Articles

The Arrest of Jovan Divjak: The Victim Becomes the Criminal

The arrest of Jovan Divjak symbolizes the continuation of the counterproductive behavior of Belgrade when it comes to interpreting the recent past from the nineties. After arrests of Ejup Gani, Ilija Juriši, and recently Tihomir Purda, who were arrested and acquitted for lack of evidence, the “Divjak” case only deepens the mistrust of the countries in the region towards the  []

Prayer

My Jesus protect us from those who protect you defend us from those who defend you those who protect you from the men in despair who blaspheme your name   the young men similar to you protect us from those who protect you because their words ring with the clanking of gold coins while they auction off your passion, while pitying  []

Bridge

I dreamt I would someday build a bridge to the sun but of that wish remains only the foundation stone deep in my heart Translated by Anne Pennington

Separating History from Myth: An Interview, Part III (1993)

LIFSCHULTZ: Among the many who oppose any military action against the Belgrade regime is Misha Glenny, the BBC’s Eastern European correspondent. In his April 1992 Op-Ed piece in The New York Times, for instance, he states that “for those of us who live and work in the Balkans, things look a little different. We know that a bombing of the  []

No Final Curtain: The Neverending Drama of Bosnia and Herzegovina

On 18 July 2010, the president of the Republic of Serbia, Boris Tadić, played host to Ivo Josipović, the president of the Republic of Croatia. Examined from a Bosnian and Herzegovinian perspective, this event was both welcome and important. Through the entire 20th century the Bosnian and Herzegovinian question has been at the very heart of Serb and Croat relations.  []

In the Classroom

the night slowly chokes the light around us and she closes the book her hand hovering above the cover History Primer: A Short Guide we look at each other as if trying to remember each other’s face before it becomes its own shadow the building’s roof’s a charred skeleton the classroom floor littered with textbooks notebooks the village half burned  []

Framed Memories

there came a day when everyone was dodging sniper fire a. a woman looking for godot and a tree, wearing a helmet and a flak jacket b. a man conducting a crippled orchestra in the skeleton hall of muffled history c. a woman getting short-stemmed flowers picked at impromptu cemeteries d. a girl who sneaked out to find a market  []

My Father’s Funeral

IT ALL LOOKED TEMPORARY RANDOM SINGULARITY IN SOME PARALLEL TIME AND SPACE EVERY BODY LANDED SUDDENLY FROM SOME PLACE UN KNOWN GATHERED AS IN A DREAM NO BODY LOOKED AGED GARA AHMET SADIK DJEMO JUSUF MURAT KIBAN HAJRUDIN TIME HAS STOPPED TEMPORARY GRAVE DUG IN HARSH BOSNIAN SOIL WRAPPED BODY LAID TO REST WOODEN PLANKS ORDERLY ANGLED NEXT TO EACH  []

Another Man

SUDDENLY ANOTHER MAN’S PRESENCE WAS FELT AROUND ME THE FEELING CAME UN EXPECTEDLY OUT OF NO WHERE IT FILLED THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL SPACE ALL AROUND I LOOKED LEFT AND RIGHT TAKEN BY SURPRISE NO BODY THERE ANOTHER MAN’S PRESENCE WAS CLEAR AND IRRESISTIBLE I WALKED THE ROOMS LOOKING FOR ANOTHER MAN SPACE WAS FILLED WITH ANOTHER MAN’S PRESENCE UN  []