THE BOOK OF BLAM

by Aleksandar Tima ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1998

Originally published in 1972 to high praise throughout Europe, this is a superior example of the (often overpraised) Serbian novelist's brooding studies of the aftereffects of European culture in extremis. It's really an extended kaddish performed by protagonist Miroslav Blam, a survivor of the 1942 Hungarian massacre of the Jews and Serbs of Novi Sad (in what was then Yugoslavia). But Blam's unending lament is given great color and immediacy, because the ""lives"" of those (such as his parents) who died continue as vivid presences in the imaginary life he has defensively superimposed over his own waning days. A heartfelt work that haunts by virtue of its very simplicity--and probably Tima's masterpiece.

Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1998

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 240

Publisher: Harcourt Brace

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1998

Categories: FICTION