The 41st Translation Opens a New Chapter in the Global Reception of Milorad Pavić
Forty-two years after its first publication, Milorad Pavić's Dictionary of the Khazars has finally been published in Arabic, in a translation by Mohammed Ayat Hanna, released by Wasm Publications in Kuwait.
With this edition, Dictionary of the Khazars reaches its 41st translation, becoming available to readers throughout one of the world's largest linguistic and cultural communities.
The publication carries a profound symbolic significance. A novel whose very architecture is built upon the encounter of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions has now entered the Arabic-speaking world, completing a literary journey that has lasted more than four decades.
The road to this edition was exceptionally long.
Although Dictionary of the Khazars has been translated into forty languages and has long been recognized as one of the landmark works of contemporary world literature, publication in Arabic proved to be one of the most challenging international publishing projects in the history of the novel. Numerous negotiations with publishers throughout the Arab world took place over many years before the project was finally realized through the long-standing cooperation with Introtema Translation and Copyright Agency, which facilitated the agreement with the Kuwaiti publisher.
Originally published in 1984, Dictionary of the Khazars continues to find new readers around the world, reaffirming its place among the most influential literary works of the late twentieth century.
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Commenting on the publication of the Arabic edition, Jasmina Mihajlović, writer and holder of the literary rights of Milorad Pavić's estate, said:
"We waited forty-two years for this edition. After forty previous translations, Dictionary of the Khazars has finally found its voice in Arabic. For me, this is much more than the forty-first translation. It is proof that great literature transcends borders and ultimately finds its way where it once seemed impossible. I am especially moved that a novel bringing together Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions has now become part of the Arabic cultural world. I consider this edition one of the most important milestones in the international reception of Milorad Pavić's work in recent decades."
From Postmodernism to Ergodic Literature
The publication of the Arabic edition also offers an opportunity to highlight an important shift in the international understanding of Milorad Pavić's work.
Today, Dictionary of the Khazars is widely regarded as one of the canonical works of world ergodic literature.
The concept of ergodic literature, introduced by Norwegian literary theorist Espen J. Aarseth in his landmark study Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature (1997), describes literary works that require non-trivial effort from readers in order to traverse the text. Rather than following a single linear sequence, such works invite multiple reading paths, alternative structures, and active participation by the reader.
Within this theoretical framework, Dictionary of the Khazars has become one of the foundational works of ergodic fiction and is frequently discussed as an important precursor to hypertext literature, digital fiction, and interactive narrative.
Milorad Pavić himself welcomed this critical reappraisal during his lifetime, recognizing that the concept of ergodic literature described the architecture of his novels more precisely than the broader label of postmodernism.
With its 41st translation and its long-awaited Arabic edition, Dictionary of the Khazars continues to demonstrate that literary innovation knows neither linguistic nor cultural boundaries.
By entering the Arabic-speaking world, the novel has now become part of all three great cultural traditions that constitute its own narrative universe, reaffirming its enduring place in world literature.
Editor's Note
Bibliographical Information
Milorad Pavić
Dictionary of the Khazars – Arabic Edition
Translator: Mohammed Ayat Hanna
Publisher: Wasm Publications, Kuwait
First Arabic Edition: 2026
ISBN: 978-1-961628-66-3
Images courtesy of Wasm Publications, Kuwait.
