The book I’m reading now, Microcosms by Claudio Magris. I’m traveling in China while falling in love with a book about the tiny and strange borderlands between Croatia (Istria) and Italy. Microcosms may not be as good as Danube, Magris’ masterpiece, but it might be more charming, and more moving. Danube deals with Mitteleuropa as he calls it, the entire area that the sinewy river covers, whereas Microcosms deals with the writer’s homeland, its territories, histories, literature, its people, and the stories that formed him. Magris has the ability make the bit part players of these forgotten lands sparkle off the page; he’s able to breathe life into Jason and Medea, as well as an Istrian fisherman who was able to evade conscription from Mussolini’s fascists and Tito’s communists.
Input your search keywords and press Enter.
The Rumpus needs your help. We need to raise $25,000 $3,100 to fill our funding gap for 2024.
Our home base is Asheville, NC and Hurricane Helene severely impacted our ability to host events, launch new initiatives, and caused other significant financial setbacks this fall.
Can you support us at any level by Dec. 31? Every dollar counts and is a sign that our readers collectively value creative labor and independent publishing.
Sign up for the weekly Rumpus
Once a week, we'll send you a roundup of what's new on the magazine, invites to upcoming events, open calls for submissions, and more!