The Artisan – Love in the Time of Horror
Young Timo faces enormous challenges during WWII and beyond, in search of peace and survival. Under unusual circumstances, he finds respect and appreciation from the local German villagers for his artisanship, warmth, and kindness. In this isolated patch of Hitler's Germany, he discovers music and the heavenly soprano voice of the local schoolteacher, Hanna Gottfried. Feelings of mutual admiration flourish and develop into a beautiful love in the time of horror between two courageous human beings. The testimony of twelve Serbian WWII P.O.W.’s sparked this powerful story of Timo, the young master carpenter whose hunger for life makes him a traitor to his countrymen. Yet his art and his love combine to transform him into an honored hero, in this elegant tale of defiance, courage, and sacrifice.
The Artisan received Royal Palm Literary Award for the second-best historical novel of 2016.
The story is a fictionalized record of situations Serbs found themselves in during World War II, and homage to their bravery and sacrifice, and an ode to the power of love. It also expresses both the author's and the editor's hope that the novel will make the Balkans seem a little less foreign to us all in the United States of America.
Reviews: "It's a truly moving book. Excellent work." Writers Digest, USA "An astonishing profile of humanity." Our World, RS "A modest justice to the brilliance of the book." Mary Cogdon, New Hampshire Library, UK "An inspiring and unforgettable tale of love, fate, and honor." Holley Gautier, Edgewood Voice
About Gene Luke (Orlando, Florida Author)
AUTHOR GENE LUKE is of Serbian origin. Born and raised in former Yugoslavia, he acquired the love of literature from reading and studying the European Classics. At fourteen, his first literary achievements were published in the Middle School Journal, and at nineteen several of his poems were published by the University Press, the LitMag for young poets, and the Yugoslav Army Newspaper. In 1999 his first book, Chronicles of the Milwaukee Serbs was published by the Heritage Press in both Serbian and English. The book of short stories about the Serbian immigrants in America, Promasena Vremena (The Land of Opportunity) was published by JR Publishing House in 2002 in the Republic of Serbia and in 2004 PROSVETA Publishing House published his first novel, Tima Tishler. Author Gene Luke wrote the above works in the Serbo-Croatian language. The Award-Winning historical novel, The Artisan, is the author’s first book written in the English language and published in 2016. The second novel, volume 1 of the trilogy Pilgrim of Fate, was published in 2018. Gene Luke lives in Florida and continues to write new stories in both languages.
