Author Archives: zzivkovic

The Last Book in German, and Review in Die Welt

I am delighted to let you know that the the German edition of my novel The Last Book recently appeared as a Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag (DTV) edition.

DTV, one of the leading German publishers, brought out in February another novel of mine — Hidden Camera — that got numerous favorable reviews throughout German language area.

The first review of The Last Book — a very favorable one — appeared on October 25 in leading daily newspaper “Die Welt.” Here it is for those of you who, by a lucky coincidence, happen to be fluent in German…

Haben Sie noch eine kleine Buchhandlung um die Ecke? So eine, die nicht aussieht, als hätte sie sich aus dem Thalia-Katalog für Buchhandelseinrichtungen bedient und die neben Büchern nicht auch noch Schlabberkaffee und Kekse verkauft? So eine, die ein Geheimnis hat oder zwei, mit verschrobenen, aber liebenswerten Buchhändlerinnen, die jede Zeile von dem gelesen haben, was sie verkaufen? So eine, in der man einen Roman spielen lassen könnte? Zoran Zivkovic, der große serbische Postmoderne, hat so eine erfunden. Und sie ist nicht ungefährlich, für die Kunden nicht und nicht für die Leser von Zoran Zivkovics als “Thriller” angekündigten Romans.

Link to the full review.

Earlier this year, The Last Book was published in the UK (PS Publishing). In 2009 it will also appear in South Korea.

Escher’s Loops Now Available

I am delighted to announce that my new novel, Escher’s Loops (click for excerpt), has just recently been released. Belgrade-based publisher Geopoetika has published the book both in Serbian and in English. As stated here, an English edition is also forthcoming from PS Publishing.

Once again Zivkovic demonstrates the sheer power of storytelling in this complex cycle of interlocking narratives. Like one of Escher’s drawings, the narrative threads lead one through a dizzying labyrinth of recurring themes, images and characters, all of whom are linked with elegant mathematical precision: God and suicide, food and poison, monks, athletes, soldiers and soccer players all take their places in the circle-dance. Absurdity, surreality and humour abound; death is the ultimate destiny, yet always the next story offers infinite ways of escape.

Geopoetika Serbian edition Geopoetika English edition

Please click each image to enlarge and reveal the full dustjacket.

Schreib-Lust on Hidden Camera

Hidden CameraJulia Gaß at German site Schreib-Lust reviews Hidden Camera:

Es geht um Liebe und Tod, die dem Helden immer wieder in Gestalt von Frauen in verschiedenen Altersstufen vor Augen geführt werden. Wie im Zeitraffer eines Films durchwandert der Bestattungsunternehmer sein Leben bzw. das, was sein Leben sein könnte.

Der Roman ist eine Parabel über das Leben und liest sich eher noch wie das Drehbuch zu einem Film, in dem es auch um Fremdbestimmung und die Absurdität des Alltags und von Fernsehsendungen geht. Skurril, aber spannend und höchst vergnüglich zu lesen.

Link to the full review.

Echoes of an Empty Mind on Steps Through the Mist

Steps Through the MistPushpak Karnick at Echoes of an Empty Mind reviews Steps Through the Mist:

As the novel glides from one dream to the next connected dream, we realize that the story is not just about dreams or fateful connections. A much darker (depending on how you look at it) subplot runs through the entire novel, focusing on a much drearier topic than idle dreams – Death. Zivkovic seems to suggest that death is also a dream (or waking up from a lifetime of dreaming?). Fate-Death-Life seem to be three forces that work as One. Death acts as the cause de transformation, turning animate into inanimate, and then something beyond. It need not be the end of life, it could also be the end of life-as-we-know-it, a process of rebirth that needs but the unfurling of wings, and flight into the heart of the Mist.

Link to the full review.