Books as we are going to press; you’ll find a generous
preview here. Poems from the wonderful Barbara Pogačnik
round out our Slovenian literary focus. The artwork inside
(and on the cover of) this issue is all from the painfully-
delighted Slovenian graphic novel,
Balkanalia
, by Samira
Kentrić. In pictures and text, she traces her family’s journey
from Soviet Socialism, through the violent breakup of
Yugoslavia, the rise of nationalisms and consumer culture –
all amidst the defiant sweetness of basic authentic living.
Other cultures represented in this issue include, from
Norway, Gøhril Gabrielsen’s
The Looking-Glass Sisters,
a
taut new work of northern sibling tensions, just out from
Peirene Press. On the occasion of Nobel Laureate Tomas
Tranströmer’s passing earlier this year, we’ve got a sublime
selection of poems re-translated from Swedish by Patty
Crane, from Sarabande Books’ forthcoming volume
, Bright
Scythe
. Following that,
Seven Tales of Loss from Turkey
is a
delicate survey of emotions never far from the surface, in
seven short pieces from Turkish writer Aylin Graves. And
there’s new poetry from one of Hungary’s more sensitive
living poets, Gábor Schein.
Europe is grappling with some formative challenges to its
identity these days. We’ve got new structural developments
planned for
Trafika Europe
too, as we navigate this
fascinating landscape of contemporary European literature.
So please follow us on
Facebookand
Twitter ,and stay with
us as we continue this adventure. Thanks, and enjoy!