish her as one of the most vibrant, original authors of her generation. ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Wall Street Journal, O: The Oprah Magazine, The Economist, Vogue, Slate, Chicago Tribune, The Seattle Times, Dayton Daily News, Publishers Weekly, Alan Cheuse, NPR’s All Things Considered

The Prince Of Fire

The Prince Of Fire
Author: Radmila Gorup
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
Total Pages: 392
Release: 2014-08-09
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 0822980789

Winner of the 1998 Misha Djordjevic Award for the best book on Serbian culture in English.Editors Gorup and Obradovic have collected stories from thirty-five outstanding writers in this first English anthology of Serbian fiction in thirty years. The anthology, representing a great variety of literary styles and themes, includes works by established writers with international reputations, as well as promising new writers spanning the generation born between 1930 and 1960. These stories may lead to a greater understanding of the current events in the former Yugoslavia.

After 90 Years

After 90 Years
Author: Milovan Glisic
Publisher: CreateSpace
Total Pages: 78
Release: 2015-10-14
Genre:
ISBN: 9781517484521

A classic of Slavic vampire literature from 19th century Serbian author Milovan Glisic, "After Ninety Years" tells the tale of Sava Savanovic, who haunted the watermill in the village of Zarozje. Because Glisic wrote 17 years before Bram Stoker's "Dracula" introduced bats and Transylvania to the vampire trope, he based his story on the folktales and folk beliefs of villagers in the mountains of western Serbia along the Drina River valley. As such, it represents a treasure trove of ethnographic information and offers insights into authentic vampire lore before the creation of the modern pop culture vampire. The language Glisic employs is the vernacular of the uneducated and illiterate rural population in the mountainous regions of western Serbia along the Drina River valley in the 18th and 19th centuries. In contrast to the heavily ornamented and wordy prose so common among his 19th century contemporaries in Russia and the west, Glisic deliberately wrote in a sparse, plain, and raw style, accurately reflecting the mannerisms of village life and culture, an approach used by Mark Twain in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." Similar to 19th century American author Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow or Rip Van Winkle, Glisic mined local folklore to retell the story of the vampire Sava Savanovic. As such, the text presents a wealth of ethnographic material. Glisic offers valuable insights into the roles of women and children in the traditional patriarchal Serbian zadruga, a family-based agricultural cooperative that formed the basis of village life. The role of alcohol in hospitality, causing and settling disputes is also quite evident. And village gossip plays an important role in the everyday life of both men and women. Of particular note is Glisic's description of the folk beliefs surrounding vampires, how they are found, how they are killed, the forms they take, their physical appearance, etc. In this, Glisic accurately reflects folk beliefs still present today in many rural areas of the Balkans.

The Serbs

The Serbs
Author: Tim Judah
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 433
Release: 1997-01-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0300071132

History, myth, and the destruction of Yugoslavia.

The Bridge on the Drina

The Bridge on the Drina
Author: Ivo Andríc
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 324
Release: 1977
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780226020457

"A great stone bridge built three centuries ago in the heart of the Balkans ... stands witness to the countless lives played out upon it" and to the sufferings of the people of Bosnia.--Cover.

The Legend of Steel Bashaw

The Legend of Steel Bashaw
Author: Petar Meseldzija
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2010-09-15
Genre: Folklore
ISBN: 9781933865300

An adaptation of Bas Celik, a Serbian folktale traditionally told by fireplaces and burning lamps. Built from the same impossible truths that the ancients used to craft all myths, The Legend of Steel Bashaw concerns itself with a kidnapped princess, the deeds of a heroic prince, battles lost and won, death and redemption. Award-winning illustrator Petar Meseldzija brings the tale to life in this stunningly illustrated retelling.