Dictionary of the Khazars: A Lexicon Novel in 100,000 Words [B1547]

1988 HCDJ Knoph Male edition (which differs from the female edition in only one crucial paragraph), an English translation of the 1984 Serbo-Croatian original. Dictionary is the imaginary book of knowledge of the Khazars, a people who flourished somewhere beyond Transylvania between the seventh and ninth centuries. Eschewing conventional narrative and plot, this lexicon novel combines the dictionaries of the world's three major religions with entries that leap between past and future, featuring three unruly wise men, a book printed in poison ink, suicide by mirrors, a chimerical princess, a sect of priests who can infiltrate one's dreams, romances between the living and the dead, and much more. "No chronology will be observed here, nor is one necessary. Hence each reader will put together the book for himself, as in a game of dominoes or cards, and, as with a mirror, he will get out of this dictionary as much as he puts into it - for you cannot get more out of the truth than what you put into it."-Milorad Pavic. "Dictionary of the Khazars" rivals Umberto Eco's 'The Name of the Rose' in wit, invention and intellect and exceeds it in sheer whodunit intricacy".-Douglas Seibold, Chicago Tribune. "As with Borges, or Garcia Marquez... Pavić knows how to support his textual legerdemain with superb portrait miniatures and entrancing anecdotes"-Michael Dirda, Washington Post.

From recent MIXED Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Deep, smart, and overflowing with stunning imagery. Magical realism with extra magic. An incredible book. Apparently it has no plot, but I loved the plot. The author suggests maybe it has no meaning, but I loved the meaning I found within it. Blurbs and reviews will lead you to believe this is just witty, quirky and humorous, but this book will give you goosebumps at its depth."; "Crazy sh*t. I'll come back to it someday."; "A book as wonderful as the world and the stories this author was able to put down on paper. A dream translated into words. A pocket-sized dream journey open to different interpretations. Absolutely recommended."; "An absolute waste of time. 90% of this book is actual nonsense and not even humorous or interesting nonsense."; "Seldom do I finish reading a book and wish that there was more to read, but that happened with this one. It's a hoot. It's written like the work of a historian, but it's hilarious and filled with all kinds of wonderful stories about people who did crazy things. And man, can Pavic write. It seems like every sentence has at least one memorable and precise metaphor or simile. A terrific work of magical realism."