Ugresic is sharp, funny and unafraid. . . . Orwell would
approve.--Times Literary Supplement
Every day and age has its rules. Currently, good behavior dictates that
we be politically correct, evade conflicts, espouse tolerance, and make
no hasty judgments. To be judgmental is viewed as one of the most
reprehensible human traits. People are likely to think today that an
optimist is a good person, while a pessimist is the lowest of the low.
Picking your nose in public is more forgivable then being pessimistic.
[. . .] We live in a time that urges us to behave as if we are in
paradise. Yet the world we live in is no paradise. This book breaks the
rules of good behavior, because it bickers.
This series of thought-provoking and incisive essays from Dubravka
Ugresic explores the full spectrum of human existence. From life in
exile to life in prison, from bottled-water drinking tourists with
massive backpacks to the Eurovision song contest, Ugresic's unfailingly
sharp critical eye never fails to reveal what has been hidden in plain
sight by routine, or uncover the tragic, and the comic, in the everyday.
Dubravka Ugresic is the author of several works of fiction and
several essay collections, including the NBCC award finalist, Karaoke
Culture. She went into exile from Croatia after being label a witch for
her anti-nationalistic stance during the Yugoslav war. She now resides
in the Netherlands.
Ellen Elias-Bursac is an American scholar and literary translator.
Specializing in South Slavic literature, she has translated numerous
works from Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian.
