He passed away 36 years ago, but Ivo Andric still has a special place in the hearts of Bosnians. His work, often focused on
Bosnia during the Ottoman Era, landed him the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature in 1961. Now a town in Republika Srpska will build a new town in his honor.
Work will still begin in Visegrad on the town of Andricgrad, and should be completed by 2014. The 17,000 square community in the center of town will boast stone streets, a tower, stately gates, and monuments lauding Adric including a library and museum.
But as is the case with Bosnia, reaction is complicated. According to one observer on Twitter after I posted
Alison Flood’s
article on
The Guardian:
@LeonKaye But they will ruin his multi-cultural/Bosnian legacy, by imposing exclusivity, when there was none in his work #Bosnia
To Bosnians living in BiH and those who have moved abroad, I am curious to hear your reaction.
