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Jasmin B. Frelih studied comparative literature, literary theory and history at the University of Ljubljana. His published works include a short story collection (Tiny Ideologies) and a book of essays (Pale Freedom). His debut novel In/Half was published in 2013 to great critical acclaim, receiving the best literary debut award at the annual Slovenian Book Fair as well as the EU Prize for Literature. In/Half was also shortlisted for the Kresnik Award, and translation rights have been sold to more than ten territories. He lives in Slovenia. Jason Blake was born, raised and educated for the most part in Toronto, before moving to Slovenia where he now teaches in the English Department at the University of Ljubljana. His translations from German and Slovenian have appeared in Dalkey Archive Press's Best European Fiction. He works closely with Slovenia's annual Vilenica International Literary Festival, the Litterae Slovenicae series, and the Slovene Writers' Association. His book Slovenia: Culture Smart! was published by Kuperard in 2010.
'Appealing and intriguing.' * <i>Complete Review</i> * 'Mature, structurally varied, rich in content and stylistically accomplished... Frelih's first novel offers a decisive, yet unobtrusive sense of engagement, prompted by the recognition that the world of the third millennium is out of joint and the awareness of how hard it is to pinpoint that first, unequivocal mistake which sent humanity down a blind alley. We are haunted by a state of inevitability and searching for shelter - compassion - which does not come. Frelih doesn't beautify the world, he just sets it square in his sight, sharpens it, dissecting the patterns of evil within it.' * <i>Pogledi</i> * 'Frelih writes with a mature style, covering a wide range of themes linked to contemporary society, emphasising the grotesque and the fabular in an almost Kafka-esque style. The tone is by turns poetic, satirical, ironic and apocalyptic, finally moving towards surreal chaos. It is this style that makes Frelih's novel exceptional.' * iLiteratura.cz * 'In/Half is an overwhelming vision of the future...and shows an exceptional writer at work.' * <i>De Standaard</i> * 'Three worlds, each with their distinct atmosphere, ranging from highly technological to the domestic, bring into being different languages that do not lack the feeling of alienation or nascent activism. Frelih sovereignly handles this second order of speech, his alienation is charged less by the librarian style of the erudite part of metafiction than with the density and intensity of poetic speech, in place of authorial narration we are submerged in fragments that, with their forcefulness, shine through and reflect the fates of individuals.' * EU Prize for Literature Jury * 'A dizzying reading experience... Like a breakneck surf session that keeps you glued to the screen until the early hours...with an unusually addictive mix of styles, tones, perspectives and meaning.' * <i>Bruzz</i> * 'One of the biggest emerging literary talents in Central and Eastern Europe.' * European Union Prize for Literature News * 'A novel that repays careful reading for some brilliant set-pieces, for its believably flawed characters, and for its bone-dry, even cynical, wit.' * <i>SFX</i> * 'Sustains its ghostly, ethereal tone and will be appreciated by readers looking for a mind-bending puzzle.' * <i>Publishers Weekly</i> * 'The blend of technologies old and new results in a uniquely speculative and philosophical novel.' * <i>Words Without Borders</i> * 'A topical narrative with delightfully experimental stylization... In/Half has established Frelih as one of Slovenia's rising literary stars.' * <i>World Literature Today</i>, Nota Bene *
