“Bugenvila koju sam početkom devedesetih posadila s ocem već dugo
je ono najljepše na kući. Mama je obožava i ponosi se njome.
Pretpostavljamo da se žila probila do nekog izvora hrane i vode, možda
kanalizacije pa je izrasla tako velika i prekrasna. Purpurni cvjetovi
pojavili bi se s početkom ljeta, na tisuće njih, i sve do zime davali bi
raskoš meni dragoj, ali nimalo raskošnoj i objektivno ne baš prelijepoj ulici
koja se zove kako se zove, iako u njoj nema murtile ni zelenila
osim u pokojem pitaru. Bugenvila je obgrlila čitavu kuću svojim dramatičnim bokorima,
pa kuća kamena i bijela sa zelenim škurama,izgleda kao dom nekih sretnih ljudi
bez problema. Ali, mi i jesmo bile ti ljudi, samo s problemima. Sretni
ljudi s problemima, pomislila sam da je to moguće, taj tren.”
Ljeta s Marijom, Fraktura, 2022.
Singer In The Night
is an outstanding example of contemporary European writing. A complex construction for a confusing time. This is a novel which prompts the realisation that much of what we remember is formed from the residue of our mistakes. Regrets are an inescapable part of our memories. Yet we don’t want to stop remembering.
Dublin Review of Books
This book is entertaining and thought-provoking at the same time, stimulating and enjoyable to read and to discuss. We recommend it especially because Olja Savičević’s style is unique, fresh and innovative, young but mature in talent, and it is rendered brilliantly into English by Celia Hawkesworth.
Inpress Books
Read more about this fantastic book on our blog
Part road trip, part social comment, part metaphor and part love story, above all this is an exploration of memory, with some fittingly memorable twists along the way. It is not Nightingale that Clementine is moving towards on this turbulent journey, but her past, her memories, and herself. This reflection on the fragility of memory – both personal and historical – is a poignant, innovative and politically engaged book that deserves attention.