Three Minutes and Fifty-Three Seconds

A bildungsroman in 21 songs and collages, 3 Minutes and 53 Seconds follows the life of an unnamed hero from 1984 to 2004 as he moves from boyhood to early fatherhood.

Uprooted from his home in Sarajevo following his parents’ divorce, the hero is thrust into a new life in Skopje, where he grows up amid the unfolding political and social drama of the collapse of Yugoslavia. The story is an intimate account of rupture and displacement, but also, ultimately, resilience. The title refers to the average length of a hit song, and the time it takes to read each chapter. Arranging the formative moments in the hero’s life around songs of the period, Branko Prlja captures the zeitgeist of the time. With a playlist from the ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s that ranges from heavy metal to punk rock, from grunge and drum ’n’ bass to trip hop and pop music, these are the tracks that left their mark on a whole generation—not just in the Balkans, but worldwide.

Translator: Paul Filev

UK Delivery:

• Free delivery on all orders of £10 or more.
• £1.49 delivery fee on orders below £10.
• UK orders are shipped via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

International Delivery:

• Flat rate delivery charges vary by country.

Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

View our full delivery infomation here.