Sabrana dela V: Rat je bio bolji

The novel The War Was Better (published in 1977) is one of the most significant early works of Miodrag Bulatović, with which he entered the top of modernist prose in Yugoslav literature. The work depicts the absurdity and moral paradox of the time after the war — the moment when armed struggle ends, but spiritual destruction begins.

The action takes place in the post-war Montenegrin and Balkan environment, full of war veterans, defeated heroes and people who cannot find their peace. Through grotesque images and a sarcastic tone, Bulatović depicts characters who, having survived the war, lose the meaning of existence in peace. The war was terrible, but at least it gave the illusion of purpose and identity; peace, on the contrary, creates alienation, hypocrisy and inner emptiness.

The author uses recognizable elements of his style — a combination of brutal realism, fantastic visions and black humor. The characters are caricatures and symbols of a lost generation, while the events are charged with irony: those who fought for ideals now become hostages of greed and the meaninglessness of everyday life.

Bulatović thereby creates a powerful parable about a man who no longer knows how to live without conflict, because peace exposes true nothingness. The war was better is not only a commentary on the war experience, but also a philosophical presentation of the permanent human tendency towards destruction and self-annihilation. The novel is recognized as one of the most important anti-war works of South Slavic literature.