
Titles Published by the Croatian-American Publisher Sandorf Passage Nominated for Prestigious International Literary Awards
24/01/2025Sandorf Passage was founded in South Portland, Maine in 2020 by the Zagreb-based publisher Ivan Sršen and his American colleague, freelance literary editor Buzz Poole. Since then, Sandorf Passage has published twenty-five titles, primarily high-quality literature in translation. Fourteen of those translations are works by Croatian authors (including Robert Perišić, Nada Gašić, Monika Herceg, Ivana Bodrožić, Tatjana Gromača, and Bekim Sejranović).
In addition to Croatian literature, Sandorf Passage showcases outstanding works from the region, as well as notable titles of European and global literature, translated by some of the finest translators in the field. Their editions have received excellent critical reception in the US and the UK, including Robert Perišić's novel A Cat at the End of the World (Brod za Issu), Lejla Kalamujić's short story collection Call Me Esteban (Zovite me Esteban), and My Home Somewhere Else (Moj dom negdje drugdje) by the Italian author Federica Marzi.
Last week, two of Sandorf Passage's novels were longlisted for two significant English-language literary awards:
- The English translation of the Bulgarian literary classic The Case of Cem (Slučaj Džem) by Vera Mutafchieva, translated by the Booker International Prize-winner Angela Rodel, was among 10 works longlisted to the U.S.-based Republic of Consciousness Prize, dedicated exclusively to independent publishers.
- The English translation of the first contemporary Slovenian novel In Elvis's Room (U Elvisovoj sobi) by Sebastijan Pregelj, exploring the collapse of Yugoslavia, translated by Rawley Grau, was longlisted for the prestigious Dublin Literary Award. The winner will be announced in May 2025, and will receive a prize of €100,000. (/)
Both novels are published by Sandorf in Croatian translation (The Case of Cem, translated from Bulgarian by Ksenija Banović, and In Elvis’s Room, translated from Slovenian by Anita Peti-Stantić) and are available to Croatian readers.