Sarajevski Marlboro

Miljenko Jergović tells the story of a besieged Sarajevo: his heroes are the little people, damaged and destroyed by the horrors of war, which completely disrupts their everyday lives and their coexistence in the multi-ethnic state. The writer proves to be a master of detail: he observes how the cactus of a lover dries up in the cellar during the bombardments; how the apple tree, caught between two properties, bears the most magnificent apples in the worst phase of the war, bringing together quarrelling neighbours, or how a clay pot for a typical Bosnian dish is sorely missed in exile. These simple things of everyday life reflect the great tragedy witnessed by the people and make the horror and despair immediately tangible.