Danilo Kiš
Paperback | Pages: 201 pages Rating: 4.13 | 2401 Users | 138 Reviews
Details Containing Books The Encyclopedia of the Dead
| Title | : | The Encyclopedia of the Dead |
| Author | : | Danilo Kiš |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 201 pages |
| Published | : | January 7th 1998 by Northwestern University Press (first published 1983) |
| Categories | : | Short Stories. Fiction. European Literature. Serbian Literature. Literature |
Narration Supposing Books The Encyclopedia of the Dead
An entrancing, otherworldly collection of short stories from one of Europe's most accomplished 20th century writers, new to Penguin Modern ClassicsA counter-prophet attempts the impossible to prove his power; a girl sees the hideous fate of her sisters and father in a mirror bought from a gypsy; the death of a prostitute causes an unanticipated uprising; and the lives of every ordinary person since 1789 are recreated in the almighty Encyclopedia of the Dead. These stories about love and death, truth and lies, myth and reality range across many epochs and settings. Brilliantly combining fact and fiction, epic and miniature, horror and comedy, this was Danilo Kiš final work, published in Serbo-Croatian in 1983.
Kiš is one of the great European writers of the post-war period - Guardian
Compulsively readable - Daily Telegraph
Fantasy chases reality and reality chases fantasy. Pirandello and Borges are not far away. But these names are intended as approximate references. Kiš is a new, original writer - Times Literary Supplement
Intense and exotic, his mysteries hint at unspeakable secrets that remain forever beyond the story-teller's grasp - Boyd Tonkin
Danilo Kiš was born in the then Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1935. After an unsettled childhood during the Second World War, in which several of his family members were killed, Kiš studied literature at the University of Belgrade where he lived for most of his adult life. He wrote novels, short stories and poetry and went on to receive the prestigious NIN Award for his novel Pešcanik. He died in Paris in 1989.
Specify Books Concering The Encyclopedia of the Dead
| Original Title: | Enciklopedija mrtvih |
| ISBN: | 081011514X (ISBN13: 9780810115149) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | Andrićeva nagrada (1983) |
Rating Containing Books The Encyclopedia of the Dead
Ratings: 4.13 From 2401 Users | 138 ReviewsWeigh Up Containing Books The Encyclopedia of the Dead
This book, like Mahler's Symphony no. 9, has a central theme of the dead. And, also like Mahler's Symphony, raises many questions, but leave to the reader(listener) to find the answers for himself, since there is no unique and unified approach on solving the problem of death and its overcoming. In this precious book we see nine ways of trying to overcome the death, which are told through nine stories. They raise many unpleasant questions, and the basic one is: Can a human being achieve theHistory is written by the victors. Legends are woven by the people. Writers fantasize. Only death is certain.A vitally important book of short stories that deserves to be ranked alongside Borges finest, translated by Michael Henry Heim, and with an illuminating postscript by the author Danilo Kiš himself.This review from Nick Lezard (Guardian - bring him back!) sums it up well:https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...and Wikipedia (sorry!) has a good overview of the stories
"Only death is certain" seems to be the dominant message of the nine short stories in this collection by Yugoslov writer, Danilo Kis. My first time to read a work by him and I am now craving for more.Although the stories are about death and dying, the book is neither terrifying nor nightmarish. So, if you are looking to be scared like when you read a Stephen King or a Clive Barker, this book is not for you. This book borders on being philosophical about highly inventive scenes that only gifted
I am a fan of Borges, and much of my MA dissertation focused on the disintegration of the Yugoslav state in the midst of conflicting nationalist rhetoric; imagine my delight when I discovered Kiš.Sadly, great expectations are usually dashed, and I've just put this volume down feeling a little cold. It's hit and miss - my favourite stories were Simon Magus, the Encyclopedia of the Dead and the Mirror of the Unknown. At best though, these are sub-Borges, mostly lacking Jorge Luis' wit and charm
November 1, 2012 All Saints' Day. Death looks very much like the ending of a book. It is inevitable, inescapable, final, often unpredictable yet necessary and common to all. Each human life that ends is like a book that has been read, and was loved, and is kept in at least one other person's memory. For a book, its author or its first reader; for a person, his/her mother or someone who had loved him/her most.All Saints' Day is a celebration and commemoration of sequels, or the possibility
Kiš follows a line of culturally cosmopolitan authors, epitomised in the twentieth century by Borges - or later Yourcenar or Bolaño - and going back to Goethe whose West-eastern Divan he planned to quote ironically in this Encyclopedia. The frames for his stories are borrowed from fictional as well as historical sources - the Bible, the Quran, some minor news items or the greatest tragedies in European history. Events take place from the early years after Christs death to the post-war twentieth
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