Muharem Bazdulj

An intriguing collection of essays/stories by the Bosnian writer, with echoes of Kiš, Kundera and Borges. All of the pieces evince a stong and idiosyncratic intellect at play, although not all are equally convincing. The story Tears in Turin has some disconcertingly clunky shifts in narrative focus, but is saved by a strong ending. The Hot Sun’s Golden Circle might be intriguing to readers unfamiliar with the story of the pharoah Amenhotep IV, but otherwise has little to offer. The best pieces here (which, to my mind, are A Twilight Encounter and Fiat Iustitia), however, have a genuinely Borgesian density to them…… (mere)