Olja Knežević: Catherine the Great and the Small

Translated novel of Montenegrin female author Olja Knežević. The novel takes us through turbulent times in the Balkan region, from the eighties to the present day, portraying growing up in the twilight of Tito's Yugoslavia, and giving intimate insights into all that happened to the region after that. Catherine's trajectory in life is accompanied by failures in love, family traumas and an incredible romance with the handsome Siniša. Carefully crafted characters and masterful, dynamic storytelling place Catherine the Great and the Small in the company of the very best novels, which speak about the reality of their geographic setting and are remembered for their convincing, strong, maladjusted characters. Catherine is certainly one of them: a powerful female voice seeking her place within her family, among friends, in the cities she lives in, and constructing her unique identity as a daughter, granddaughter, friend, mistress, wife and mother. Translated by Paula Gordon & Ellen Elias-Bursac.