NENAD VELIČKOVIČ (b. 1962) is a Bosnian writer and cultural commentator, considered to be one of the most interesting and relevant contemporary Bosnian writers. Born and raised in Sarajevo, he graduated in philology in Sarajevo. His work is extensive, includes novels and short prose, and is characterised by a witty style and a critical approach to society, current affairs and education in his home country.
His novel “Sahib. Impressions from the Depression” (Sahib. Impresije iz depresije) was published in 2002. In this satirical book, written in the form of letters, the author portrayed a homosexual British man on a peace mission to post-war Bosnia. In letters written in a serious tone to his lover, the British man talks about the country he has found himself in, its traditions, history, everyday life and people. Although it is clear that he has no understanding of Bosnian current affairs and culture. He sees it as a country where he is an arrogant colonialist ready to create a better tomorrow for the wild Bosnians. However, the questions are: how and at whose expense? Are the Bosnians really that clueless and do they benefit from peace missions?
This satirical novel remains relevant in its depiction of the ethnic, cultural, social, economic and political life of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is stuck in the eternal post-war period. The country is still divided under the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the war, politically into a federation and a separatist Serb Republic, with a constitution that establishes three different religious faiths (Serbs, Croats and Bosnians), each of which elects its own president. This system and the wounds left by the war make Bosnia and Herzegovina politically and culturally very fragile.
With no Bosnian translated book yet published in Lithuania, Veličković’s novel gives Lithuanian readers a glimpse into the literature of unknown fields of Bosnain literature and a better insight into its post-war society, experiences and traumas.