Dictionary of the Khazars

Dictionary of the Khazars is a 1984 debut novel by Serbian writer Milorad Pavić. Written in Serbian, it is a fictional book built in an unusual form rather than a straightforward narrative. Instead of moving in a single line, it is arranged like a lexicon, with entries and cross-references that shape how the reader moves through it. The focus is less on a conventional plot and more on the structure itself and the world the book creates through that structure.

It suits readers who enjoy experimental fiction and do not mind a book that asks them to piece things together as they go. If you like novels that feel playful in form and let structure do part of the storytelling, this will likely click. Its closest connection to similar books is that it works as a hybrid of novel and reference form, so it is best approached with curiosity rather than expectations of a standard beginning, middle, and end.