(The Island)
“One of our Czech tips is a new book by Bianca Bellová called ‘The Island’.”
— Radio Wave
About the Book
Original Title | Ostrov |
First Published | 2022 |
Publisher | Host, Brno |
Pages | 184 |
Rights Sold
Italy | Miraggi – Turin |
Bulgaria | Izida – Sofia |
The aged merchant Izar returns after some time to the Island, ruled by Princess Núrit. He once had an affair with her. No wonder, he has the most luxurious goods and she is beautiful and proud. But he has problems: a nasty addiction to alcohol, drugs and sex. And to self-deception. In real life, Nurit is as poor as a church mouse. But she cleverly masks all these weaknesses from those around her. She keeps them at bay with fiction, a kind of dark magic, a raw fairy tale. She likes fairy tales. And Izar is a storyteller almost as skilled as Scheherazade. Nevertheless Núrit sends Izar out on a perilous journey to save her empire.
The novel The Island hides secrets and mysteries, loyalty and betrayal, desire and laudanum. The two unheroic heroes, Izar and the Núrit, engage in various mischiefs – he tells her stories as old as the world, she devours them like a child. And as far as children go, we have the shit-boy, poor and lonely due to his stinking job, quiet and humble, yet struggling against fate and the prejudices of the other Islanders.
“Bianca Bellová can evoke an atmosphere through sensory perception, to capture the pinkish color of skin on a frosty ride on horseback and the grayish skin afflicted with plague spots. In passages like these the author’s precise style stands out, and the reader naturally perceives the power of words and their skilful use.”
— Hospodářské noviny
“‘The Island’ is one of those books that you read multiple times and find something new each time.”
— iLiteratura
“‘The Island’ is a very brave, well-read and extremely sensitive novel. Once again, Bianca Bellová has succeeded in writing an excellent book.”
— Novinky
Translations
Островът
Izida, Sofia, 2023
Translated by Denitsa Prodanova
L’isola
Miraggi, Turin, 2024
Translated by Laura Angeloni