March 2019 – books, bought and carried

Title: The Harvest of Chronos
Author: Mojca Kumerdej (translated by Rawley Grau)
Format: Paperback
Price: £10.99
Condition: New
When: February 15th, 2019
Where: Hatchard’s
Synopsis: In 16th century Habsburg Europe, the Counter Reformation is striding hard, even as the locals doubt their priests and cavort with wooden idols. Also in full swing – the persecution of women, or, excuse me, “witches”, those individuals unlucky enough to have managed to scratch out a half-decent life but who unfortunately suffer from that affliction known as “being female” and so must be punished for their efforts.
Why: I check the website for Istros Books periodically (they publish works in translation from the Balkans; I own a number of their books), and this was listed as one of their recent publications. The premise sounded intriguing.
Was I justified in buying it?: Yes, I’ve really been enjoying it. My description sounds a bit gloomy, but there’s a strong sense of humor in this book, as the author has a good sense for depicting grim stuff in a satirical tone. There’s absolutely something to be said for how direct she is about genuinely awful stuff that women habitually had to put up with in early modern times. The book opens with a young woman being beaten by her father for being pregnant out of wedlock, and the first chapter ends with a description of her as appearing like a general planning a successful campaign as she plots her vengeance, as well as her plan to ensure her unborn child and her younger siblings can grow up free of the abuse she’s suffered. It’s clear that she’s experienced a cruel existence, but its impossible to not feel optimistic at her plans to bend the patriarchal religious faith of her community to her will.

Title: My Cat Yugoslavia
Author: Pajtim Statovci (translated by David Hackston)
Format: Paperback
Price: £8.99
Condition: New
When: February 15th, 2019
Where: Waterstones
Synopsis: A repressed Kosovar in Scandinavia embarks on a return to his homeland and comes to accept his homosexuality thanks to having met a capricious talking cat. This could not be more Pushkin Press if it tried.
Why: It sounds a little twee, huh? But I’ve kept reading/hearing good things about it, and it combines stuff I like (queerness + the Balkans), so, why not? Also, Brexit is coming, and I suspect stuff from British publishers is going to be much trickier to get one’s hands on.
Was I justified in buying it?: It’s about a trickster god in cat form cajoling a refugee into accepting that he’s gay! Of course it was worth it!