Zlata's Diary (1995)

I finished reading Zlata's Diary this evening. I read another Kindle edition published in 1995 by Penguin amongst their Puffin Books collection with an introduction by Krishnan Guru-Murthy and translated by Christina Pribichevich.

I must say that I was told to read this book as well as Anne Frank's Diary by a teacher when I was still in primary school, though I never did. From the little that my teacher told us I became quite fascinated by the idea of writing a diary at a young age and even becoming "famous" for it. I remember being inspired by their approach of naming their diaries and so when I was a little girl I not only started writing my own personal diary, with which I had no intention of becoming famous, but I also decided to name it like they did. That diary didn't last but I thought it about time to pick up (or download) Zlata's Diary to at least get an idea, however minute, of the Bosnian war. It's a war that we don't speak enough about and yet it was far more recent than the Second World War and still in a neighbouring European country.

I began reading the book just yesterday evening and finished it this evening. It's a fairly quick read because the entries are short and written in fairly simple language. We are quickly made aware that Zlata is an intelligent young girl from a well-off family. Her family is small, as she has no siblings, and appears to be quite secularised. There is hardly any mention of religion apart from major holidays such as Christmas and Bairam (also known as Eid). There are many references to popular culture, which mark the recency of the events but also her general lifestyle and interests.

The diary entries are largely descriptive, as they note key events and happenings in Zlata's life as well as comments on her feelings towards these events. Naturally she makes consistent comparisons between life before the war and during it. Changes such as animals being abandoned and trees in the parks being cut down for firewood are only some small examples of the extent of the desperation in the city.

While the girl is unaware of the political intricacies and reasonings she eventually learns to be quite cynical in regards to political peace agreements and gestures. She learns that reasons for the war lie in the differences between the Serbs, Croats and Muslims, a difference she had never experienced amongst her own community and her mixed group of friends.

What I found significant was that she not only compares the war outside her home to the scenes of films about the Second World War but she was also likened to Anne Frank, which worried her as she did not want to share the same fate. Despite these striking similarities and the act of genocide that took place in Bosnia, we, for some reason, do not remind ourselves of or teach others about the atrocities in this War in the same way as we recall the Holocaust.

The two core things that appear to have helped Zlata, her family and neighbours were humanitarian aid that provided food and water and other supplies as well as the media attention that she was able to receive due to her diary on the war. She was able to develop relationships, spread awareness about the war and eventually find a way to escape the torments of the war zone.

The difficulties of war on civilians is unfortunately something we still know of today and Zlata describes the desire to escape while also recognising that refugee life is not always an easy option either. Even in the not-so-distant past we see that refugees were being rejected and sent back. How history repeats itself! While I found the story touching and valuable, I feel that clearly there is still a warmongering attitude in the world that allows such atrocities to repeat themselves at the expense of millions of innocent lives and the destruction of the environment. And with this in mind, I wonder if the book teaches us anything at all or if this has become a genre of literature designed partly for entertainment and partly to appeal to our desensitised selves to the sufferings of people who could be us.