OGNJEN SPAHIĆ
Montenegro
Ognjen Spahić (1977) is a Montenegrin writer. He studied philosophy and construction. He debuted with the collection of short stories "Sve to" in 2001. For the novel "Hansenova djeca" in 2005 he received the "Meša Selimović" award, and for the book "Puna glava radosti" the European Union Prize for Literature in 2014. In 2011 he received the "Ovid Festival Prize" in Romania. His story was included in the anthology "The Best European Prose 2011" published by "Dalki Archive Press" in the USA. In 2007 he was at the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. In 2018, according to his story, the director Branislav Milatovik made the short film "A Head Full of Joy" (Puna glava radosti) with Marko Baković and Slavko Štimac. His books have been translated into a dozen languages.
POD OBA SUNCA (UNDER THE TWO SUNS)
Translation: Vladimir Jankovski
Branimir Bato Lonchar, a former YPA captain, lives in a lighthouse on the Adriatic with his wife Danica. They were punished after Bato opposed the detention of prisoners of war from the Dubrovnik front at the Morinj camp near Boka Kotorska. They are also devastated by the personal tragedy they experience when Danica remains infertile after a failed pregnancy.
One summer, Nevena and Mitar, a middle-aged couple in crisis, will set up a tent in front of the lighthouse. A joint dinner will change everything in their lives.
Ognjen Spahić shows exceptional ability to create powerful, striking characters deeply colored by local history. "Pod oba sunca" is a novel about people in the shackles of their own decisions from which they can never get rid of, a novel about people whose states and feelings are often reflected in silence and are unspoken.