Author: Ivan Tokin [Ivan Tokkeen]
Book title: Pas [Pas] (The Dog)
Narrator: Jasna Radulović [Yassna Radulovich]
Duration: 3 hours and 2 minutes
No. of pages in black print: 170
Publisher: Laguna [Lagunar]
Place and year of publishing: Belgrade, 2024
About the book:
“The dog spoke. Tokin gave him a voice. Now we can hear his stories, and see every step he takes. The stories are dangerously good, and the Dog is truly good. Dogs don’t have surnames, but they do have nicknames. Enough said. Tokin’s Dog tells good stories. It would be good if a person sometimes tilted their head too, to change perspective the way a dog does when something is unclear. Through this book we get to know both the city and its people better. The Dog is a guide on four legs, slipping into every entrance, passage, hallway, and courtyard. He knows all the shortcuts, holes, corners, and traps. He goes where a person would never think to step. He knows the markets best of all – they are his territory. We believe everything Tokin’s Dog tells us, that he truly speaks and thinks in that urban city language and slang. He has convinced us. Every sentence is short, strong, dog-like – some are spoken through clenched teeth, others from the heart. This book helps us to come down, to look at things from a lower perspective, to see how much we miss while rushing after what is (un)important. The Dog feels all the mercy and cruelty of people; he has a soul scanner and reads a person at first glance. The saying goes: ‘Lies like a dog!’ But when has a dog ever lied? There is no need for that. The biggest lie is that dogs lie. They don’t add, they don’t embellish – everything is as it is. The Dog is honest. To the bone! That is how Tokin writes too, honestly and to the bone. Tokin has read dogs well. This is a good book. The Dog is good!”
Đuro Radosavović [Dyuro Radosavovich]