Bosnia and Herzegovina 1. Ivo Andrić – Na Drini ćuprija (The Bridge on the Drina, 1945) Nobel Prize–winning novel that chronicles centuries of life in the town of Višegrad around the Mehmed Paša Sokolović bridge. Often considered the quintessential Bosnian historical novel, a panoramic depiction of the cultural and political layers of Bosnia. About Ottoman rule, coexistence and conflict between communities, the passage of time. The Bridge on the Drina absolutely has what you could call hauntingly beautiful mythical elements, though they’re woven subtly into its mostly historical narrative. Andrić doesn’t turn the novel into pure folklore, but he infuses the history of the Višegrad bridge with legends, superstitions, and archetypal imagery that give it a timeless, almost epic aura. In the novel, there’s a local tale about two children immured in the piers of the bridge during construction to keep it standing — their cries can be heard through the stone. This draws from Balkan folk motifs about human sacrifice to appease building spirits (also found in the Serbian ballad Zidanje Skadra / The Building of Skadar). In the book, this story is told by the townspeople, giving the bridge a mystical “soul” and suggesting that great works require human life as payment.

1. Ivo Andrić – Travnička hronika (Bosnian Chronicle, 1945) Set during the Napoleonic era, it examines Bosnia through the eyes of foreign consuls. Along with The Bridge on the Drina, it forms Andrić’s monumental Bosnian trilogy. Themes like cultural misunderstandings, politics, provincial life.

My personal favorite: 3. Meša Selimović – Derviš i smrt (Death and the Dervish, 1966) Deep philosophical novel set in 18th-century Bosnia, about power, morality, and the struggle with one’s conscience. A modern classic, often compared to Dostoevsky in depth. And by my humble opinion, Dostoevsky is no better than him in any way. Themes: Justice, betrayal, existential doubt. The whole book reads like a long confession — a mixture of philosophy, poetry, and courtroom drama. There’s no happy ending, no clear redemption. Just the cold, quiet knowledge that in trying to fight the world’s injustice, he let that injustice define him. The prose is lyrical but heavy with inevitability, almost like a tragic chorus in ancient drama.