Brat od leda
A hybrid novel by a Catalan writer about an autistic brother, polar expeditions and her own existential insecurity. An intimate story about family, art and survival in an unpredictable world.
Brother of Ice (2015) is the debut novel by Catalan writer and visual artist Alicia Kopf, published in Croatian in a translation by Nikola Vuletić. The novel is a hybrid, collage prose – a combination of fictional diary, research notes, travelogues and personal reflections.
The main character, a young artist and professor, tries to understand her life through stories about polar explorers (Amundsen, Scott, Shackleton, etc.). The metaphor of ice and polar wasteland serves as a powerful symbol of emotional distance, isolation and the unknown.
At the center of the story is her autistic brother, who lives in his own world – brother of ice – but the author emphasizes that life and feelings are teeming beneath this cold. The book intertwines family intimacy, everyday struggles, artistic creativity and the existential insecurity of a young woman in the modern world.
Kopf writes lucidly, poetically and intellectually, without pathos, but with deep emotional power. The novel has won awards in Catalonia and Spain and has been praised as a fresh, innovative voice in contemporary European literature. In Croatia, it quickly became noticeable among readers who love hybrid forms and introspective prose.
An extremely powerful, moving and intellectually stimulating book about love, diversity and the search for meaning.
One copy is available
