Puste želje: Sedam novela

Empty Desires is one of the best collections of short stories by Milan Begović, published in the war year of 1942. In seven stories, Begović shows the peak of his storytelling skills – a combination of refined psychology, elegance of style and subtle irony.

The collection is titled after the fundamental theme that connects all the stories: unfulfilled, “empty” human desires. The characters are mostly sensitive, dreamy people who build their own illusions about love, happiness, social success or a better life, only to be confronted with stark reality in the end. Begović never judges them, but rather presents them with understanding and mild irony, often with mild fantastic or symbolic elements.

The collection includes the short stories: The Barren Woman, Siberian Squirrel Fur, The Last Visit, Parabola, Jane, Lela Will Also Wear a Cape and Luka Laktaš.

Stylistically, Begović is at his peak here – the language is rich, precise and fluent, and the stories are at once melancholic, humorous and deeply human. The collection is considered one of Begović's most successful prose works, along with The Quartet, and many critics rank it among the best Croatian collections of short stories of the 20th century.

The 1942 edition is today an antiquarian rarity and sought after among collectors of Croatian literature. It represents the mature period of Begović's work and an excellent insight into his literary world – refined, somewhat cynical, but always sympathetic to human weaknesses and longings.