Awards

• Winner of The Elias Canetti Prize 2019

Overview

High in the Accursed Mountains, in a village ruled by the ancient laws of the Kanun, Bekija escapes an arranged marriage by becoming a sworn virgin, renouncing her womanhood to live as a man. Her decision sets off a brutal chain of events, destroying her family and separating her from the one she loves the most. Years later, as Bekija - now Matija - tells their story to a visiting journalist, long-buried truths come to light, along with the realization of all that might have been.

Full Product Details

9781916806184

Table of Contents

Reviews

'She Who Remains reads like a dark fairy tale from a time when life was lived closer to the bone . . . Bold and visionary, Rene Karabash's novel unfurls a world of blood feuds and sworn virgins - women accepted into society as men - in a dreamlike narration that burns up the page with feverish urgency. Izidora Angel's translation from Bulgarian thrillingly captures the novel's dense tapestry of hypnotic language.' - Katrina Dodson 'Rene Karabash has composed an enigmatic and mesmerizing tale, one as lyrical, lucid and enchanting as a song. The rhythm of the sentences has the pulse of a dark and sparkling river, carrying the reader away. She Who Remains is a fever dream about breaking down archaic rituals and being haunted by them; a modern fairy tale written in blood and milk, spinning its spellbinding threads into a story of loss and longing, destiny and desire.' - Kirstine Reffstrup, author of Iron Lung 'Izidora Angel works magic with words [...] Rene Karabash's She Who Remains ensnares you into a contemporary world of ancient patriarchal law and guides you through its perilous territory on an intense journey of identity (trans)formation, family commitment, and love [...] it bridges genres and forms to tell the gripping story of two women, one Bulgarian and one Albanian, and the cultural and geographic barriers between them [...] there is joy and there is beauty in the texts Angel translates from Bulgarian, and above all - the promise of rebirth and salvation.' - Stiliana Milkova Rousseva, Reading in Translation

'She Who Remains reads like a dark fairy tale from a time when life was lived closer to the bone . . . Bold and visionary, Rene Karabash's novel unfurls a world of blood feuds and sworn virgins - women accepted into society as men - in a dreamlike narration that burns up the page with feverish urgency. Izidora Angel's translation from Bulgarian thrillingly captures the novel's dense tapestry of hypnotic language.' - Katrina Dodson 'Izidora Angel works magic with words [...] Rene Karabash’s She Who Remains ensnares you into a contemporary world of ancient patriarchal law and guides you through its perilous territory on an intense journey of identity (trans)formation, family commitment, and love [...] it bridges genres and forms to tell the gripping story of two women, one Bulgarian and one Albanian, and the cultural and geographic barriers between them [...] there is joy and there is beauty in the texts Angel translates from Bulgarian, and above all — the promise of rebirth and salvation.'  - Stiliana Milkova Rousseva, Reading in Translation

Author Information

Rene Karabash (b. Irena Ivanova) is a Bulgarian poet, writer, screenwriter, actor and playwright. She has won multiple awards for her work, including several Best Actress awards for her role in the film Godless. Her debut novel, She Who Remains, was awarded the 2019 Elias Canetti Prize, Bulgaria's most prestigious literary award. It has been translated into over a dozen languages, and a film, adapted by the author, is forthcoming. Karabash is also the author of the collection Omar's Letters to His Future Wife, and is working on her second novel.

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