"In the spirit of Paul Theroux, Robert Isenberg takes us on an informative, spirited, and sometimes comic journey into the heart of the Balkans. You can’t finish this book without being moved by the landscape, the culture, and especially, the people Isenberg encounters along the way. With the skill of a master storyteller, he creates a narrative that’s hard to put down, and when you’re finished, you are closer to understanding this 'nervous string' of countries." —Sheryl St. Germain

Robert Isenberg is a freelance writer, playwright, photographer, stage performer, and documentary filmmaker. He is a past recipient of the Brickenridge Fellowship, McDowell Scholarship, Trespass Residency, and two Golden Quill Awards. He earned his MFA in Creative Writing from Chatham University, where he served as Whitford Fellow, the program’s highest honor. Originally from Vermont, he lived in Pittsburgh for 16 years. For two years he lived in Costa Rica, where he served as a staff writer for The Tico Times. He freelances widely and teaches for numerous institutions, including Arizona State University.