A Small Press Book We Love: Provisionally Yours by Antanas Sileika
Small presses have had a rough year, but as the literary world continues to conglomerate, we at Literary Hub think they’re more important than ever. Which is why, every (work) day in March—which just so happens to be National Small Press Month—a Lit Hub staff member will be recommending a small press book that they love.
The only rule of this game is that there are no rules, except that the books we recommend must have been published, at some time, and in some place, by a small press. What does it mean to be a small press? Unfortunately there is no exact definition or cutoff. All of the presses mentioned here are considered to be small presses by the recommending editors, and for our purposes, that’s going to be good enough. All of the books mentioned here are considered to be great by the recommending editors, too. If one intrigues you, consider picking it up at your local bookstore, or ordering through Bookshop.org, or even directly from the publisher.
Today, we’re recommending:
Provisionally Yours by Antanas Sileika
published by Biblioasis (2019)
Set during the interwar period, Provisionally Yours is a charming, acerbic comedy of manners about a scrappy diplomat attempting to stave off the Soviet Union’s vast ambitions while establishing the fledgling Lithuanian nation’s state department. Of particular note: several scenes in which horseradish plays an important role (one wonders if the current administration might benefit from a clearing of the sinuses).
I’m a huge fan of books set in interstitial areas, border zones, and other places that challenge the notion of borders over time, which this novel delivers in spades. I’m also struck by the unique experience of reading a book about building a new state’s bureaucracy while we witness our own state unraveling. Biblioasis consistently delivers some of the most layered and entertaining literary explorations around, and I encourage everyone to check out not just this title but their entire oeuvre.
–Molly Odintz, CrimeReads Managing Editor
