In my books, fictional characters allowed me to understand what was. A finalist for the national book critics circle awardaleksandar hemons lives begin in sarajevo, where boyhood is consumed by street soccer and sibling rival. In the book of my life, the author recounts professor nikola koljevic, who introduced him to the world that could be conquered by reading, and. The first nonfiction booksearing, revealing, unforgettablefrom one of our most acclaimed writers. The book of my lives quotes showing of 31 projecting yourself until everything is talking about you is, of course, a selfflattering form of selfpity. In his essay my prisoner, hemon tells bozovics story of life in sarajevo during the siege. The same can be said of the other essays in the collection. The book of my lives by aleksandar hemon overdrive. Aleksandar hemon, as his books title implies, has a surfeit. The book of my lives kindle edition by hemon, aleksandar. The book of my lives, hemon s first book of nonfiction, defies convention and expectation.
After producing four acclaimed works of fiction, aleksandar hemon has come out with his first collection of nonfiction, the book of my lives its the perfect title. The book of my lives aleksandar hemon national library. The book of my lives by aleksandar hemon, paperback barnes. The book of my lives is a series of personal essays that form a loose sort of memoir reflecting the various lives hemon s lived up until now.
And like the best narratives, it is a book that will leave you a different reader a different person, with a new way of looking at the world. The book of my lives by aleksandar hemon, 9781447210917, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Hemon s work crackles with so much humor and irony, so much compassion and humanity, that the book of my lives true calling almost goes by unnoticed. Aleksandar hemon returns with a memoir, divided chicago tribune. Aleksandar hemons lives begin in sarajevo, a small, blissful. Mar 25, 20 aleksandar hemons the book of my lives is a series of mostly chronological autobiographical essays, beginning with his youth in sarajevo and moving on through his life as an adult in chicago. The book of my lives is the first book of nonfiction by the bosnianamerican novelist aleksandar hemon. Mar 21, 20 the book of my lives aleksandar hemon picador, 224pp. But the trick of the book is how hemon makes them add up to something if not a life, exactly, then a life in collage. The book of my lives is a thoughtfully humorous and profoundly sad memoir cumcollection of essays that explores hemons first life, growing. Aleksandar hemon has populated both his fiction nowhere man, the lazarus project and nonfiction the book of my lives with stories and characters from his native bosnia.
You should read aleksandar hemons memoir for the same reason you should read his fiction. Hemon discussed displacement, visiting sarajevo now, the purpose of art and more. Hemon s novel the making of zombie wars was released in 2015. Hemon also wrote the memoirs the book of my lives 20 and my parents.
When you finish my parents, you flip the book over and start this does not belong to you, a separate collection of isolated memories, musings and anecdotes. Hemon recounts, in the book of my life, how his university literature professor, nikola koljevic, a brilliant proponent of ahistorical new criticism, allied himself with the genocidal serbian. The book of my lives, by aleksandar hemon, tells of one mans journey from sarajevo to chicago. The final essay tells of his young daughters brain tumor and untimely death. Having written the first chapter of what she called the book of my life, koljevics fiveyearold daughter was waiting for more life to accumulate before tackling chapter 2. Bozovics my prisoner appears only in this enhanced ebook. Feb 27, 2014 buy the book of my lives main market by hemon, aleksandar isbn.
A finalist for the national book critics circle awardaleksandar hemon s lives begin in sarajevo. His account revolves around one particular incident in the middle of the war when bozovic was offered the chance to visit his father in the pow campthough not, of course, without an onerous quid pro quo. In the first instance the child in question is the fouryearold hemon s newborn sister, kristina. Aleksandar hemon is the author of, most recently, the making of zombie wars.
At the age of twentyseven, hemon journeyed from sarajevo to chicago. The book of my lives is hemons first dedicated work of nonfiction, an intermittently interesting collection of memories based on his life growing. Novelist aleksandar hemons first book of nonfiction in english, the book of my lives, begins and ends with an infant girl. Aleksandar hemon reads the book of my life april 2, 20. In his first book of nonfiction, hemon takes what might otherwise seem a group of random. The book of my lives by aleksandar hemon pan macmillan. Finding beauty in sarajevos scars march 19, 20 aleksandar hemons first book of nonfiction, the book of my lives, is a collection of essays about a shifting.
On march 2, 1908, nineteenyearold lazarus averbuch, an eastern european jewish immigrant, was shot to death on the doorstep of the chicago chief of police and cast as a wouldbe anarchist assassin. The book of my lives, by aleksandar hemon the irish times. Novelist aleksandar hemon s first book of nonfiction in english, the book of my lives, begins and ends with an infant girl. There is a feeling of reticence hanging over this collection, which is composed of revised articles and essays published. Mar 15, 20 aleksandar hemon writes the story of his lives sarajevo and chicago are the poles at each end of hemon s new collection, the book of my lives. Aleksandar hemons lives begin in sarajevo, where boyhood is consumed by street soccer and sibling rivalry, and a young mans life is about american music. Aleksandar hemons first book of nonfiction is as complex and entertaining as his novels and short stories. The kind of truth hemon strives for in the book of my life is a personal truth, the truth as he needs to understand it. Aleksandar hemon returns with a memoir, divided chicago. Do not sell my personal information the new yorker may earn a portion of sales from products that are. The book of my lives is a thoughtfully humorous and profoundly sad memoircumcollection of essays that explores hemons first life, growing.
In the acknowledgements to the book of my lives, his first volume of nonfiction, hemon writes, i write fiction because i cannot not do it, but i have to be pressed into writing nonfiction. Perfect because hemon s life has been almost surgically split in two by politics and genocide. Having written the first chapter of what she called the book of my life. Mar 29, 20 given that biography figures so largely into his two novels and two story collections, one might wonder whats left for hemon s fifth work, the book of my lives, a collection of biographical essays. In the first instance the child in question is the fouryearold hemons newborn sister, kristina. This is a booklike all of aleksandar hemons booksthat is an aria for our times. The book of my lives by aleksandar hemon world literature today. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the book of my lives. He is not only a remarkably talented writer but also one of the great social observers, a cultural anthropologist who seems at home everywhere and nowhere and. Yes, it can refer to wars and genocide, but also to lifes daily inconveniences. Reviewer ben percy says these stories, which balance despair with hope and anger with humor, slashed through his defenses. The book of my lives aleksandar hemon national library of. Aleksandar hemon, as his book s title implies, has a surfeit.
In fact it is a collection of mostly previously published short pieces on a range of topics life under communist rule, early struggles to. The book of my lives by aleksandar hermon finding beauty in sarajevos scars aleksandar hemon s first book of nonfiction, the book of my lives, is a collection of essays about a. Its title comes from an essay on hemons esteemed literature professor, nikola. Jun 11, 2019 in bosnian, the word katastrofa has an expansive meaning, at least in hemons family. Aleksandar hemon reads the book of my life pen america.
Hemons new book, the book of my lives, collects nonfiction pieces about his upbringing in sarajevo and his life in america. Mentions that koljevic helped to deliberately burn a library in sarajevo. Aleksandar hemon writes the story of his lives book. Mar 15, 20 hemon recounts, in the book of my life, how his university literature professor, nikola koljevic, a brilliant proponent of ahistorical new criticism, allied himself with the genocidal serbian. Feb 27, 2014 a deft, playful, poignant and powerful look at the novelists life, in yugoslavia and new york best books of 20 sunday times literary badass aleksandar hemon. Hemons first nonfiction book, the book of my lives, was released in 20. Hemons essay appears in the picador paperback and ebook editions of the book of my lives. The book of my lives is a thoughtfully humorous and profoundly sad memoircumcollection of essays that explores hemons first life, growing up in the lively cultural atmosphere of sarajevo before the onset of the war in bosnia, and his second. Aleksandar hemon, bosnian american writer known for his short stories and novels that explore issues of exile, identity, and home through characters drawn from hemons own experience as an immigrant.
Hemons novel the making of zombie wars was released in 2015. Aleksandar hemon reads the title piece from his latest book, the book of my lives, at mcnally jackson on march 29, 20. And yet this is not really a memoir hemon s first book of nonfiction defies convention and expectation. The result is a unique and extraordinary literary and artistic experience. This is a book like all of aleksandar hemon s books that is an aria for our. Hemon s first nonfiction book, the book of my lives, was released in 20. Apr 14, 20 the book of my lives is a thoughtfully humorous and profoundly sad memoircumcollection of essays that explores hemon s first life, growing up in the lively cultural atmosphere of sarajevo before. Its a collection of nonfiction pieces about hemons. He published his second work of nonfiction, my parents. The book of my lives is hemon s first dedicated work of nonfiction, an intermittently interesting collection of memories based on his life growing up in bosnia, his move to chicago in his 20s. Finding beauty in sarajevos scars march 19, 20 aleksandar hemon s first book of nonfiction, the book of my lives, is a collection of essays about a shifting. The book of my lives is a series of personal essays that form a loose sort of memoir reflecting the various lives hemons lived up until now.
Mar 28, 20 i defy anyone to make such an argument after reading aleksandar hemons the book of my lives. Jun 12, 2019 aleksandar hemon has populated both his fiction nowhere man, the lazarus project and nonfiction the book of my lives with stories and characters from his native bosnia. For fans of hemon s fiction, the book of my lives is simply indispensable. Hemon s fictional creation and almost alter ego jozef pronek, who appears in his first book of stories, the question of bruno 2000, and is the protagonist of his first novel, nowhere. Mar 19, 20 a book of personal essays from the author of the lazarus project. There, he watched from afar as war broke out in bosnia, his parents and sister fleeing, and hemon himself unable to return. Aleksandar hemon writes the story of his lives sarajevo and chicago are the poles at each end of hemon s new collection, the book of my lives. The book of my lives is worth it simply for the dedication. Bosnian child, bohemian layabout, socialist shitdisturber, american immigrant, husband, father, artist.
A deft, playful, poignant and powerful look at the novelists life, in yugoslavia and new york best books of 20 sunday times literary badass aleksandar hemon. The book of my lives is hemons first dedicated work of nonfiction, an intermittently interesting collection of memories based on his life growing up in bosnia, his move to chicago in his 20s. The book of my lives, hemons first book of nonfiction, defies convention and expectation. His decision to provide his version of a table of contents at the end of the book, and to title it table of discontents, is a play on words that reveals a. March 19, 20 aleksandar hemons first book of nonfiction, the book of my lives, is a collection of essays about a shifting sense of home and displacement.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Hemon here riffs on that idea while evoking both his divided selves and their presence in his metafictional texts. This is a book like all of aleksandar hemon s books that is an aria for our times. Aleksandar hemons first book of nonfiction, the book of my lives, is a collection of essays about a shifting sense of home and displacement.
The book of my lives by aleksandar hemon goodreads. Listen to hemon in conversation with colum mccann here. The book of my lives kindle edition by aleksandar hemon. Mar 19, 20 the book of my lives ebook written by aleksandar hemon. The book of my lives offers fragments of a writers life. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The book of my lives, by aleksandar hemon telegraph. The book of my lives is his first work of nonfiction. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the book of my lives. It is a book driven by passions but built on fierce intelligence, devastating experience, and sharp insight. In this special ebook edition, both versions of my prisoner are presented together.
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