Kin
Bosnia and Herzegovina

Kin

by Miljenko Jergović

Family & Heritage Historical Fiction Family Saga 2021

Summary

Spanning the twentieth century, Kin is an expansive family saga that traces generations of one family through the turbulent history of the Balkans. Beginning with forgotten relatives and seemingly insignificant objects—a grandfather’s beekeeping journals, a rusty lighter, an old military raincoat—Miljenko Jergović reconstructs a world shaped by personal memories, family secrets, and historical upheaval. From the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the two World Wars to the Cold War and the Bosnian War of the 1990s, the novel follows the transformations of Sarajevo and the changing identities of the people who call it home. Blending memoir, fiction, and historical reflection, Jergović explores how political violence and shifting borders reverberate through ordinary lives. At its heart, Kin is a meditation on belonging, memory, and the fragile connections between generations—a tribute to a multicultural world threatened by nationalism, intolerance, and forgetting.

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Country
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Europe
About the author
Miljenko Jergović
Miljenko Jergović

Miljenko Jergović is a Bosnian-Croatian novelist, poet, and journalist known for his powerful explorations of memory, war, identity, and the complexities of life in the former Yugoslavia. Born in Sarajevo in 1966, he grew up in a multicultural environment shaped by the region’s diverse ethnic and religious traditions. His writing often examines how political upheaval, nationalism, and historical violence affect ordinary people and fracture families and communities. His acclaimed works include Sarajevo Marlboro (1994), a collection of short stories depicting everyday life during the Bosnian War, and The Walnut Mansion (2003), a multigenerational family saga set against the backdrop of twentieth-century Balkan history. Combining lyrical prose, dark humor, and psychological insight, Jergović explores the fragility of belonging and the ways personal memories intersect with collective history. His work has established him as one of the most prominent literary voices of the post-Yugoslav region.

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Details
Published
2021
Author
Miljenko Jergović