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Lana Bastašić

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Bosnian writer

Lana Bastašić
Bastašić in 2023Bastašić in 2023
Native nameЛана Басташић
Born (1986-08-27) 27 August 1986 (age 38)
Zagreb, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
OccupationNovelist, translator
NationalityBosnian
Alma materUniversity of Banja Luka, University of Belgrade
Notable awards2020 European Union Prize for Literature

Lana Bastašić (Serbian Cyrillic: Лана Басташић; born 27 August 1986) is a Bosnian and Serbian writer, novelist and translator. She was born in Zagreb, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia (today Croatia).

Early life and education

She was born in Zagreb to a Serbian family in 1986 and moved to Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina as a young child. She studied English at the University of Banja Luka and received an MA in Cultural Studies from the University of Belgrade.

Career

Bastašić's debut novel Catch the Rabbit (Serbian: Uhvati zeca) was published in Belgrade in 2018, and then reprinted in Sarajevo. The structure of the book draws inspiration from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with themes of exile, identity, and is divided into twelve chapters, as is Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It won the 2020 EU Prize for Literature and was shortlisted for the NIN Award. It was translated into English by Bastašić herself and published by Picador in the UK and Restless Books in the US. In 2017, Bastašić has signed the Declaration on the Common Language of the Croats, Serbs, Bosniaks and Montenegrins.

In addition to novels, Bastašić has written in many different genres: short stories, children’s stories, poetry, and stage plays.

In an article published in The Guardian in October 2023, Bastašić commented on the assessment of the Middle East conflict in Germany: " even the mention of the word “Palestine” in Germany risks getting you accused of Antisemitism. Any attempt at providing context and sharing facts on the historical background to the conflict is seen as crude justification of Hamas’s terror. The stifling of opposition to the killing of civilians in Gaza even extends to Jewish people. Germany’s unwavering official support for the Israeli government’s actions leaves scant room for humanity. The white saviourist hypocrisy we are witnessing in Germany today will, in the long run, benefit white Germans only."

In January 2024, Bastašić terminated her contract with German publisher S Fischer, accusing it of silence on the Gaza crisis and censoring pro-Palestinian voices in Germany. Later that month, she revealed on Instagram that she has been disinvited from an Austrian literature festival, the Literature Festival Salzburg. The festival organizers cited the ongoing discussion around her publisher departure, stating that her participation would imply a stance they wished to avoid.

Personal life

She currently resides in Berlin.

Bibliography

Short story collections

Novels

References

  1. "Lana Bastašić | Participants". Kosmopolis. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  2. "An Indies Introduce Q&A With Lana Bastašić". the American Booksellers Association. 20 May 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  3. "Lana Bastašić". Santa Maddalena Foundation. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  4. Bastašić, Lana (27 May 2021). Catch the Rabbit. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-5290-3960-3.
  5. "Lana Bastašić | EU Prize for Literature". www.euprizeliterature.eu. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  6. "Lana Bastašić Still Believes in Beauty - Asymptote Blog". Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  7. Signatories of the Declaration on the Common Language, official website, retrieved on 2018-08-16.
  8. Bastašić, Lana (23 October 2023). "I grew up in Bosnia, amid fear and hatred of Muslims. Now I see Germany's mistakes over Gaza". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  9. Oltermann, Philip (15 January 2024). "Novelist breaks with German publisher amid call for wider cultural boycott over Gaza". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  10. "Bosnian author Lana Bastasic disinvited from Austria literature festival over Gaza views". Middle East Eye. 31 January 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  11. "Lana Bastašić – Berliner Künstlerprogramm des DAAD". www.berliner-kuenstlerprogramm.de. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
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