Adnan’s book is a collection of stories and essays inspired from his personal experiences as a Bosnian refugee uprooted from his homeland and forced to settle into a new life in Sweden. He documents with powerful fiction and non-fiction his psychological struggles to come to terms with both the horrors of war and life on the refugee road.
About one year ago, Szirine Magazine received from Adnan an unpolished story titled “The Smell.” Recognizing the tremendous power and beauty of this story, Szirine’s editor-in-chief worked closely with Adnan to polish it. Szirine Magazine then encouraged Adnan to publish “The Smell” as part of a larger collection of his stories and essays. [Refuge]e is the amazing result. This collaboration represents what Szirine Magazine has to offer to non-native English writers: a third space where Szirine Magazine's editors actively collaborate with the author to bring the powerful voice of other cultures into the English speaking world.