(Reviewed by JD Jung)
“We aren’t criminals! We are authors whose works your children will study in Serbian language classes one day. We are the architects of some of the most refined literary achievements ever committed to the Serbian tongue. We are the True Creators, those who stand against servile mediocrity in the face of humiliation…”
Writer, songwriter, and founder of the True Creators, Vojislav “Voja” Po?u?a is declaring war on the “liberal literary establishment”. The club is an association of only four Novi Sad (Serbia) artists who claim they are patriots fighting political correctness and mediocrity in the arts. Actually, they just can’t take any criticism of their work.
When human rights activist, Nataša Žarkovi?, runs over a corrupt security-intelligence agent, Voja, full of self-importance, thinks that he was the target. So, what happened to the culprit, Žarkovi?? That’s a whole story in itself, aided by Detective Milona Šo?ki?, the “Eliot Ness of Novi Sad”. You’ll learn all about that. Meanwhile Voja and his cohorts get into more trouble.
The Club of True Creators takes us on a wild, satirical ride through Novi Sad, and the Serbian countryside. The characters are eccentric and quirky, keeping the reader in stiches. Yes, the story and especially the ending is far-fetched, but if you’re aching for some laughs in these troubling times, this story may be just the diversion you’ve been looking for.
