Josip Novakovich was a Man Booker International finalist. His latest book is Shopping for a Better Country, a collection of essays. He is the author of the novel April Fool's Day and three story collections (Infidelities: Stories of War and Lust, Yolk, and Salvation and Other Disasters). He has also written two collections of narrative essays, Plum Brandy: Croatian Journeys and Apricots from Chernobyl. His work was anthologized in Best American Poetry, Pushcart Prize, and O. Henry Prize Stories. He has received the Whiting Writer’s Award, Guggenheim Fellowship, and two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships.