Alexandra Bogdanovic's Blog: That's life... - Posts Tagged "yugoslavia"

I´ve come to the conclusion that I´m definitely a glutton for punishment.
As if writing and marketing one book isn´t enough. I´ve decided to write another one. In fact, I´ve just started the research for the book that will be based on my father´s life as a staunch anti-Communist and political refugee in post-World War II Europe.
As you can imagine, the research will involve extensive travel and quite a bit of digging. The hardest part will probably be dredging up a lot of painful memories, but I should be used to that by now.
I honestly wish I could tell you more -- but I don´t want to put the proverbial cart before the equally proverbial horse. But I can tell you this. My father´s family was fairly influential in the former Yugoslavia. A lot of people didn´t like that - and a lot of people certainly didn´t appreciate him monitoring national elections for certain wetern bloc country(ies). The rest, as they say, is history... So stay tuned!
Until next time,¨That´s Life...¨

Just think of it as my own "Amazing Race."
My quest to learn more about my father's life for my next book recently took me on a three-week journey through Europe - from Spain to Serbia and Germany. It gave me a chance to visit new cities, to reunite with some relatives I haven't seen in 16 years and to meet others for the first time.
While staying with one cousin who lives near Barcelona, I fell completely in love with the Mediterranean city teeming with life, history and culture. I felt my heart break when another cousin I stayed with in Belgrade told me there's no future for her own daughter there. I developed a love-hate relationship with Munich while visiting my aunt.
I came home with priceless memories, a deeper understanding of my Serbian heritage, and more questions than answers about my dad. Was he a thief, a spy, or both?
I came home with not only a deeper love and appreciation for America, but a deeper understanding of the damage done by our government in the former Yugoslavia.
I came home knowing there's no way to change the past, and no reason not to embrace the future.
Until next time, "That's life..."

So now that I've been home for a couple of months, I'm getting serious about doing the research for my second book. Really serious. I mean it.
To that end, I spent a few hours at the New York Public Library yesterday. I went there to find some books about Yugoslav history, and while perusing the shelves in one of the third floor research rooms I hit the mother lode.
In three large tomes, I found valuable information about Yugoslav history spanning hundreds of years. I also found information about politics, government, culture and education.
To date, I've gotten plenty of information about communism, socialism, past and present ethnic conflicts from my family, but I'm hoping to gain some additional insight from the library books.
In coming weeks, I'll continue my legwork at the New York Public Library and elsewhere. I'll also begin synthesizing the information in notes and outlines.
From there, I'll probably turn my attention to character and plot development.
Once that's all done, I'll finally be to start on the first draft of the novel based on my father's life.
So for those of you who may be wondering when my next book will be coming out, I can't honestly say yet.
But to keep myself on track, I'll be providing you with weekly updates in my blog. That way, you'll get some insight into the writing process from start to finish.
I hope you enjoy it. It should be a fun ride!
Until next time, "That's life..."

So last week, I told you that I'd keep you apprised of how the research for my second book is going. This week, I can happily report that my second trip to the New York Public Library was just as productive as my first.
I found two more books on Yugoslav history and one that was just about Tito. While I am sure they will all be helpful, the one I am most excited about is called The Historical Dictionary of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia by Zeljan Suster.
Published in 1999, Suster's book includes what is arguably the single most important resource for another author planning on setting a novel in another time and place -- a comprehensive timeline. Suster's chronology dates from the 5th century to 1999.
Most importantly to me, it provides valuable context and insight into some of the most critical times in my father's life. Here's a glimpse at what I found.
My dad was born in March 1922. Fifteen years later, Josip Broz (best known to the rest of the world as Tito) became general secretary of the Communist Party in Yugoslavia. World War II began when Germany invaded Poland just two years later, in 1939.
My dad was 18 when his country's government established diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union in 1940, and he had just turned 19 when Germany invaded Yugoslavia and captured Belgrade in 1941.
The war continued for four years. By the time it ended, my father's adventures were just beginning....
Until next time "That's life..."

For some reason I can't set foot in the New York Public Library without thinking about Ghostbusters -- but that's aside from the point.
I was back at my favorite haunt last night, and even though the visit was unplanned, it was productive. In fact, I found and photocopied material from three more books detailing Yugoslav history. It took a couple of hours to find and copy everything I wanted, and as I look at the growing stack of research material on my desk I cringe when I think about how many trees were sacrificed for the cause.
To be honest, I'm starting to feel more than a little overwhelmed by this research project. The subject is dense, and it seems the more I find, the more questions I have and the more confused I get.
So I think it's time to stop gathering material and start sifting through what I've already found. I suppose I'll start making outlines and timelines and take it from there. In any case, the bottom line is, that until I not only understand the history of my father's homeland, but feel confident enough to write about it with some authority, I simply can't begin to think about character or plot development.
What about you? How do you go about doing research for your own books. Do you take a methodical approach or fly be the seat of your pants?
I'm eager to hear what you think.
Until next time, "That's life..."

So I just finished reading The Lady from Zagreb by Philip Kerr.
I must admit, it took longer than I expected. It was a long book, and slogging through the first 60 pages or so was a chore. The plot development in this mystery/thriller was painfully slow.
I stuck with it because of my personal background and my plans to write a book based on my father's experience as a political refugee in post-World War II Europe. I hoped this book would lend some insight into the civil war, political turmoil, and general chaos that enveloped the former Yugoslavia during World War II.
In that sense, the story didn't disappoint.
But that wasn't the only reason it was worth the effort. As it turns out the author has a snarffy, irreverent writing style that rivals my own. The irreverence is most evident in the actions and attitude of the protagonist, Bernie Gunther.
So without further ado, here are some of the "Guntherisms" that won me over, made me laugh, and left me thinking, "Now that's so wrong... funny, but wrong."
1. Detectives are supposed to solve murders, not commit them.
2. But if you're to keep your head on your shoulders you're going to have to make sure you don't lose it, first.
3. All that matters now is today. And that's all that will matter tomorrow. And the day after.
4. You see, when you're a detective and you find out that someone killed someone else, it says on page one of the police manual that you're supposed to do something about it.
5. We're all using someone else for something if we're really honest about it.
6. Good people are never as good as you probably think they are, and the bad ones aren't as bad. Not half as bad. On different days we're all good. And on other days, we're evil.
7. Men in our profession need to be alone so that we can ignore the roar of our colleagues' ignorance and stupidity and think for ourselves.
8. That's why they pay us. To waste our time.
9. It's not just nice, innocent people who get murdered. Not so innocent ones do, too. Perhaps someone bashed her head in because she deserved it. Did you think about that for a motive?
10. If no one reported this lady missing, then it can only be because no one missed her. And if no one missed her, then it might be because people were glad to see the back of her.
11. And that's what's called cynicism.
Until next time, "That's life..."

It happens to every author. Somewhere in the writing process you hit a bump in the road.
For me, writing my second book is especially challenging because my dad died a long time ago. A lot of his friends -- people who knew what happened to him in the former Yugoslavia -- have passed away as well. So, as I mentioned last week, I am left with my imagination... and a few family legends.
I've done a lot of research in order to try and fill in the blanks. I've been to Belgrade. And with my mother's help I have found some of my father's personal effects. At some point soon I will start to go through some more.
In the meantime, as I also mentioned last week, I started my rough draft. Writing as much as time allows, I've written approximately 6,000 words or 14 single-spaced pages (give or take a few words or a page or two).
With the creative process well underway, I plan on continuing my research as it continues. That includes reading as much about Serbia as I can get my hands on.
I just finished the first book on the stack -- a novel called The Mole Men by Negovan Rajic. Born in Belgrade in 1923, the author was just one year younger than my father. The book -- a fantasy -- was about a man who faced government persecution after learning a closely-guarded secret and then trying to share the truth.
In a photocopied excerpt from Contemporary Authors, Volume 130 tucked inside our copy of the novel, Rajic said:
"The materials for my fiction come from my life experiences and the personal stories friends tell me. My stories come as a revolt against the official picture of history as presented by totalitarian powers, who often distorted facts. I believe in the power of the word to transmit human experiences and perceptions. I stand for freedom as the point of departure for any kind of progress, both material and spiritual."
The book is disturbing, provocative and intriguing. It is a must-read for anyone and everyone who takes freedom for granted.
I told my mother as much when she asked me if it was interesting.
"It was written by a friend of your father's," she said.
The plot thickens.
Until next time, "That's life..."

On Friday morning, I stood on a bluff overlooking Long Island Sound and watched a dedication ceremony for a 9/11 memorial.
A lone bag piper played Amazing Grace. The haunting notes of Taps echoed across the water. Family members read the names of the fallen. Bells tolled. Tears fell.
I was sad. And angry. I will always be angry about the terrorist attacks on my country on September 11, 2001.
What infuriates me more than anything is when politicians talk about that day. In sanctimonious and self-serving speeches, they tell us we must never forget what happened that day -- as if anyone could.
What disgusts me more than anything is that some people already have. According to news accounts, a group of American students surveyed admitted to having little to no idea why we were attacked that day.
What scares me more than anything is that in spite of the tragic loss of so many lives that day and in the years that followed, so many people still seem to take everything we have for granted.
Some of you may view this as an indictment of a specific politician or political party, but trust me, it isn't. If anything, it is a universal indictment.
It is an indictment of all leaders who fail to recognize the ongoing threats to everything we hold so dear.
It is an indictment of those that discourage critical, independent thinking.
It is an indictment of those who see no need to question authority.
It is an indictment of the students who are too ignorant, intimidated or afraid to question what they are taught.
It is an indictment of those in the media that report only one side of a story.
It is an indictment of educators, those in pop culture and those in the media who work to advance a specific agenda.
It is an indictment of the "polite police" who discourage frank discussion in the name of political correctness.
It is an indictment I am uniquely qualified to make. I am a first-generation American whose father fled prosecution and persecution of an oppressive regime.
As I write a book based on my father's life, I am more convinced than ever that freedom is the single most important gift anyone can have.
I am not alone.
In his essay on the Secret of Kosovo published in Landmarks in Serbian Culture and History in 1983, Marko S. Markovic wrote: "If there is no peace without freedom, there is no freedom without truth."
Bozidar Knezevic, the world-renowned Serbian Philosopher of history, also wrote: "Only in liberty does one learn to love and respect liberty as a vital necessity: only in freedom can one learn to use freedom, just as one can breathe only in the air. It is only free men and nations that know how to respect the liberty of others. As long as there are captive peoples, the free will be in danger."
Until next time, "That's life..."