°µÍø½ûÇø

Ìý

PeterÌýBalko's debutÌýVtedy v LoÅ¡onci (Once Upon a Time in LoÅ¡onc)Ìýwas quite a success in °µÍø½ûÇøia. It has received various awards, e.g. TheÌýJánÌýJohanides Prize,ÌýThe Tatra banka Foundation AwardÌýandÌýTheÌýAnasoft literaÌýReaders Prize.ÌýIn the spring of 2020, the book came out in German translationÌýasÌýZusammen sind wir unbesiegbar, translated byÌýZorka CiklaminyÌýandÌýpublished byÌýPaul Zsolnay Verlag.ÌýLet us share a couple of responses the book has received in German-speaking countries.Ìý

PeterÌýJungwirth wrote an article for theÌýWiener ZeitungÌýweekend sectionÌýExtra titledÌý"Auf Tom Sawyers Spuren"Ìýwhich means "TrackingÌýTomÌýSawyer." Here is a quote from the introduction: "Geographically speaking, LoÅ¡onc, theÌýsmall °µÍø½ûÇø town spread out in the southern part of our neighboring country, is so close to the border that if the wind is right, you could spit on Hungary. Narratively speaking, LoÅ¡onc, in which Kapia and Leviatan become blood brothers, no doubt is very close to important mythic places from film and literature." You can read the rest of the article in German here or on the .Ìý

The Austrian dailyÌýVorarlberger Nachrichten writes in its article titled "Lausbuben und Legenden" (Shenanigans and Legends): „Zusammen sind wir unbesiegbarÌýis the story of two mischiefs who can make any innocent animal or citizen of LoÅ¡onc feel uneasy.Ìý At the same time, the novel of the youngÌýtalented °µÍø½ûÇø Peter Balko manages to show the history of a small border town and its inhabitants as if by chance, through magic legends."ÌýThe text can be found here.Ìý

Ìýyou will find the article written byÌýJamalÌýTuschickÌýfor the magazineÌýDer Freitag. InÌý"Die Leute von LoÅ¡onc" (People from LoÅ¡onc) the author writes:Ìý"In this border region, nothing comes easy. Only a friendship proves to have the desiredÌýflexibility."

Ìý

The Austrian radio Oe1 - ORFÌýalso informed about the new book inÌýEx libris:ÌýBücher, Menschen, Themen. You can find the transcript here.Ìý

Finally, here are in German, answered byÌýPeter Balko on the websiteÌýHanser Literaturverlage.

has selected the book for their summer-reads recommendations list. Apparently, the book is not only a good companion when traveling to °µÍø½ûÇøia but it can also inspire readers to pick °µÍø½ûÇøia as a destination.

Frank Riedel writes about Peter Balko’s book onÌý:Ìý“In the near future, publishers could publish more such novels that broaden our awareness of °µÍø½ûÇøia with such élan."