Notes on a War-Torn Childhood (Electric Literature's Recommended Reading)

4.1/5 ( ratings)

"Nović’s stories are sharp, dark, full of urgency and rich with the comedy of despair," writes author Justin Taylor in his introduction to this issue of Electric Literature's Recommended Reading. "What follows is a vivid and bracing tale of survival, as Nović shows us the terrible swiftness with which normal life can be obliterated: a city becomes a hellscape, a child is forced to join a war: 'Every morning we bike the wreckage formerly known as streets, each with one eye to the ground, pinpointing Četnik strongholds and reporting coordinates back to the Captain. […] They call me Red Sonja, which is a reference to a movie I’ve never seen, but one which they assure me is badass.'
"Badass, indeed. Sara Nović’s is a powerful, original, and compelling new voice; one that I hope and expect will be with us for a long time, and which it is my privilege to recommend to you today."

Author's Bio:
Sara has lived in the States and Croatia and lives now in New York City. She studied fiction and literary translation in the MFA at Columbia University, where she is currently a teaching fellow instructing a human rights-themed essay writing course. Her work has appeared in the Minnesota Review, LA Review of Books, Blunderbuss, and Circumference. She is also the founding editor of the Deaf rights and education blog Redeafined. She is at work on her first novel, which will be published by Random House in 2015.

About the Guest Editor:
Justin Taylor is the author of The Gospel of Anarchy and Everything Here Is the Best Thing Ever. His next book, Flings, is forthcoming from Harper Collins in July 2014. He teaches at Columbia University, N.Y.U., and the Pratt Institute. He lives in Brooklyn, NY and at http://www.justindtaylor.net.

About the Publisher:
Electric Literature is an independent publisher working to ensure that literature remains a vibrant presence in popular culture. Electric Literature’s weekly fiction magazine, Recommended Reading, invites established authors, indie presses, and literary magazines to recommended great fiction. Once a month we feature our own recommendation of original, previously unpublished fiction, accompanied by a Single Sentence Animation. Single Sentence Animations are creative collaborations: the author chooses a favorite sentence and we commission an artist to interpret it. Stay connected with us through email, Facebook, and Twitter, and find previous Electric Literature picks in the Recommended Reading archives.