Tito: The Story from Inside

by Milovan Djilas

A revealing, complex, and intimate portrait of Tito by his one-time, right-hand man. Milovan Djilas headed Yugoslavia's Communist Party with Tito before World War II; served with him during the war; and then became his vice president. But, in 1954, Djilas broke with the regime and afterwards was twice jailed as a dissident. Writing in prison and out, he produced this unequaled document, capturing Tito's aristocratic pretensions; appetite for luxury; relationships with women; betrayals; and brilliance as a leader--constantly defying the Soviets and always fearing for his country's future.

Genres: History, Politics, Biography, Nonfiction

185 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Milovan Đilas was a prolific political writer and former Yugoslav communist official remembered for his disillusionment with communism. Much of his work has been translated into English from Serbian. He was, above all, a literary artist. In several of his books, Djilas proclaimed himself a writer by vocation, and a politician only under the pressure of events.

Reviews

[Draganf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Đilasa, kao jednog od četvorice ključnih ljudi jugoslovenske vlasti, a kasnije jednog od najpoznatijih istočnoevropskih disidenata, svakako da vrijedi čitati. Ovo je jedna od onih rijetkih knjiga koje pišu sudionici važnih događaja i bliski saradnici autokratskih vođa, a koja, i pored sukoba, zatvora i progona autora, zadržava dovoljno objektivnosti da bi bila uspješna.

"Tito nikad, a pogotovo na vlasti, nije bio 'skroman' i 'običan', kao Staljin ili Mao: spoljni sjaj je bio njemu neophodan ne samo zbog intimnih skorojevićevskih nagona i nadovezivanja na tradicionalni monarhizam, nego i kao nadoknada ideološke neznatnosti i školske neučenosti."

[Otto]

A fair assessment of Tito's successes and failures, strengths and weaknesses, both ideological and personal. This is a rambling and deeply emotional book by Milovan Dijilas, one of Tito's comrades from the partisan days. Tragic, as all communist tales of disorienting betrayal are.

"I made my choice in accord with my vision, my ability, and my conscience. I am convinced that what I did was right, although I am unconvinced that I shall win in my lifetime. That is the heart of the matter. There lies the difference. Tito is the victor. And Tito is not concerned with the vanquished."

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, a review of this book is up at www.cloquetriverpress.com.
Peace
Mark

[Senad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book that is beautifully written, but that has to undergo historical scrutiny. Since it is mostly a memoir, written from the standpoint of Yugoslav dissident Milovan Đilas, no effort has been made into incorporating or listing sources (which is, given the style of the book, understandable). Moreover, the somewhat frustrated and salty reflection on Yugoslavia as a political project tends to far outweigh positive reflections, which are usually little side-notes in a barrage of criticism. I do not blame the writer for this, however, given his personal history.

There are a few reasons why I do not deem the book entirely trustworthy as a historical document:

1) A lack of sources and references that support the key-points Đilas attempts to make. Any claims that he makes would have to be researched extensively and thoroughly. After reading the book and having limited knowledge about Yugoslav history, I cannot really state for certain whether some of the claims are true, false, fabricated, verified at a later time, etc.

2) Dissidents are an important phenomenon in political history, but their statements are difficult to isolate from the fact that dissidents are usually highly in demand on the side of their government's opponents. This creates an incentive to pander to a certain audience, especially if writing or political commentary is your main profession. Yeonmi Park, a DPRK-dissident, is a well-known example of a dissident who is able to give an exclusive view into DPRK-society, but has been known to also utter incorrect statements. In my opinion, works of dissidents have an even more significant burden to provide sources and references, since writing about socialist countries and societies (and the leaders who govern them) is too often grandly sensationalised.

I believe that the main-pull of this book, regardless of historio-epistemological issues, is Milovan Đilas' perspective on Tito as a personality, as somebody who spent a better time of his formative years with him. Đilas provides interesting insights into how Tito could be perceived as a person, how he (allegedly) acted, etc.

I recommend reading this book, although with a grain of salt and with an appropriate critical attitude.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

"И именно в това – липсата на „политически усет”, на усет за гъвкави, постепенни тактически ходове с далечна цел – съм упрекван най-често и в Югославия, и извън нея. Аз пък смятах, че ако някой трябва да започне с критиката, с идеите, то това трябва да бъда аз, щом не желае никой по-високопоставен от мене, щом някой по-талантлив няма тази възможност… Тези идеи не бяха кой знае колко оригинални дори за Югославия, чувствах, че изразявам нещо, което извира отвсякъде - и неудържимо от мен…”

[mat3rialg3rl · Rating 3 out of 5]

ah yes, back when men in politics had style...
ofc I like to heretically read 10 books at the same time and make no progress on any of them...
for a while this was exclusively my subway read

[Jonas Mustonen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olen lukenut Milovan Djilasin Tito: Kriittinen elämänkerta suomenkielisen käännöksen. Kyseessä on erinomainen teos siitä miksi ihmiset laittavat toivonsa vahvoihin johtajiin ja kuinka nämä lähes järjestään pettävät heidät. Kyseessä on myös ruumiinavaus maasta nimeltä Jugoslavia ja kuinka puhtaasti voimankäyttöön nojaavat ratkaisut siirtävät ongelmia eivätkä valitettavasti oikeasti ratkaise niitä, ehkä jopa omalta osaltaan loivat edellytykset katastrofille.

Lukijan toki kannattaa olla myös kriittinen Djilasia kohtaan ja muistaa että jos häntä ei olisi syrjäytetty vallan huipulta ja Titon lähipiiristä olisiko hän koskaan avautunut näin täysillä.

[Steve Kettmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Djilas was right-hand man to Tito for a long time and that gives this account both the air of one who knows and also a certain quirky random quality. It could just as easily be called "My Tito," since it is very much his vision. That said, for anyone looking to gain more insight into the story of Yugoslavia and what happened when it begin to splinter into substates, I highly recommend this volume. Interesting, intelligent and well written.

[Reka O'connell · Rating 1 out of 5]

It could be the gem for historians, but as for me, this is the book that 'slowed me right down'. Yes, there are some good bits, but I found it really detailed, and full with references to historical events, chapters of which I had to re-read and than read again. If you don't know much about the politics of the era, I'd say you'll struggle to enjoy it.