Susan Southworth’s Latest Novel
Susan Southworth: Americans Don’t Know the Truth
“The Last Kosovo Serb Won’t Leave” by Susan Southworth. BookSurge Publishing, 144pp, ISBN 1419662635. Buy this book at Amazon
“As an American, I don’t think I should suggest any solutions for Kosovo province. This is your internal issue, and that is how it must be treated,” said Susan Southworth, author of the novel “The Last Kosovo Serb Won’t Leave” in an interview published in Sunday edition of Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti.
She is aware her approach is diametrically opposed to numerous American commentators who, according to Southworth, can’t be scraped off the TV screens where they keep explaining to the public their version of the conflict-development over southern Serbian province.
“These self-styled ‘Balkan experts’ don’t know the difference between Bosnia and Kosovo. They come up with conclusions like: they’ve been fighting over there for centuries and the only solution is to grant independence to Kosovo. Recently, you could hear on the national radio that Kosovo is ‘former Serbian province.’ The American professors and scholars who actually do understand the gist of the problem are never invited to TV studios,” Susan Southworth explained.
Well-Meaning American Whose Actions Contribute to Suffering
Author of the several books is the fifth generation of Minnesota Americans, with ancestors who came to the continent from Norway and Great Britain. She now lives in California.
The title of her latest short novel is the quotation from “an irritated and impatient Kosovo Albanian” and relates to the ethnic cleansing of Serbs from the Kosovo province. Subtitled “Balkan war novel,” the book narrative takes place during the first half of 1999, at the time of NATO aggression on Serbia. The story is situated in the town of Prizren in Kosovo-Metohija province and describes the ethnic cleansing of Serbs, Roma and other non-Albanians, through the prism of the main character, American Donald. Among other things, Donald is researching the Albanian national roots. He represents the United States — he wants to help the Albanians, he means well, but he seems unaware of the war and, even though he is not immoral, his actions are harmful and contribute to the suffering of Serbs and other non-Albanians in the province.
Mass Media Compounds the Problem with Cartoonish Simplifications
“I want to explain to the Americans to what extent the complex Kosovo situation is different from the simplified outlook they keep getting daily from the mass media. Novel is the best way to reach people. It’s incredible, but most Americans are unaware we were at war during those 78 days of bombardment of Serbia,” Soutworth said.
She believes art offers the most direct insight into nation’s ethos:
“University of Berkley library holds thousands of books and articles about Kosovo from around the world. I have read Serbian poetry, novels, stories, researched fresco images and Kosovo architecture. I have also read the Albanian poetry and prose. Art is the main gate which leads to the essence of national ethics.”