Prognani grad

The novel Prognani grad belongs to war and post-war prose and deals with the experience of exile, loss and shattered identity during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the center of the story is an unnamed narrator who is faced with the disappearance of his own city – not only as a physical space, but also as a world of memories, relationships and meaning. The city in the novel becomes a symbol of a lost home and culture. Its “exile” does not mean that the city is literally relocated, but that it is destroyed, displaced and erased from the lives of its inhabitants. People are exiled from their homes, but also from their own identities. The narrative is fragmentary, interrupted by memories, dreams and reflections. The boundary between reality and inner experience is often blurred, which emphasizes the trauma and disorientation of the characters. War is not only depicted through events, but also through psychological consequences: fear, loss, nostalgia and a sense of meaninglessness.