A review by hafious
Sarajevo Blues by Semezdin Mehmedinović

5.0

This is a collection of poetry and prose by Bosnian writer Mehmedinovic. In this book he describes his experiences living under siege in Sarajevo, his writing is hard-hitting and thought-provoking. The themes of hopelessness, fear, loss and desperation are universal even if the book is about a specific place and time. If I could pick out a central idea it would be about the loss of identity in Bosnia where Sarajevo became unrecognisable and neighbours turned against each other. Although this is a short book it is by no means easy to get through, I would recommend it to someone familiar with the Bosnian war and wanting understand the experience of war.