Andrić's Mirror of the Unconscious: Book, Dreams and Archetypes

The literary program of the XXXIX Theatre City Festival continued last night with a meaningful literary discussion at Poets' Square, dedicated to marking the 50th anniversary of the death of the Nobel Prize winner. Ivo AndrićThe guest of the evening was Dr. Jasmina Ahmetagić, a literary theorist and university professor, who presented her new study "The Book of Andrić" to the audience, interpreting Andrić's work through Jung's psychological theory of archetypes and the collective unconscious.

The evening's moderator was a literary critic and professor Milorad Durutović, which Ahmetagić presented as an authority that marks our time, not only from the context of literature, but also as a precious voice in a time that cries out for deeper reading and understanding. In his study, Ahmetagić applies Jung's theory of archetypes to the characters from Andrić's prose, arguing that Andrić's heroes demand precisely such an interpretation, because their depth and symbolism are not exhausted in traditional, aesthetic analysis. Archetypes such as the anima, animus, shadow, and persona are recognized in the psychological profiles of his characters, which opens the door to a deeper, transpersonal interpretation.

"The hero actually shows in that dream that he is completely terrified by the idea of a real relationship. And then we see that another way in which the anima or animus appears to us is a certain type of belief that is lived in life or the variability of moods. This is a man who has constantly changing moods from the beginning of the story. You very quickly, following that line, gather that he is probably partly an artist, and that in fact his dream is trying to compensate for his conscious situation. On a conscious level, he lives comfortably alone," Ahmetagić pointed out, interpreting the story "The Ivory Woman".

She emphasized that the aim of the book is not to forcefully apply Jung, but to show how the universal ideas of Jungian psychology organically correspond to the layers of Andrić’s narrative world. One of the key thematic axes of the book is the oneiric space or dream space, which Andrić uses as a narrative technique, but also as a symbolic channel for expressing the inner states of the characters. Ahmetagić evokes Jung’s definition of a dream as a “royal road to the unconscious”, and then analyzes in detail stories in which the dream not only reflects the character’s state, but also reveals their psychological dynamics, often hidden in the narrative. As a successful example, Ahmetagić cites the story “The Ivory Woman”, where the character is in a seemingly fantastic narrative, but is actually going through a deep psychological crisis, which the dream reveals.

"If you don't understand a dream, you're even mistaken in defining the genre of prose. Because this prose seems like prose that carries a kind of Gothic atmosphere, some fantastic atmosphere filled with fear, so it's a bit reminiscent of those Gothic-medieval fantasy stories. Even before I got into the analysis of this dream, I realized that it's a psychological story par excellence and that this story is about a hero dreaming something and then misinterpreting his dream," said Ahmetagić, adding that Andrić had proven one thing even in his youth. "And that is that great literature has the ability to penetrate very deeply into what is anthropological, universal, archetypal, and writers intuitively penetrate to some kind of profound knowledge that they can't even consciously explain."

A significant segment of the presentation was dedicated to Andrić's short story "Anikina vremena", which the author claims is the focal point of her study, that is, the story in which the archetypal dynamics of fear of the feminine are most deeply manifested. "Men have their feminine side and in fact, according to Jung, creation takes place from that feminine side, or from the anima. It was best if that side was nurtured, if he knew how to use it. The anima is responsible for the dialogue that a man can achieve. The anima is responsible for expressing emotions. We know that we live in a space in which men have such difficulty expressing emotions, because they simply did not have the educational or cultural task of learning to do so. And that is a cultural task, and Andrić gives us a cultural picture in the story "Anikina vremena". So, the more advanced and rational the times are, the more our unconscious is suppressed."

Ahmetagić particularly highlights Andrić's visionary sensitivity to psychological abuse, which he demonstrates through an analysis of the story of Anica Zareković and her husband Andrija in the work "Abuse".

"Andrić portrays emotional abuse as equally destructive as physical abuse. He has shown how a society, as well as the legal system, still does not acknowledge the invisible traces of abuse," said Ahmetagić, adding that this interpretation relies on details from the text, such as the physiological symptoms of stress suffered by the heroine, indicating that Andrić deeply understands the psychological patterns of power, domination, and manipulation.

The evening's moderator, Milorad Durutović, pointed out that Andrić has never been more relevant.

“His work, as this book shows, continues to be revealed through different interpretative keys. Jasmina Ahmetagić’s ‘Book about Andrić’ is not only a new critical study, but also an important cultural and psychological document that returns Andrić to the center of contemporary conversations about identity, gender, culture, and the unconscious.”

"Great literature is deeply psychological, even when it is not aware of it. With his characters, Andrić anticipated everything we talk about today in the language of psychology - and that is why he is still alive and unavoidable," said Ahmetagić.

Responding to a question from the audience that had gathered in large numbers at Poets' Square, Ahmetagić concluded that no other knowledge can serve us if we don't read.

"The classics and great literature are what most directly concern our lives, and if we need to address some missions, even historical ones, it is best to turn to literature."

Emanuel Ruben tomorrow at Poets' Square about "Mediterranean Women"

On Thursday, July 17th, at 20 p.m., at Poets' Square, this year's literary program of the "City of Theatre" festival continues with a guest appearance Emanuela Rubena, one of the authors who creates contemporary literary trends in French literature with his poetics and who will present his latest novel "Mediterranean Women" at the Square. Emmanuel Ruben was born in Lyon. He graduated in geography from the École normale supérieure in Lyon, and then continued his education at the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations in Paris. He published his first novel, Halte à Yalta, in 2010. The Snow Line (La ligne des glaces) is his third novel, which was shortlisted for the prestigious Goncourt Prize in 2014. After spending several years in European countries, both Western and Eastern, Emmanuel Ruben now lives and works in France.

The travelogue "Along the Danube" was awarded the French Nicolas Bouvier Prize, the Amerigo Vespucci Prize, the Sports and Literature Prize, and the Amic Prize of the French Academy. The novel Mediteranke was awarded the prize for best historical novel in 2022.

As stated on the website of the publisher, "Akademska knjiga" from Novi Sad: "In this great book of laughter and tears, in which there is something of an initiatory quest, a story about roots, a saga about a family and a love novel at the same time, Emanuel Ruben celebrates the land of his ancestors and gives it a new face."

The moderator of the evening is Bozena Jelušić, professor of literature and media literacy and writer. The translator is Zeljka Jankovic, professor of French literature and culture.