John the Baptist by Miro Gavran

Translated from the Croatian by Laura Gudim

• Rijeka City Library / Gradska Knjiznica,Rijeka, Croatia

John the Baptist is set at the beginning of the first century of the new era, in the area of Galilee and Judaea, and partly in ancient Rome, in a time of stormy political and religious turmoil. The main heroes are the young men Elisha and Bileam, and the fateful Salome. Their lives, in different ways, will change fundamentally when they meet John the Baptist. This is a novel rich in fable and steeped in powerful emotions, passions and rapture.

Miro Gavran was born in 1961. He is the author of six novels, a book of short stories and thirty-three dramas. His works have been translated into seventeen languages. His novel The Forgotten Son was included on the IBBY Honour List 2002 in Basle, Switzerland. He was awarded the Central European Time International Literary Award. He lives in Zagreb, Croatia.