Belgrade: A Cultural and Literary History

Belgrade sits above the confluence of two great rivers, the Sava and Danube. It has been home to many civilizations: Celts, Romans, Byzantines, Bulgars, Magyars, Ottomans and Serbs. Frequently attacked and destroyed, it has been rebuilt many times, on each occasion a new city taking the place of the old. A Turkish fortress, the focus for a Serbian principality, an intellectual and artistic centre, the city grew until it became capital of Yugoslavia. Poised between East and West, bridging and dividing them, it is decorated with a rich architectural mix: traditional Balkan styles, European baroque influences, the results of socialist planning, contemporary innovations and design. Now it is one of the largest cities in south-eastern Europe and capital of the Republic of Serbia. Despite many challenges, Belgrade has resisted assimilation and created a unique cultural identity out of its many contrasting sides, sometimes with surprising consequences. City of Conflict: invaded, occupied and damaged in many wars; the scene of power struggles between the Ottoman and Habsburg empires, German and Soviet armies and the NATO alliance; a central point in the tumultuous history of the Balkans. City of Contrasts: Islam and Christianity, traditional Balkan styles, old-style kafanas and the modernity of New Belgrade; an ambiguous relationship with its troubled past, traces of which remain in hidden corners only to emerge like ghosts. City of Literature and Film: the emergence of a distinctive Serbian literature; epic poetry and modern fiction; the cinema of war and urban alienation.