A literary gathering on the “Literature of the Former Yugoslavia” was held at the Bialik House in Tel Aviv on Thursday 13 February 2020.

Serbian ambassador to Israel, Milutin Stanojevic, opened the event with an address, followed by well-known speakers from the Hebrew world of literature and translation: Dina Katan Ben-Zion, Riki Daskal, Raphael Vago, Tsipi Levin Biron and Hava Pinhas Cohen.

Excerpts were read from Dina Katan’s translation of Vasko Popa’s “Truth Sings in the Darkness” and Frederik Finzi’s “Of Station and Traveller”. Music was provided by Marina Tosic (singing and guitar) and Jakob Miron, clarinet.

The evening was sponsored by Keren Koh and so well-attended that guests were obliged to stand. The little remaining space was taken up by a wide-ranging book exhibition, including Gordana Kuic’s trilogy: “The Scent of Rain in the Balkans”, “The Blossom of Linden in the Balkans”, and “Twilight in the Balkans”, to which reference was made in the course of the evening.

Gordana Kuic's three novels

Translator of "The Scent of Rain in the Balkans", "Twilight in Balkans" and "The Blossom of Linden in the Balkans" in Hebrew, Ms. Dina Katan Ben Zion and publisher Mr. Carmel

The International Belgrade Book Fair, 2019. Signing the new book "A Novel in Stories".

"A Novel in Stories" is soon to be published by the Belgrade Publishing House "Vulkan". The four love stories describe four centuries of Serbian history.

Institute Cervantes, Belgrade, June 5, 2019
Round-table discussion on the topic of Jewish-Sephardic themes in literature
Participants: authors Antonio Iturbe and Gordana Kuić, and mediator Porf. Dr. Ivana Vučina

In Januray 2019 Carmel Publishing from Jerusalem published "The Twilight in the Balkans" in the Hebrew translation by Dina Katan Benzion.

BELGRADE BOOK FAIR, October 2018

In mid October 2018, the Belgrade Publishing House "Vulkan" released the tetralogy entitled "THE MAGICAL WORLDS OF GORDANA KUIĆ" that encompasses her four novels: "Ghosts Over the Balkans", "The Legend of Luna Levi", "The Fairy Tale of Benjamin Baruch" and "The Ballad About Bohoreta".

In July 2018 the novel "Twilight in the Balkans" was published in Italian by Bollati Boringhieri from Torino, Italy.

In March 2018, "The Blossom of Linden in the Balkans" will be published in German by Holitzer Piblishing House in Vienna, Austria.

Three novels, "The Scent of Rain in the Balkans", "Blossom of Linden in the Balkans" and "Twilight in the Balkans" now published in one volume by "Vulkan" for the Belgrade Book Fair 2017.

Three novels, "The Scent of Rain in the Balkans", "Blossom of Linden in the Balkans" and "Twilight in the Balkans" now published in one volume by "Vulkan" for the Belgrade Book Fair 2017.

"Blossom of Linden in the Balkans" translated into Hebrew by Dina Katan BenZion has been published in Jerusalem by Carmel Publishing.

In September 2016 Bollati Boringhieri from Torino published the novel "Blossom of Linden in the Balkans" in Italian ("Fiori di Tiglio nei Balcani").

BOOK PROMOTION AT THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF GRAZ.
AUDIENCE CONSISTED OF PROFESSORS AND STUDENTS OF THE DEPARTMENT.

Promotion of the novel "The Legend of Luna Levi" translated into German by Mirjana Wittman, published by
The publishing house Hollitzer Wissenschaftsverlag from Vienna, 06. 2016 godine.

“The Legend of Luna Levi” was translated into German by Mirjana Wittman and published by Hollitzer in Vienna, Austria, 2016.

The publishing house "Volcano" released "A Novel in Pictures".

"A Novel in Pictures" by Gordana Kuić.

Following two superb books of short stories, Gordana Kuić’s eighth novel returns to the hub of her particular universe. The river that was a wellspring thirty years ago flows again, raising many of the queries and passions of her captivating opus to re-explore them in depth, with all their potent images of a vital co-existence that respects differences and nurtures the fundamental human values.

Her tale this time centres on the lives of Jews and Roma in Bitola (Macedonia) and Belgrade. If the story were not firmly situated in the late 1930s, the reader could sit back and enjoy the multiplicity of true-to-life characters, the sparkling dialogue and colourful profusion of language, custom, experience and various mentalities. However, over this primal energy of national, family and individual life looms the dark cloud of the Holocaust.

It was the Holocaust that declared the non-existence of God to many of its innocent victims, but also the truth of the existence of the Righteous among the Nations, those individuals who in saving a persecuted fellow human at risk to their own lives, save the world and restore faltering faith in humanity.

Deftly interweaving the drama of her characters, whose lives and deaths are at the mercy of an avalanche of organised evil opposed only by the heroism of individuals determined to resist it, Gordana Kuić’s vision is a compelling balance between good and evil, dark and light, absurdity and commonsense. She reminds me of Imre Kertész, Varlam Shalamov, Solzhenityzn, writers who have borne witness to the darkest passages of human history but in such a way that critics have rightly noted the „reaches of happiness“ in their work.

Ljiljana ŠOP

Promotion of the novel, "The Scent of Rain in the Balkans" translated into German and published by Hollizer Publishing House was held at the Jewish Museum in Vienna on May 21, 2015 with great success. Some seventy people attended it and it lasted for more than two hours.

"The Scent of Rain in the Balkans" has been published in spanish by "Editorial funambulista" Publishing House from Madrid, Spain.

A veces llueve en Sarajevo
Antonio Costa Gómez
Miércoles 2 de marzo de 2016

El olor de la lluvia en los Balcanes (Editorial Funambulista, 2015) es una novela extraordinaria, una elegía o una balada, la historia de la madre y las tías de la autora, las hermanas Salom, en la Sarajevo de entreguerras. Nina pone una tienda de sombreros, una “butica de chapeus”, Klara se casa con un donjuán pero éste la abandona en París y ella se refugia en un pueblecito de Croacia, Buka escribe cuentos y leyendas en sefardita. Riki es una bailarina fantástica y bohemia pero acaba mal de los huesos y entonces pone una tienda de sombreros en Belgrado que se llama La Parisiense, Blanki (la madre de Gordana Kuic) se enfrenta a los prejuicios y toca sutilmente a Chopin.

Todas conservan su vitalidad inexpresable por encima de brutalidades y fanatismos, y el olor de la lluvia las libera. Tienen nostalgia de España, el país de los orígenes, de donde los echaron unos reyes implacables, y cuidan el recuerdo de esa tierra, conservan el español del siglo XV, sueñan al escuchar las guitarras, porque esas son sus señas de identidad, y muestran que la vida se desarrolla como el musgo a pesar de las exclusiones, a pesar de que gentes idiotas culpabilicen a razas enteras.

Gordana Kuić ve cómo en las pequeñas emociones, en las vivencias, en las sensaciones, en el olor de la lluvia, sobrevive la vida más irreductible. Y el arte supera los inmovilismos y esquematismos, Riki encuentra esa vida en las sorpresas de su baile. La vivencia es superior a las elucubraciones intelectuales, el novio de Riki le suelta discursos filosóficos pero ella quiere vivir y sentir. Y en las historias está la magia que no está en las ideologías rígidas. La novela presenta la cultura sefardita y unas personalidades sefarditas con mucha más garra y lucidez que pudieran hacerlo estudios y conceptos. Y el ansia de vivir de unas mujeres aprisionadas en el dominio de los hombres: Blanki tiene condiciones para aprender pero la familia gasta dinero inútil en pagar los estudios de su hermano, que es un vago.

Como dice Paloma Díaz Mas, hay muchos niveles de lectura en esta novela, pero sobre todo nos muestra como pocas lo que es literatura: hacer vivir a la gente y alumbrarle los secretos de su vida, sobre todo los momentos más sutiles que son los más valiosos. La novela ha de sacudir a la gente y hacerle ver que está viva y valorar otras formas de vida tan valiosas como la suya. En ese sentido El olor de la lluvia en los Balcanes produce un deslumbramiento.

El estilo es sencillo y accesible, pero está lleno de sutilezas, de comparaciones ágiles, de gracia expresiva. Y toma la gracia, el espíritu vital, de unas personas únicas. Y nos muestra cómo hay cosas en la vida que nadie puede enjaular, que nos liberan y nos hacen vivir. Son como un refugio contra las ideologías metálicas. Por ejemplo, el olor de la lluvia.

"The Sent of Rain in the Balkans" has been published in Italian language by
Bollati Boringhieri Publishing House in Torino, Italy.

"Vulkan" Publishing House from Belgrade has published the novel "The Legend of Luna Levi" in English translated by Mary Thompson- Popović.

"The Blossom od Linden in the Balkans" is being translated into Hebrew by Dina Katan Ben Zion.

Hollitzer Wissenschaftsverlag from Vienna has publshed the novel "The Scent of Rain in the Balkans" in German. The novel was translated by Blažena Radaš.

Mrs. Dunja Badnjević has translated "The Scent of Rain in the Balkans" into Italian for the Publishing House Bollati Boringhieri Editgore in Torino.

Goran Gallarza has translated into Spanish the novel "The Scent of Rain in the Balkans" for the Publishing House Funambulista Editorial in Madrid.

"The Legend of Luna Levi" is being translated into German by Mirjana Wittman.

"The Scent of Rain in the Balkans" is being translated into German and Spanish.

"The Scent of Rain in the Balkans" was published in Polish by Pogranicze Publishing in March 20l3.

"The Scent of Rain in the Balkans" soon in Hebrew, published by Carmel Publishing from Jerusalem.

Dear Gordana,

I just finished reading your book, The Smell of Rain in the Balkans, in Hebrew.

I have no words to tell you how much I enjoyed the book. It is so well-written, well-translated, and gives such a moving picture about the Jews during the war in Sarajevo and Belograd. I brought a copy of the book to my best friend here in New York, and have recommended it to all my friends in Tel Aviv. I also watched the material you sent Svetlana from the television program, which I think is extraordinary. I wish it were here in New York so we could watch it. Thank you for creating this magnificent piece of work. Congratulations and a very happy holiday.

Best regards,

Raquel Ramati

“The Scent of Rain in the Balkans” was translated into Macedonian language and published by Toper in Skopje, 2011.

"On the Other Side of the Night"
Published by "ALNARI", Belgrade, Serbia

Literary critic Ljiljana Sop about Gordana Kuic’s new collection of stories entitled “On the Other Side of the Night”

The many readers of “Remnants” will welcome Gordana Kuić’s latest collection “On the Other Side of the Night” as the natural continuation of the peculiar magic she weaves to seduce us.

Here are seventeen new stories from this contemporary Balkan Scherazade, so varied in content that the only common denominators are the author’s keen imagination, her acute observation of people and life, her sense of history and trust in the written traces of human transience. They follow the logic of the hearts and minds of a range of characters in various countries, times and life-changing situations, and the author’s own. Kuić’s refined sensitivity is coupled with an uncompromising attitude towards the basic values of our civilisation. However the challenges and spirit of the times may change, their measure remains the individual, whose actions, words and example are of vital importance, if not for the future of the world, then at least for the future of our own descendants.
So why “On the Other Side of the Night”? Simply, because on the other side of night lies day: light, faith, hope and optimistic beginnings. However, in the belief that I spy a deeper meaning cocooned in most of the stories which certainly exude optimism, humour and a captivating lightness, I would still say that on the other side lies night, the night of eternal re-examination of the soul.

Photos from recording TV series on the novel THE SCENT OF RAIN IN THE BALKANS

Gallery