The Minister

There is nothing easy about being the Minister of Culture of Montenegro—but the next nine days for Valentin Kovacevic will be especially difficult. During an artist’s performance, he has accidentally killed her, and now, if he hopes to preserve both his position and his sanity, he must navigate the murky corridors of government bureaucracy, cultural expectations, and relentless family pressures.

The Minister, winner of the 2020 European Union Prize for Literature, is a darkly satirical political noir that exposes the harsh realities behind democratic “transitions.” It reveals how the promises of reform can empower corrupt politicians and criminal networks, fuel nationalism, and wipe out the middle class. Sharp, unsettling, and bitingly relevant, it is a portrait of a society where truth is slippery, power is dangerous, and survival demands moral compromise.