Montenegro

Catherine the Great and the Small by Olja Knežević was originally written in Croatian and translated into English by Paula Gordon and Ellen Elias-Bursać. I read the 2020 paperback edition published by Istros Books.

Istros is an independent publisher of books from Central and South-East Europe and this is the first of their publications that I have read. I doubt it will be the last! Getting to know Montenegro through this novel and the history of the country through the protagonist's experiences was great. A very likeable character, meeting Katarina as a child and later, as an adult, was a pleasure. Her relationships expressed so much about Montenegro's culture, about being a girl and a woman there, her friendships, familial relationships and interactions with me but I won't elaborate more, I won't spoil this story for you.