My new book, You Cannot Forbid the Flower, is forthcoming in August from Tolsun Books. A compelling tale of love, revolution, and the power of story, You Cannot Forbid the Flower weaves together fact and fiction, myth and memory, to chronicle the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and its brutal suppression by the Soviet Union. Narrated by the daughter of an upriser, the story unfolds in flashes and fragments, stitching together past, present, and possibilities as she explores her father’s life as both revolutionary and refugee. An ode to a distant father, language, and homeland, You Cannot Forbid the Flower is a profound meditation on love, loss, and identity.
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“Elizabeth Lukács Chesla is a marvelous writer whose debut novel—along with being a remarkable act of love—is a work of flat-out genius.”
–David Keplinger, author of Ice and The World to Come
“A singular and gifted storyteller, Chesla unravels and re-stitches her inheritance to help us make sense of our own deep need to make sense.”
–Kirsten Kaschock, author of Sleight and Explain this Corpse
“Chesla’s is a rich, historical epic to be savored, deeply reflected upon, and not to be missed.”
–Chad Frame, author of Smoking Shelter and Little Black Book
Read an excerpt and reviews | Request an advance reader copy
ELIZABETH LUKÁCS CHESLA 