The Excursion. Nothing gets by the Squirrels. The Call.

Nejc Gazvoda’s stories are about a generation of 18-year-olds (the author himself was 19 at the time of first publication). Despite his youth, his book is a mature literary work, surprising in its inventiveness. The protagonists are weak and strong, they search for meaning in times of absurdity. They often retreat beyond, to the realm between the worlds of the living and the dead, itself a metaphor for the time between childhood and adulthood, abandonment and rejection. Through the local atmosphere, he offers an insight into different kinds of thinking, into fears and wishes, phobias and phantasms. Nejc Gazvoda (b.1985) is a writer and director, an author of short stories, three novels and a drama play. All three novels were shortlisted or long-listed for the award for best novel of the year. In media, he is often referred to as a leading writer of his generation. His debut, the short story collection Nothing Gets by the Squirrels , received the Fabula award for best short story collection in 2006 as well as the Golden Bird award. His short story, "The Excursion," was made into a feature film, A Trip, that was selected as the Slovenian entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards.