Bora Ćosić on Exile and Serbia: A Writer's Perspective

Bora Ćosić, a Serbian writer, left Serbia in 1992 to protest the Milošević regime and has spent most of his life abroad. In a personal reflection, he questions whether a person can live without any homeland, suggesting that despite the possibility, something essential remains. The piece, published in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, explores themes of exile, identity, and the lasting pull of one's origins. Ćosić's departure was a deliberate political act against the regime, and his subsequent life in exile informs his perspective on belonging and the concept of home. The article does not provide specific details about his current location or additional biographical information, focusing instead on his philosophical meditations. The title itself hints at a generational reflection: 'When all work seems done – there is no indispensable advice that the old could give to the young.' This suggests a contemplation on the limits of intergenerational wisdom and the unique challenges of displacement. The source material is limited to these reflections, offering a window into the thoughts of a significant literary figure rather than a news event.