Rivers of Babylon by Pist'anek, Peter (2007) Hardcover

Peter Pišt'anek’s reputation is assured by Rivers of Babylon and by its hero, the most mesmerizing character of Slovak literature, Rácz, an idiot of genius, a psychopathic gangster. Rácz and Rivers of Babylon tell the story of a Central Europe, where criminals, intellectuals and ex-secret policemen have infiltrated a new ‘democracy’. Slovaks see Peter Pišt'anek as their most flamboyant and fearless writer, stripping the nation of its myths and false self-esteem. The novel has been translated by Peter Petro of British Columbia University, in collaboration with the author . William Boyd (The Guardian): an astonishing find… fuelled with formidable energy and ice-cool satire. It displays a fierce black humour that is both ruthless and exhilarating.Tibor Fischer (The Telegraph): the best fiction I've read on the ‘wild west’ periodJohnny le Falbe (Literary Review): fast and very funny… translation is excellent