Cat at the End of the World

A runaway slave, a wandering spirit, and an Egyptian cat intertwine in this lyrical exploration of power, freedom, and the building of civilizations.

In Robert Perišić's A Cat At the End of the World, a nameless slave escapes ancient Syracuse, finding an unlikely companion in Miu, an Egyptian cat. Their journey intersects with the Scatterwind, a spirit adrift through time, witnessing the rise and fall of empires. From the sun-drenched shores of ancient Issa to the heart of colonial ambition, Perišić, translated by Vesna Maric, weaves a tale of human-animal bonds, historical fiction, and philosophical depth.

Is it possible to build a new world free from the shadows of the old? As Kalia and Miu navigate the complexities of freedom, they confront questions of power, identity, and the enduring search for belonging. Perfect for readers seeking literary historical fiction with a touch of the mystical, this novel invites you to ponder the forces that shape our lives and the unexpected connections that define us. Will they find solace in their newfound freedom, or will the weight of history prove too heavy to bear?

Vesna Maric was born in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, in 1976 and left at sixteen as part of a convoy of refugees. She went on to work for the BBC World Service and now writes Lonely Planet travel guides, translates literary fiction and non-fiction from Croatian into English, and writes a variety of journalism for publications including The Guardian. Maric's memoir, Bluebird, was published by Granta in 2009, and was longlisted for The Orwell Prize; her first novel, The President Shop, was published by Sandorf Passage in 2021.

Robert Perisic was born in Split, Croatia, in 1969. His most widely translated works are the novels Nas covjek na terenu, (Our Man in Iraq) and Podrucje bez signala (No-Signal Area), both of which have received international critical acclaim in numerous prestige media outlets, including The New Yorker, The New York Times, NPR’s All Things Considered, and The Guardian.