Borislav Pekić stands as one of the most formidable titans of 20th-century Serbian and Yugoslav literature. His 1988 novel Atlantida (Atlantis) is a masterpiece of speculative fiction, political allegory, and philosophical inquiry. Winning the prestigious Gorančić Prize, the novel cements Pekić’s reputation as a writer who seamlessly blends high art with genre fiction.
While Western audiences are deeply familiar with Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World , George Orwell’s 1984 , and Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? , Borislav Pekić’s Atlantis deserves a place alongside these seminal works. It provides a distinctly Central/Eastern European perspective on the dystopian genre—one that is deeply informed by the real-world traumas of 20th-century ideological experimentation.
Borislav Pekić stands as one of the most towering literary figures of 20th-century Serbian and Yugoslav literature. Known for his sweeping historical allegories, deep philosophical inquiries, and razor-sharp socio-political critiques, Pekić’s bibliography is a masterclass in challenging the boundaries of fiction. Among his most ambitious projects is Atlantis ( Atlantida ), published in 1988. Winning the prestigious Goran Award, the novel serves as the crowning achievement of Pekić’s informal anthropological sci-fi trilogy, which also includes Besnilo ( Rabies ) and 1999 . Borislav Pekic Atlantida.pdf
Beyond the elusive PDF, Atlantida is available in several reliable formats:
Pekić's narrative is a deliberate provocation, challenging the reader to confront uncomfortable truths about a society that "punishes the existence of an inquisitive spirit" and "harasses individuality," all while ostensibly promoting it. This critique of a world trapped in the "general illusion" of progress where the "island illusion of isolation" can suddenly vanish is perhaps more resonant today than ever before. Borislav Pekić stands as one of the most
On the third day he woke in a bookstore in a city that smelled faintly of brine and dust, the ledger gone and a small, salt-polished coin in his palm. He could not remember the sound of his wife's laughter, but he carried an atlas of corridors in his head that led to doors labeled with verbs: To-Begin, To-Return, To-Undo. Sometimes, at night, he could hear from deep beneath the river a low hum like a far-off chorus rehearsing names.
For those interested in delving deeper into the world of "Atlantida", we recommend exploring the following resources: While Western audiences are deeply familiar with Aldous
Borislav Pekić’s 1988 novel is a foundational work of Serbian postmodernism, functioning as an anthropological thriller that reimagines human history as a hidden conflict between humanity and a superior android species. Utilizing a "palimpsest" structure, the narrative investigates themes of cyclical history, the posthuman condition, and the nature of consciousness through a mix of myth, science fiction, and meta-fictional analysis. For a detailed academic analysis of the posthuman elements, see this [Link: research article https://www.radovi.ff.ues.rs.ba/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/07-Zeljka-Babic-A-linguists-account-on-posthuman-history-rewriting.pdf]. ResearchGate