"The Attic" is Danilo Ki's first novel. Written in 1960, published in 1962, and set in contemporary Belgrade, it explores the relationship of a young man, known only as Orpheus, to the art of writing; it also tracks his relationship with a colorful cast of characters with nicknames such as...

"The Attic" is Danilo Ki's first novel. Written in 1960, published in 1962, and set in contemporary Belgrade, it explores the relationship of a young man, known only as Orpheus, to the art of writing; it also tracks his relationship with a colorful cast of characters with nicknames such as Eurydice, Mary Magdalene, Tam-Tam, and Billy Wise Ass.

Rich with references to music, painting, philosophy, and gastronomy, this bohemian "Bildungsroman" is a laboratory of technique and style for the young Ki--at once a depiction of life in literary Belgrade, a register of stylistic devices and themes that would recur throughout Ki's oeuvre, and an account of one young man's quest to find a way to balance his life, his loves, and his art.