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2012 Longlist

The Only Witness to Beauty

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ABOUT
THE BOOK

The Only Witness to Beauty is an intriguing love story that unfolds in an identifiable Zagreb setting, with short episodes set on the exotic island of Malta. The hero is a forty-year-old in love with a mysterious young woman. Unusually sensitive characters, torn by emotions that overwhelm them, try to bond the fragments of their innermost feelings. Toying with truth and lies, this novel also toys with various story-telling perspectives, offering the reader memorable enjoyment. (From Publisher)

ABOUT
THE AUTHOR Miro
Gavran

Miro Gavran is a contemporary Croatian writer. His works have been translated into thirty-five languages. Along with the collection of short stories Small Unusual People, he has written the novels Forgotten Son, How We Broke Our Legs, Clara, margita or journey through a Past Life, Judith, John the Baptist, Pontius Pilate, The Only Witness to Beauty and Kafka’s Friend. He has received some twenty literary and theatre awards, including the Central European Time Award, given to the best Central-European Time Award, given to the best Central – European writer, and the European Circle Award for affirmation of European values in literary texts.

Miro Gavran is a contemporary Croatian writer. His works have been translated into thirty-five languages. Along with the collection of short stories Small Unusual People, he has written the novels Forgotten Son, How We Broke Our Legs, Clara, margita or journey through a Past Life, Judith, John the Baptist, Pontius Pilate, The Only Witness to Beauty and Kafka’s Friend. He has received some twenty literary and theatre awards, including the Central European Time Award, given to the best Central-European Time Award, given to the best Central – European writer, and the European Circle Award for affirmation of European values in literary texts.

ABOUT
THE TRANSLATOR Nina
H. Kay-Antoljak

Nina H. Kay-Antoljak is an Australian living in Zagreb, Croatia, who did field translations for U.S. officials interviewing Bosnian war victims.

Nina H. Kay-Antoljak is an Australian living in Zagreb, Croatia, who did field translations for U.S. officials interviewing Bosnian war victims.

NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS

This is a very intriguing love story with elements of a thriller, taking place in various Croatian locations and exotic Malta. It is a novel of emotional loss, love, loneliness and literature. Literature is as important as life itself. The author said he wrote a novel to glorify the exceptional reader. Even if it were only one reader, The Only Witness to Beauty. The Only Witness to Beauty is a mixture of love story, thriller, reality and fantasy, the writer’s complement to literature and to the reader.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Country
Croatia
Original Language
Croatian
Author
Publisher
ITG Croatia
Translator
Nina H. Kay-Antoljak

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