Sarajevo Marlboro (Paperback)

~ Miljenko Jergovic (Author), Stela Tomasevic (Translator) "You want to bury your head in the pillow..." (more)
Key Phrases: Migo the Heart, Velija the Footballer, Boy Wonder (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"Poetic and moving . . . of the many books written on Bosnia, this collection of stories is perhaps the best."—Slavenka Drakulic´

Sarajevo Marlboro is Miljenko Jergovic´’s remarkable debut collection of stories. Jergovic´ is a child of Sarajevo who remained in the city throughout the war. A dazzling storyteller, he brings a profoundly human, razor-sharp -understanding of the fate of the city’s young Muslims, Croats, and Serbs with a subterranean humor and profoundly personal vision. Their offbeat lives and daily -dramas play out in the foreground, the killing zone in the background.

Miljenko Jergovic´ was born in Sarajevo in 1966. A poet and journalist, he writes for the daily Oslobodjenje newspaper. He has written another collection of stories as well as two novels: Buick Riviera and Mama Leone. His work has been translated extensively throughout the world.

Stela Tomas?evic´ (Translator) was born in Belgrade in 1963. She studied literature at the University of East -Anglia. She has translated numerous works of nonfiction from the Serbo-Croatian and from the French. She currently works for the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Former -Yugoslavia.

Ammiel Alcalay (Introduction) is a scholar, critic, trans-lator and poet. In his own words, "My immersion in a -diversity of languages and cultures has shaped and informed my place within American culture. I have come to see myself as a conveyor of ideas, texts, histories, cultural encounters and narrative points of view that, for a variety of reasons, have not gotten the attention they merit."

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Serbo-Croation --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Archipelago Books; 1 edition (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972869220
• ISBN-13: 978-0972869225
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #104,351 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #85 in

  Books > Nonfiction > Education > Multicultural

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books about war in Bosnia, October 30, 1999

By	Davorin Horak ([e-mail]) "da... (Zagreb, Croatia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sarajevo Marlboro (Paperback)

When Jergovic's book Sarajevo Marlboro was published in Croatia I thought here it is, another so called writer who wants to make money out of people's tragedy. But then, I met him and has been surprised. Man like him just can't be one of those nationalist writers in which books every second word is the name of his country. He thinks and he has great talents with words. Sarajevo Marlboro is mosaic made of two-three pages stories that point directly to your heart. Jergovic understand perfectly well what is going on in his city, to his fellow citizens and though he can't do anything to stop the history, he can remeber it - in his own voice. And that is the beauty of Sarajevo Marlboro.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Astounding, outstanding, June 10, 2000

By	Edward Bosnar (Zagreb, Croatia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sarajevo Marlboro (Paperback)

Literally dozens upon dozens of books have been written on the war in Bosnia and the break-up of Yugoslavia by journalists, scholars, diplomats, politicians, etc. both from the former Yugoslavia itself and abroad. However, hardly any of them shed as much light on the war in Bosnia (and, by extension, the recent tragic events throughout former Yugoslavia) as this slim volume. Jergovic has made an art-form of capturing so much feeling, passion and depth in such incredibly short stories. "Sarajevo Marlboro" can definitely be ranked among the great world literature of the last few decades. This is an outstanding book - read it by all means.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book will stay with you forever, April 7, 2006

By	I. Martina B. (Washington D.C.) - See all my reviews

It is hard not to go back to "Sarajevo Marlboro" and re-read different short stories multiple times. It's one of those books that I make sure to have on my bookcase no matter where in the world I live at that moment. It is powerful yet simple in its wisdom and it will make you both laugh and cry. Quite simply, it is a beautifully thought-out and written story of a city which spirit never died during the tragic years of the war conflict.