Saša Stanišić

Where You Come From

A playful, autobiographical book about flight, a grandmother and the question of what home is.

💡 Did you know? It even ends with a choose-your-own-path section.

Bosnia

The Yugoslav war drove his family into exile in 1992.

💡 Did you know? Stanišić writes in German, his second language, with great verbal wit.

How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone

Through a child’s eyes the novel tells of the war in Višegrad and the flight.

💡 Did you know? The debut alone was translated into more than 30 languages.

Before the Feast

One night in a village in the Uckermark, told by the whole community.

💡 Did you know? With it Stanišić showed he had long since „arrived“ in Germany too.

Hamburg

There he writes and champions literature.

💡 Did you know? After a childhood in Bosnia, Germany became his adopted home.

Peter Handke

He sharply criticised Handke for playing down Serbian war crimes.

💡 Did you know? As a war refugee from Bosnia, Stanišić spoke from his own experience.

for children

So Stanišić writes not only demanding novels but also for the youngest readers.

💡 Did you know? His verbal wit goes down especially well with children.

Wordplay and imagination

Even grave subjects like war and flight he leavens with lightness.

💡 Did you know? This blend made him one of the most distinctive voices of his generation.

Saša Stanišić