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 »  Home  »  Culture And Arts  »  Igor Ilić's first novel F*ckin' Foreigner available on Amazon
Igor Ilić's first novel F*ckin' Foreigner available on Amazon
By Nenad N. Bach | Published  05/14/2012 | Culture And Arts | Unrated
Adventure, optimism, courage and suspense are the words that describe best this piece of literature.

Igor Ilić in Zagreb, Croatia

 
Istinita priča: Hrvat u Americi u potrazi za boljim životom

U knjizi se opisuje koliko je truda i snalažljivosti uloženo, kako bi se uopće dobila viza i stiglo „preko bare“, a kasnije i opstalo tamo pritisnuto svakodnevnim problemima na koje se nailazi u potrazi za poslom i boljom zaradom. Također veliki, a možda i najveći problem je život „na crno“ kao i dobivanje dokumenata. Nepoznavanje jezika predstavlja novi problem koji sa svim prije navedenim jako otežava život. No, vjera u Boga i u sebe, kao i vječni optimizam, vodi autora romana prema zacrtanom cilju, iako na tome putu nailazi na velike, nekom nepremostive prepreke. Ne osvrčući se unatrag, nastavlja dalje, često pada, ali se nanovo diže i još čvršće grabi naprijed. Avanturistički, optismistično, hrabro i neizvjesno riječi su koje najbolje opisuju ovo djelo.

Pritisnut dugovima i besposlicom, kao i radom za malu plaću, te nepravdom na svakom koraku u Hrvatskoj, tridesetjednogodišnji junak ovoga romana odlučuje otići u Kaliforniju na rok od šest mjeseci. Što mu se dešava na putu, gdje se smješta, živi i radi, pročitajte u ovom interesantnom, čitkom, tečnom i uzbudljivom romanu, koji vas neće ostaviti ravnodušnim. Različitost i usporedbe s novim podnebljem i drugačiji mentalitet često puta su mu kočnica i zapreka. Kako se snalazi, sporazumijeva i uči jezik, trudi u pronalaženju posla, ljubi i zaljubljuje, otkrit će vam ovo jednostavno, istinito štivo.

Knjiga je pisana na pomalo duhovit, ali realističan način i na temelju istinitih događaja i činjenica, a govori o dijelu autorova života u emigraciji i načinu snalaženja i prilagodbe novome svijetu i okolini. Namijenjena je širokom krugu čitatelja od običnog malog čovjeka do školovanih ljudi, koji su iz različitih razloga morali odseliti iz matične domovine. Najčešći razlog za to ipak je potraga za zaradom i boljim životom, koji Amerika kao obećana zemlja pruža više od stotinu godina došljacima iz cijelog svijeta. Tako je i sa Hrvatima kojima autor ovog romana i sam pripada.

Preuzmi besplatno poglavlje.
 
True story: A Croat in America in search for a better life

The book describes how much effort and resourcefulness had been invested into obtaining a visa and getting over „the big pond“, and later into survival under the pressure of everyday problems encountered on the lookout for a job and better earnings. A big, maybe even the most considerable problem is illegal life as well as obtaining documents. Language incompetence is a new problem that, on top of everything, makes life very difficult. But faith in God and in himself, as well as his ever-present optimism lead the author of the novel towards his defined goal, in spite of big obstacles on his way that someone else might have considered unsurmountable. He keeps going without looking back, often falling but rising again, pressing forward with even more determination. Adventure, optimism, courage and suspense are the words that describe best this piece of literature.

Pressured by debt problems and unemployed, working for poor salary, victim of injustice at every step in Croatia, the thirty-one year old hero of this novel decides to go to California for a period of six months. Read about his journey, accommodation, life and work in this interesting, readable, easy flowing and exciting novel that will not leave you indifferent. Differences and comparisons with the new surroundings and different mentality often inhibit him and put obstacles in his way. This simple and true story will tell you how he copes, how he communicates and learns the new language, how he manages to find jobs, how he makes love and falls in love.

The book has been written in a witty, yet realistic manner. It is based on true events and facts about a period of author's life in emigration, on his way of coping and adjusting to a new world and new surroundings. It is aimed at a broad circle of readers, from small common man to educated men who had to leave their homeland for different reasons. The main reason for emigration is a quest for better earnings and better life that America, as a promised land, has been offering for more than a century to newcomers from all over the world. Many Croats, one of them being the author of this novel, have also found better life in America.


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ForeWord Clarion Kritika

Iako se Igor Ilić  naziva "jebeni stranac" samo jednom u svojim memoarima života hrvatskog iseljenika u Kaliforniji, naslov manje govori o toj uvredi već je više opis kako je Ilić proveo najveći dio svog vremena u Americi. Knjiga je ponekad bolna i dubokoumna. U prvim poglavljima, Ilić nudi intrigantan pogled u kulturu hrvatskih iseljenika (pravnu i drugu) koji su također došli u Ameriku s namjerom da ostanu tek dovoljno dugo da bi sakupili nešto novca, ali koji su postali "žrtve života u Kaliforniji" i "vjerojatno se nikada više neće vratiti" u svoju domovinu. Autorov prikaz pripadnika hrvatske emigracije u Kaliforniji i kako osigurati sustav podrške za svoje sunarodnjake, je uvjerljivi i samilostan, kao i nadahnjujući. Iako nedostatak pauzi čitanje čini teškim s vremena na vrijeme, postoji mnogo vrijednosti koje se mogu naći u tim stranicama “na juriš”. Ilić odaje dojam da, iako neke od njegovih izabranica imaju svoje nedostatke, da su sve te žene lijepe i željne zadovoljiti svog  hrvatskog ljubavnika. Autorovi su grafički opisi njegovih seksualnih osvajanja  žarki i hvalisavi, Ilić je očito uživao u seksualnoj turneji po zapadnoj obali u svojim živahnim avanturama. Teme, stil i poštenje koje pokazuje u knjizi Fuckin 'Foreigner mogle bi biti vrijedan dodatak usmenoj povijesti i proučavanju stvarnog života u hrvatskoj imigrantskoj zajednici u Kaliforniji.


 
ForeWord Clarion Review

Although Igor Ilic is called a "fuckin' foreigner" only once in his memoir of a Croatian immigrant's life in California, the title is less about that insult than it is a description of how Ilic spent most of his time in America. The book is at times poignant and insightful. In early chapters, Ilic offers an intriguing look into the culture of Croatian immigrants (legal and otherwise) who also came to America with the intent to stay just long enough to make some money, but who became "taken over by life in California" and "probably will never go back" to their native land. The author's portrayal of members of the Croatian expatriate community in California and how they provide a support system for their fellow countrymen is believable and compassionate, as well as inspiring. Although the lack of paragraph breaks makes for difficult reading at times, there is much of value to be found in those run-on pages. Ilic gives the impression that while a few of his conquests have their imperfections, all of these women are beautiful and eager to satisfy their Croatian lover. The author's graphic descriptions of his sexual conquests are both lurid and boastful. Ilic obviously enjoyed his sexual tour of the West Coast on his lusty adventures. The themes, style, and honesty he shows in the book Fuckin' Foreigner could be a valuable addition to the oral history and study of what life is really like in the Croatian immigrant community in California.


 
About the Author

The author, Igor Ilic, was born on June 24th, 1970 in Zagreb, Croatia, where he attended primary school and graduated from high school. He enrolled at the Police College in Zagreb to study Criminology, but the whirlwind of war prevented him from continuing his studies. Enlisting as a volunteer he participated in the Homeland War for the independence of the Republic of Croatia from 1991 to 1994. This ex member of Special forces "Alpha" had several jobs in his homeland, but in 2001 his adventurous and entrepreneur spirit led him to the USA in search of new challenges and a better life.



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