No-Signal Area

Oleg and Nikola-hustlers, entrepreneurs, ambassadors of capitalism-have come to the town of N to build an obsolete turbine, never mind why. Enlisting the help of former engineer Sobotka, they reopen the old turbine factory, preaching the gospel of "self-organization" and bringing new life to the depressed post-communist town. But as the project spins out of control, Oleg and Nikola find themselves increasingly entangled with the locals, for whom this return to past prosperity brings bitter reckonings and reunions. At once a savage sendup of our current political moment and a rueful elegy for what might have been, this sprawling novel blends tragedy and comedy in its portrayal of ordinary people wondering where it all went wrong, and whether it could have gone any other way.

ROBERT PERISIC has published award-winning nonfiction, fiction, poetry and criticism in his native Croatia. He began writing short stories in the 1990s with a clear anti-war sentiment, during the days following the devastating war that tore apart the former Yugoslavia, and is now considered to be one of the most important writers and literary critics in the region. When first published in 2008, Our Man in Iraq spent eight weeks at the top of Croatia's bestseller list and won the prestigious Jutarnji List award. He currently lives in Zagreb. The book is translated by ELLEN ELIAS-BURSAC and ALEX HOYT.