On Some Aspects of Andrić’s Autobiographical Writing During His Diplomatic Mission in Spain and France – Travelogues, Letters, and Diaries

Abstract

Although Andrić’s work has been analyzed from various scholarly perspectives across different epochs and socio-historical contexts, a specific segment of his oeuvre remains insufficiently explored. This segment pertains to Andrić’s literary work and influences during his diplomatic mission, particularly his time in Spain and later in France. Consequently, the number of academic studies directly addressing this aspect of Andrić’s output is relatively limited. This is especially true when it comes to his autobiographical documentary prose—travelogues, letters, and diaries—which address the Iberian and Gallic regions within a distinct socio-historical context. The objective of this paper, therefore, is to employ discourse-analytic methods and procedures to examine what the travel writer, within the framework of the imagological reference system, pays particular attention to, how he perceives specific details or events, what axiological judgments he makes regarding his observations and experiences, and, in turn, the kind of imagological information he seeks to convey to readers about Spanish and French territories and cultures. The research will focus on a corpus comprising two of Andrić’s travelogues: “Spanish Reality and the First Steps in It” and “Portugal, the Green Land.” The paper will also examine Andrić’s epistolary discourse and private diaries that he kept throughout his literary career, particularly during his diplomatic mission in France in the 1920s. The intimate reflections of this writer, diplomat, and, above all, chronicler of human destiny during times of turbulent historical events, will be explored through his private correspondence, particularly the collection “Letters.” Drawing on his personal diaries, the originality of his epistolary prose structure will be uncovered, characterized by a fragmented, collage-like composition. Such an approach will provide insight into Andrić’s personal reflections and attitudes toward socio-historical events on the one hand, and the aesthetic and poetic framework underpinning the creation of his major literary works on the other. Finally, the study will reveal the extent to which Andrić’s aesthetic and thematic originality, artistic attitudes, and literary creation were influenced by his professional diplomatic service in Spain and France.