Ivo Andric and the contradictions of human nature

Ivo Andric is one of the greatest Serbian and Yugoslavian writers who, through his literature, touched on topics that are universal to human existence. Through his works, Andric dealt with the duality of the human soul and the struggle between darkness and light, between dark forces that cause pain not only to others, but also to oneself, and the light and glimmer of hope in anthropological pessimism and the omnipresent darkness of the human soul.

Andric's literature is full of symbolism that points to the tragic fate of human existence. His novels, such as "The Bridge on the Drina", "The Chronicles of Travnik", and "The Damned Yard", tell of people who are trapped in their own limitations and yearn for something better and different, but are doomed to live in a world where everything seems predetermined and where change is impossible. This condemnation to existential suffering and pain that sometimes tears us apart is a theme that Andric constantly explores and is reflected in all of his works.

In Andric's works, man confronts his inevitable tragic fate and the unattainability of his desires and wishes, which often leads to false hopes and soul-tearing. However, Andric points to man as an irreplaceable individual who strives for something better, different, and even perfect. Although human suffering is inevitable, Andric emphasizes that man should fight against evil, primarily in human nature, and that art and literature have their role in that.

Andric is a witness to the tragic human existence that constantly repeats itself in all times and at all levels of power. He points to man as a being that is in a struggle between darkness and light, between the storms that tear apart and the peace that is visible from the outside, but is only an illusion. Andric emphasizes that man's fight against evil and suffering does not stop at the end of the novel, but is a constant process that is reflected in all spheres of life.