Interview with the Hazim Akmadzic, the author of ENDERUN &

The Bridge on the river Drina I-II published by The Balkan

Chronicle
BC: Long-awaited and announced novel ENDERUN & The bridge
on the river Drina I-II, is finally in front of the readers.
AKMADZIC: That is right.
BC: The titles are almost identical to the title of the famous Andric
novel The bridge on the river Drina?
AKMADI: I have found one Bosniak folk song in which the
verses are basically: And you go to the town of Visegrad/where
the bridge on Drina is being built, and those verses I have used as
a slogan in the beginning of my novel. If the verses from Bosniak
folk song could have served Andric for the novel title, why that
should not be the case for Hazim Akmadzic?
On the other hand, you are forgetting that my novel also has a
word Enderun, and Enderun was an university at the time of
Ottomans, the type of boarding school, in the premises of the
sultans palace in Istanbul, where the students have been educated
for the highest state offices. Main character in my novel,
Mehmed-Pasha Sokollu, has also graduated from that university.
It is interesting that Porta (government) has in that way
continuously refreshed the reigning structures with the new, young
and educated staff. Hence, talking about blood tax is a complete
nonsense.
The truth is that most of the attendants in those schools were from
the Balkans, especially from the sandzak of Bosnia, which at that
time was stretching from the river Sava all the way to the river
Vardar in Macedonia, and those boys that have gone there with the

absolute approval and support of their parents have achieved the

highest levels of the state offices in the government hierarchy of
the Ottoman empire.
BC: Bosnian literature critics are saying that some of your novels
are historical and neo-historical. Can you comment on that?
AKMADI: Gladly. I think that we have to be careful when
approaching such claims. I still to this day have not read from
those critics clearly defined statements what is a historical or neohistorical novel. Is it not even this moment a part of history, and
the one before this one, and the one that comes afterwards? That
makes me wonder what is behind such statements which could
mean anything. I believe that behind such statements are insecure
literature critics, or maybe some insecure authors turn critics.
There is only a bad or a god novel. Everything else is ephemeral.
BC: So what is a good novel for you?
AKMADI: Its hard to answer such question. But if I am to try
it seems to me that it is most simple to say that a good novel is one
with carefully composed following elements: fable, characters,
structure, and composition. If the author can control for that, the
rest is his imagination, invention and creativity.
BC: You have been writing this book for a long time?
AKMADI: I dont like to talk about that. Sometimes authors
unnecessarily mystify their work. I am writing every day and I
think that the biggest challenge of mine was to collect documents
and archives for this but also for some of my previous novels,
Mimar, Gazi Husrev Bey, and Isa bye. I have previously said that
what I am doing is a series of novels in which I have attempted to,
in a thematically sense, describe the period of 15th and 16th
century during the Ottoman reign in Bosnia.

This is a challenging research project for which I spent countless

hours in the archives of Sarajevo, Zagreb, Karlovac, Dubrovnik,
Zadar, Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Moscow and Istanbul.
But, as a reward I managed to collect valuable historical materials
about that period. In fact, I am surprised with the amount of the
exceptionally valuable historical documents about this period of
history of Bosnia which is still available and stored in the various
archives.
BC: It would be interesting to our readers to give some specific
examples.
AKMADI: There are many. Each one of those documents has
specific value. I was fascinated when I have found in the Ottoman
archives in Istanbul the deed about the sale of the land on the left
and right banks of the river Drina, in the place where later
Visegrad Bridge was built. It was classic sales agreement with the
names of the land owners, the amounts paid out to them by the
main supervisor of the construction work chaus Mustafa, who was
named to that position directly by the great vizier Mehmed-pasha
Sokollu.
I believe that this document in great part denies a majority of the
official histography, not only about the construction of the
Visegrad Bridge, but also on the whole reign of the Ottomans in
Bosnia, as well as the rest of the Ottoman Empire. Or another
example, circumstances under which the future great vizier
Mehmed-pasha has gone to his schooling in Istanbul to the tsars
lyceum Enderun...
BC: Can you summarize for our readers the theme of your last
novel?

AKMADI: It is a biography of the great vizier Mehmed-pasha

Sokollu, who reigned under the government of the sultan Suleiman
Kanuni, Selim the Second and Murat the Third with exceptional
political and diplomatic influence during those times. In fact, we
will not be mistaken if we conclude that he was one of the most
powerful political figures of the 16th century, and who has left
behind him a great number of important endowments, amongst
which are the bridge in Visegrad.
Mehmed-pashas' origins are from Rudo, actually his origins are
from the village Sokolovici close to Rudo. As deacon of fourteen
years of age, some sources say even eighteen years of age, he has
been taken by the ajami-ogluns to Istanbul where he has studied at
the most elite tsars lyceum Enderun in which he was prepared and
educated for the highest government office in the Ottoman Empire,
and so on.
So this is a biography of the great vizier Mehmed-pasha, while the
construction of the Visegrad Bridge is one of the many motives in
which he is a direct character.
BC: So you are actually not directly focused on the construction of
the bridge in Visegrad?
AKMADI: I have already accentuated that the construction of
the Visegrad Bridge is only one of the motives in the novel. To be
precise, action in my novel begins exactly on the date of
10.11.2008 in Frankfurt. The rest of it is a narrative organized
though a sequence of the real and imagined historical events.
BC: Some literature critics have said about your novels that they
possess a specific way in which you are building the structure and
composition?

AKMADI: Structure and composition are very important to

me.
Experience has proven that it is hard to say anything in form of a
modern novel, except through the structure and composition.
Dont be surprised ... Besides the Cervantes' Don Quixote, and
last years recipient of Nobel's prize, Coelho, it is clear to notice
that principle of search for innovations, are primarily in the content
as well in the structure and composition sense. I would like to
stress here that it is imperative to clearly differentiate between the
attempts of introducing invocative elements into the structure and
composition of modern novel to the epigones.
More often than not, when I get an opportunity to read a piece
form a modern novelist, and we can say that about some authors
from the past, that from their works we can see what that particular
author has been reading in the last ten to fifteen years. In my
opinion, that is unacceptable and speaks volumes of the authors
literary impotency.
BC: Such as?
AKMADI: I would not name names. To me, as an author, is
important to be aware of that and not to go that direction.
BC: We know that people read your work, especially the
Bosniaks, however I get the idea that you are avoiding the media?
AKMADI: My readers are great motivation for me, and I am
very grateful to them. Although the majority of them are certainly
Bosniaks, I am happy to get e-mails daily from my readers that are
not Bosniaks as well. After all literature should be a bridge among
peoples.

I think that every book finds its way to the reader. Secondly, I
dont like the sensationalistic approach of most the B-H media. To
me it is a way of manipulation. I do not want to be a part of that.
BC: You have signed a contract to have your novel Gazi Husrev
Bey translated into Turkish language?
AKMADI: Yes, Gazi Husrev-bey is being translated by Suat
Englu, the best Bosnian-Turkish translator, and I am proud of that.
Novel should be published by November of 2011 and I will be,
God willing, promoting it in the International Book Fair in
Istanbul.
Also, I am negotiating about the possible translation of my other
book, Mimar into Turkish language. In these projects great credit
belongs to the publishing house Connectum from Sarajevo.
There are also some negotiations about having some of my novels
translated into German language as well. However, about that we
can talk when and if it happens.
BC: In 2007, your novel Gazi Isa-bey was nominated for the
literary award Mesha Selimovic. But, the winner was Mirko
Kovach.
KMADI: Mirko Kovach is an exceptionally good author. It
could very well be that he has deserved that award.
On the other hand, it is interesting when we talk about the
particular award that it is customary given to the authors from our
neighborhoods which do not write in Bosnian but some other
similar languages. Just for comparison, in Belgrade, Zagreb,
Podgorica or elsewhere in the region of south Slavic languages,
similar awards are customary not awarded to B-H authors.

For the last couple of years, the award Mesha Selimovic has
been awarded exclusively to the authors from the neighboring
countries. While, it is a shame that late Nedzad Ibrisimovic has not
been awarded that award for his novel Vjecnik, who was
nominated for the Nobel prize that year, representing BosniaHerzegovina.
BC: What is your opinion of literary critics in BosniaHerzegovina? To be precise, what is the role of bosnianherzegovian literary critics in valorization of the modern B-H
literature?
AKMADI: Negligible. Bosnian-Herzegovian literary critics, at
least majority of them, are following our literature flatly, limited
by the nationalistic and ideological fences and prejudices, and that
is not good. Just look at our print and literary periodicals. There is
no room for serious analysis of any modern literary piece?
BALKAN CHRONICLE: Who are the best B-H authors for you?
AKMADI: There are many great B-H authors such as Nedzad
Ibrisimovic, Tvrtko Kulenovic, Abdulah Sidran, Irfan Horozovic,
Dzevad Karahasan, Zlatko Topcic, Zilhad Kljucanin that are on the
top of the bosnian-herzegovian literary scene. Unfortunately, our
literature is being translated only sporadically since it is only done
by some individual efforts.
BC: Does B-H literature belongs to the Slavic literature, can we
talk about separate Slavic literature in such way?
AKMADI: Bosnian-Herzegovian literature according to its
characteristic belongs to the European and world heritage, and with
that also to the Slavic one. It is possible that you are aware of some

authors who are of Slavic origin such as Solzenin, Brodski, Charles

Simich, who have greatly contributed to the world literature. A
Bosnian-herzegovian literature is part of that Slavic literature as
well.
BALKAN HRONICLE: Bosnia and Herzegovina is a multinational country that has lived through many important political
and sociological changes. How does this complexes politician
situation affect Bosnian-herzegovian literature?
AKMADI: In many different ways. Some of the BosnianHerzegovinan authors see wealth in diversity and joint heritage of
in the different cultures and religions, while others dont.
In different national communities, in Bosnia-Herzegovina exists
something that I would call collective memory, and also a
specific attitude of some of the authors towards that collective
memory and that is good. On the other hand, all of those which
are driven by nationalism, chauvinism and hate, are bound to be
trampled by time.

Although we still have a lot of problems, the light is looming.

Compare Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1996 and 2011. We have
progressed greatly. Whoever cannot see that is a blind person.
BC: Recently the new Bosniaks Academy of Arts and Sciences
was formed. Do you think that is good for B-H literature?
AKMADI: In general, I support anything that can benefit the
progress and affirmations of the Bosnian-Herzegovian culture,
provided it does not damage anyone elses. The potentials are
certainly there, but time will tell how well they going to do that.