Meša Selimović: Writings on the Empire

Born in 20th-century Tuzla, Meša Selimović was a famous Bosniak writer whose work explored the legacy of the Ottoman Empire on Bosnian people and how Islam informed Bosnian culture. His most well-known novels include Tvrđava (The Fortress) and Derviš i smrt (The Death and the Dervish).

The Fortress takes place in the 18th century and tells the story of a Bosniak man who fights on behalf of the Ottomans in Russia. After returning home to Sarajevo, he becomes disillusioned with the society the Ottomans have set in place and grapples with the trauma he sustained during battle. Along with depicting the crumbling rule of the empire that strongarmed the Balkans for centuries, this novel offers great insight into gender dynamics through extensive dialogue between the narrator and his wife. 

The Death and the Dervish tells the tale of a dervish, or Muslim scholar, who lives in an Islamic monastery in Sarajevo during Ottoman rule. He becomes disillusioned with his faith and critical of Ottoman society when his brother is falsely accused by Ottoman officials for treason. The novel features lush descriptions and internal monologues that reveal the narrator’s gradual descent into despair as he contends with how he lived his life in fear. 

Selimović’s writing is captivating as it critiques the occupation of Bosnia through the eyes of everyday characters. His narrators struggle to make sense of their positioning in a society that is falling apart, standing in for Selimović’s broader commentary on the positioning of Bosnia at the onset of the 19th century.