From the Publisher
"Over several seasons (Kassabova’s move occurred at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic), the poet and writer set out to study the deep relationship between the area’s people and plants, as well as with the land itself."—Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine
"A radiant memoir of wonder and revelation."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Elixir is the latest example of Kapka Kassabova’s knack for sensory and poignant nonfiction. Her previous books, Border and To the Lake, were two unforgettable adventures brimming with rich history and beautiful characters. Elixir marks another step forward as her most immersive and organic work yet."—World Literature Today
“Elixir is the vibrant, beautiful story of a singular, remarkable place. It issues a call to reclaim the physical, emotional, and spiritual connection between humanity and the natural world.”–Catherine Thureson, Foreword (starred review)
"Poetic and wistful, it's a fascinating read for anyone who loves history, nature or the Balkans, with all its history both modern and ancient."—Lacey Pfalz, TravelPulse
"Kassabova's narrative loops and wanders, moving from plant-based healers to the plants themselves and other natives who call the Mesta basin home. Those who enter will be willing to get lost in this beautiful and aromatic maze, in which they will find rich and sumptuous wonders."—Poornima Apte, Booklist
"The mark of a good book is that it changes you. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. Nan Shepherd, Robin Wall Kimmerer and Jay Griffiths have all wielded that power over me, but I’ve rarely been so aware of an internal change being wrought, word by word, as I have these past days immersed in Kapka Kassabova’s alchemical prose. I fancy she had me under her spell from page one, with reference to the 'smiling gallopL of rivers flowing downhill."—The Guardian (UK)
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2023-05-17
A Bulgarian native revisits her homeland.
In the third volume of her planned “Balkan quartet” (following Border and To the Lake), Kassabova recounts her pilgrimage from the rural north of Scotland, where she lives, to Bulgaria’s Mesta River valley, where she grew up. This valley, she writes, “was suspended in an exquisite web of earth, water, fire and air, and inside the web was some trail I had to find. Something was forgotten that I had to remember. It had called me and I had come.” Memory beckoned to her as well as a fierce desire to escape the noise, lights, and distractions of civilization where biophilia—love of nature—has been suppressed: “The body-as-garden was replaced by the body-as-machine.” The inhabitants of the valley, though, celebrate the body as garden, imparting their rare intelligence of plants and their visceral and mystical connection to the Earth. The region has survived invasion, persecution, and political and economic exploitation; throughout its volatile history, its peoples had been forced to change their names, dress, and rituals. In the early years of communist rule, for example, “all herbal shops and practices were closed,” but herbalists’ knowledge and practices endured, as have myths, folklore, and spiritual traditions. Kassabova portrays in palpable detail the many “earth experts” she met along her journey, including Rocky the Enchanter, the ebullient purveyor of medicinal herbs; the “babi,” women who serve as “midwives, wish-granters, spell-lifters, spell-casters, medicine dispensers and physio- and psychotherapists”; fortunetellers; and guides through physical and metaphysical landscapes. The author creates a mesmerizing narrative of transformation and discovery, epiphany and “magical miracles.” She also charts her deep immersion in a place that seems outside of time. “Who were these people,” she asks herself, “so familiar yet unknown? Their faces talked to me. I had the odd feeling of having been among them.” The book includes delicate botanical drawings and maps by Faccini.
A radiant memoir of wonder and revelation.
