Black Butterflies: SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE 2023

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Amidst so much death and destruction, it's very moving how the novel presents art as not just a frivolous respite but an essential testament. Zora became famed for her paintings of bridges not only as a symbol which connects people to each other but as magnificent objects. The story traces how her attitude toward her art and its practice are changed by larger events. While she continues to teach her remaining students, she takes a neighbour girl under her tutelage and they create pictures with what materials are available. This relationship and the desire for people to still experience beauty comes to feel so precious especially as the assault reaches the city's most sacred landmarks and the meaning of the novel's title becomes clear. A community art show which might seem quaint in other circumstances here feels like a last string of humanity which people desperately cling to and it becomes a poignant celebration. I went to Bosnia, Croatia and Montenegro on holidays in May 2006, accidentally stumbling on an independence referendum in the latter, when it seceded from Serbia. Gunshots and fireworks broke out in the capital Podgerica in jubilant scenes that I will never forget.

Zora, of course! I’d love to talk and walk along the seashore with her, hearing about how all the other moments of the siege that I haven’t imagined were, and how it’s been for her afterwards. She’s a dear friend. I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection! Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.” The author’s note clarifies which two persons' experiences she combined and adapted into this story. That lends a lot of validity to what would otherwise have seemed as fictional events improbable in real life.The number of fictionalised stories or historical accounts of siege is many and longstanding. From Troy to Stalingrad, and Ukraine, the subject is endlessly interesting and horrifying. The reader cannot help but be transported to the setting and to put yourself in that situation. The book is marked as literary fiction but it is more of a commercial historical fiction. This didn’t make any difference to me this time but to those who expect a book to cater to its advertised genre, this could be a minor problem. Arriving on the tiny picturesque island of Korčula, Antonia feels a spark of hope for the first time in a long time. This is a chance to leave the past behind. There are many situations in the book that will show you a side of war you have hardly ever seen in fiction. Some scenes create a claustrophobic feeling; others are way too disquieting. The story hits hard on your emotions. The writing enhances the impact. Sample this line written by Zora in a letter: “We're all refugees now. We spend our days waiting for water, for bread, for humanitarian handouts: beggars in our own city.” The course has benefitted me enormously. I wanted to write more chapters of my book and this course has made that happen.

Excellent course as an introduction to creative writing. Learning how to critique others’ work was a huge benefit to me. Content Consideration: If you are negatively affected by the coverage of conditions in Ukraine, you might need to know that some content in this book is similar. Minchin, who is a broadcaster and writer, said the books on the list were “ambitious and hard-hitting and imaginative, and they take you on an emotional journey that I feel moved by and inspired by”.The course has opened my eyes to a completely different style of writing. I always aim with my copywriting work to be concise and to the point but have now learned about showing through the senses. Thank you, Priscilla! This book will be published on the 30th anniversary of the Siege of Sarajevo. It’s an informative novel allowing readers to develop compassion for refugees and those who seek asylum today.