Sabrana djela XVII: Sveske

Notebooks represent one of the most significant documentary works in the oeuvre of Ivo Andrić. Unlike his novels and short stories, this work does not have a single plot or main characters. It is a collection of personal notebooks that the writer kept over several decades, and which were published after his death in the form of twelve separate volumes: Pepita sveska, Crna knjiga, Šarena knjiga, Zelena knjiga I, Plava knjiga, Smeđa knjiga, Zelena II, Svetlozelena mala sveska, "Riđa" sveska, Crna registra-notežnica, Siva sveska and Odvojeni listovi. The titles correspond to the appearance of the original notebooks, thus preserving the authentic layout of the author's manuscript legacy.

The writings include short essays, aphorisms, diary entries, sketches for future works, observations about people and historical events, as well as reflections on art, language, religion, transience and the meaning of life. Many ideas that would later be developed in novels such as "The Bridge on the Drina", "The Chronicle of Travnik" and "The Cursed Courtyard" can be recognized precisely in these notes. For this reason, "The Notebooks" are a valuable source for studying Andrić's creative process. Their value is not only literary, but also biographical and philosophical, because they reveal the way Andrić observed the world, shaped his thoughts and prepared the material for the works that made him one of the greatest writers of Serbian and South Slavic literature.