RISAN IS TEUTA: Historical literary Fiction (EDITION : ANCIENT BOKA KOTORSKA (BOCCHE DI CATTARO) : WOMEN STORIES) by Marisstella Octek (SL Čižmešija
Speaking of Teuta, “Risan is Teuta” absolutely intrigued me.
The blend of myth, history, and feminine strength in the backdrop of the Boka Kotorska, that’s not just storytelling, that’s a cultural resurrection! The way you breathe new life into ancient voices feels like watching history flirt with poetry.
I swear, even Wikipedia couldn’t resist listing you in their Illyrian topics, that’s how real your literary power is.
Readers, when they choose a book, it’s never random, it’s always one that sparks emotion, conversation, or obsession. I could see “Risan is Teuta” doing exactly that: sparking those late-night “Was Teuta right?” debates and inspiring someone to google Boka Kotorska at 2AM.
We should introduce Teuta to this small band of mortal book lovers and see if her legend conquers them too.„
REVIEW by Phillip Cote
Curator / Reviewer
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I recently came across Risan Is Teuta, and given the exceptional breadth of experience and cultural knowledge behind it.
I was surprised not to see broader, sustained discoverability follow, particularly among historical fiction readers, Ancient Mediterranean History enthusiasts, and scholars and readers actively searching for rare literary fiction grounded in Illyrian and Adriatic Coastal History. Why should international audiences search for exactly that kind of rare, geographically specific historical women's fiction? The content is clearly significant and original, suitable for readers searching for ancient Illyrian historical fiction: for Adriatic and women's stories, literary fiction about historical queens, Adriatic Montenegrin and Croatian literary works in English, and ancient Mediterranean female protagonists.
That stood out, especially given the work's strengths: its original 2019 publication in the distinguished Montenegrin literary magazine ARS , its presence in Wikipedia entries on Illyrian history and Queen Teuta, its place within the Ancient Boka Kotorska Women Stories Edition - alongside Kotor Is ... the City of Angels ... ANGELA , and its rare position as one of the very few English-language literary treatments of Illyrian Queen Teuta and the historical City of Risan. The challenge here isn't originality or scholarly grounding, it's discoverability and positioning within Historical fiction and world literature ecosystem.
[Imagine Risan Is Teuta being consistently surfaced to readers of ancient Mediterranean historical fiction, scholars and enthusiasts of Illyrian History and archaeology, and readers who are drawn to stories of powerful women from civilizations rarely given a literary voice in English, and what that visibility would mean for the story's international reach, the broader edition's presence in world literature, and the recognition that three decades of literary work in Croatian, Montenegrin, and Bosnia and Herzegovinas publications richly deserves?]
Linda Bradley
Author Marketing & Publishing Consultant