In 'The World And All That It Holds,' two soldiers fall in love during World War I

The World And All That It Holds starts off in Sarajevo, in 1914, when shots ring out and World War I begins. It changes the course of protagonist Rafael Pinto's life, as he goes on to travel across time and conflict to find a twin flame in another Bosnian soldier named Osman. In today's episode, author Aleksandar Hemon paints a poetic backdrop for his striking new novel. He tells NPR's Scott Simon about the concept of macaronic language, a bilingual mix of ways to communicate, and how Pinto and his partner build their own unique dialect to express their love for one another.

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