David Vajda's debut novel 'Diamanten' explores artistic family tragedy

David Vajda's debut novel 'Diamanten' was published by Hanser-Verlag in Berlin in 2026. The 36-year-old Munich-born author, who is also a director, presents a post-Yugoslav family story centered on siblings nicknamed 'Diamonds' by their father. The narrative follows Dudi, Ada, and Benny, who grapple with their mother's death from a brain tumor four years earlier. Ada works as an installation artist, while the male characters are involved in film: Benny is a procrastinating melancholic Cassavetes fan in Berlin, and Dudi collaborates with an Austrian scandal director's production company on a film about junkies. Their father, a formerly successful director who fled Belgrade at 19 for Vienna and had an affair with Nastassja Kinski, returns impoverished to Serbia in old age. The novel shifts between past and present, depicting family gatherings at Tito's grave in Belgrade, Christmas in Vienna, a wedding in Greece, and a holiday home in Provence. Vajda's writing style, influenced by film, uses clear language and realistic dialogue reminiscent of J.D. Salinger, blending comedy and tragedy. The 176-page work explores whether artists handle tragedies differently than others.