He jumped from his improvised bed and looked up. The sky parted in two as if it was endeavouring to mirror his life. Neither the sky nor his life was ever a compact piece of peace since he had known about his being. Miaow…miaow…miaow…miaow. Was he awake, or dreaming? In the heart of the resplendent Balkans, a land forged by relentless wars yet always welcoming those in need, a destitute wanderer finds solace. But this is not a tale that unfolds in ordinary fashion, for the human experience is a tapestry of contrasts. Within the pages of this extraordinary journey, a tapestry interwoven with melancholic humour and bittersweet poignancy, lie the unheard voices of characters yearning to be heard. As if borne upon the wings of a time-travelling vessel, traversing lands and ages, the enigmatic Atom Butterfly stumbles upon an unassuming soul named Sevda, whose presence unexpectedly illuminates his existence. And so, their story commences – a tale of reminiscence, where childhood revisited unveils the battles fought during times of scarcity, when satisfaction eluded their grasp, and yet resilience prevailed.
The author, Semra Samet Aloski, was born in Yugoslavia. The state that no longer exists. She regards herself as a vigorous traveller of the 20th and 21st centuries. Semra Samet Aloski is the author of one poetry work titled Quest which was published in her parent’s Turkish voice and later transcribed into Macedonian by Asude Abdul Koçan and published with the loyalty of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of North Macedonia in 2017. She is likewise the author of the fiction Australian Saga (2016) published in the Macedonian voice by “Almanah” publishing house from Skopje-North Macedonia. The narrative Australian Saga (Австралиска сага) 2017 got on the shortlist for the distinguished “Novel of the Year” award presented by the daily “Utrinski Vesnik” from Skopje. It was the first narrative penned by a writer of Turkish ethnicity in the Macedonian language. The literary world, which enabled Aloski to turn into a writer with interest by the literati and book lovers, heeled the novel. Semra Samet Aloski lives in Australia. This year, 2022, is the 30th anniversary of her citizenship and marriage. She still regrets not having over two children. But that’s how life goes in cycles. She is hoping to have many grandchildren from her adorable daughters.