Ivo Andric
Ivo Andrić (1892 - 1975), a Serbian-Croatian novelist, short story writer, and Nobel Prize winner from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Ivan Andrić (Ivo is diminutive of Ivan) was born on October 9th, 1892 near Travnik, Bosnia (then part of Austria-Hungary) to a Catholic family of Bosnian Croats. He started his education in Sarajevo's Gymnasium and continued studies at the universities in Krakow, Vienna, and Graz. Because of his political activities, Andrić was interned by the Austrian government during World War I in the Doboj Austrian detention camp alongside with civilian Serbs and pro-Serb south Slavs.
Under the newly formed Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Andrić held a number of diplomatic posts, including that of ambassador to Germany. His ambassadorship ended in 1941, and during World War II Andrić lived in Belgrade. The post-war decade was his most productive period. Following the death of his wife in 1968, he slowly reduced his activities. As the time went by, he became increasingly ill and eventually died on March 13th, 1975.
The material for his works was mainly drawn from the history, folklore and culture of his native Bosnia. Andrić wrote in and supported the Serbo-Croatian language, and of his works translated into English the best known are the following:
- The Bridge on the Drina (Na Drini ćuprija, 1945; trans. 1959)
- The Woman from Sarajevo (Gospođica, 1945; trans. 1965)
- The Vizier's Elephant (Priča o vezirovom slonu, 1948; trans. 1962)
Some of his other popular works include:
- The Journey of Alija Đerzelez (Put Alije Đerzeleza, 1920)
- Bosnian Chronicle (Travnička hronika, 1945)
- The Damned Yard (Prokleta avlija, 1954)
- Omer-Pasha Latas (Omerpaa Latas, released posthumously in 1977)
Nevertheless, his world-renowned writings on Bosnia and its peoples remain one of the peaks of 20th century literature of former Yugoslavia and is today revered both in Serbian and in Croatian literature.
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