Assigned reading

• A Star Called Henry (The Last Roundup) — Roddy Doyle demystifies the Irish independence movement following the 1916 Easter Rising. The book touches on one of the fundamental issues of modern patriotism and nationalism: “corruption” is a term used to make the masses believe that there is also “honesty” and “national interest” in politics. This book is a great read, both for the way how it’s written and what messages it conveys.
• Gotz and Meyer — I read this book by David Albahari, an excellent Serbian novelist, a while ago, but it’s important to keep recommending it. Belgrade was the first Judenfrei city in Europe and Albahari “tricks” the reader into telling the story of Nazi executioners.