"SCRABBLE WITH SLIVOVITZ" - a new book about the country that was called 'Yugoslavia'
Written and illustrated by Adam Yamey
Adam Yamey visited Yugoslavia frequently over a period of more than 20 years. He criss-crossed the country from the caves of Slovenia to the peaks of Mount Trebević in Bosnia, from the lake at Mljet to that in Ohrid, from the ramparts of Dubrovnik to those of Kalemegdan in Belgrade, from Marshal Tito’s birthplace in Kumrovec to Albania’s in Prizren. During his travels, he stood in the footsteps of Archduke Ferdinand’s assassin in Sarajevo and those of Emperor Diocletian in Split, ate Chinese food in Novi Sad and offal at Rtanj, and also played Scrabble with Yugoslavs all over Serbia.
In this profusely illustrated, idiosyncratic and affectionate trail of memories, the author describes the friendships that he made with Yugoslavs all over the country, and how these led to his deeper understanding of, and love for their country.
As the years passed, the author began noticing small things, which made little sense at the time, but later turned out to be portentous. These were early signs of the troubles that were to lead to the disintegration of Yugoslavia soon after the author's last visit to the country in 1990.
Join the author in the exploration of a country that history has forsaken.
"SCRABBLE WITH SLIVOVITZ" by Adam Yamey is not a simple tourist's travel memoirs. It is a trail of memories of a person who became intimately involved with the Yugoslav people and their lands.
The word '#Scrabble' in the title is just one symptom of this intimacy. Adam had a number of friends in Belgrade, with whom he used to play the English (US?) word game of 'Scrabble', often throughout the night whilst sipping slivovitz (#slivovica) or some similarly strong drink, endlessly.
The book begins by describing Yugoslavia's relative obscurity in the minds of the average British person. It ends by describing odd things that Adam noticed during his later visits. These presaged the onset of the troubles that were sadly to make Yugoslavia a household name in the 1990s. In between, the author takes the reader on an enlightening trip through a region of the #Balkans that deserves to be known for its good positive aspects - variety, beauty, and friendliness - rather than its unfavourable ones.
Adam has set up a website to promote the book. This includes a page with 4 excerpts: http://www.yugobook.com/#!excerpts/cz2q . Another couple of excerpts appear in my blog: http://yameyamey.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/into-arms-of-strangers.html
***** AVAILABLE ON AMAZON (Paperback & Kindle) *****
