Writing Home: Bosnian Writers in Diaspora

War, displacement, and migration have been the lived experiences of many Bosnian writers and other artists—and the theme of their creative works. Bosnian artists shared the destiny of their fellow compatriots; many were killed, and many became refugees during the 1990s. Some of them were children when they fled and grew up to become writers in the countries where they settled. Today, there is a distinct body of literature created in the Bosnian diaspora. Very often, this literature influences perceptions about Bosnians in their adopted countries and about the country from which they came. To fully appreciate Bosnian “exile literature,” it is important to engage not only with the what of their works—that is, the themes of the fictional narratives described—but also with the questions why and how. way. The answers are often found in the realm of the real: the life stories of the authors and the contexts in which their works of fiction were created. Their fiction mirrors the Bosnian diasporic realities in a profound, ethnographic and creates an in-between space, which serves as both an intimate refuge (home away from home) and an open platform for dialogue, resistance, and reflection.