Milorad Pavić (1929–2009) was a Serbian (Yugoslav) poet and writer, a prominent figure of postmodernism and magical realism.
“Dictionary of the Khazars” is one of the most unusual works of contemporary world literature, transcending traditional linear narrative and approaching the structure of electronic hypertext. Milorad Pavić called “Dictionary of the Khazars” a survival manual. This “lexicon novel” consists of three cross-referenced, mythologized histories that often contradict one another. Each is based on one of the main Abrahamic religions: Christianity, Islam, or Judaism. Crushed between these millstones is the fate of a people, shattered into tiny fragments. From these shards, thousands of different plots can be constructed, and the reader is invited to do just that—to “assemble the book themselves, as if playing dominoes or cards, and receive from this dictionary, as from a mirror, as much as they put into it, because from the truth… one cannot receive more than one has invested.” Thus, this book can also serve as a guide to self-discovery—or simply as an exquisite and witty game of meanings.
The novel exists in two versions, male and female, differing by only one paragraph (this edition presents the male version).
Author: Milorad Pavić
Translation: Larisa Savelyeva
Pages: 352 (offset). Hardcover, dust jacket
Dimensions: 206x131x23 mm
