Black Butterflies: SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE 2023

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Through the experiences of Zora and others like her who remain in the city – increasingly not by inclination but due to the impossibility of doing anything else – the reader witnesses what it was like to live (although ‘exist’ might be a better world) through what became known as the siege of Sarajevo. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.

It was mentioned in the Author's Note that Black Butterflies is inspired by Priscilla Morris's great-uncle's story (where her great-uncle, an artist, was devastated and vowed not to paint after the destruction of the Vijećnica, the National Library of Bosnia) and the rescue of Priscilla Morris's maternal grandparents by her father from the Siege of Sarajevo. Multi-cultural Sarajevo, with its splendid Hapsburg past eventually comes under siege in the Bosnian War of 1992. This book explores both the atrocity of war, including the desperate toll on innocent people who are just trying to live. Left on her own, she spends her time painting her favorite bridges and landscapes in her studio on the top floor of the Vijećnica (Town Hall), teaching and hoping for better days. She knows all its alleys and courtyards, all its scents and sounds - the way the light falls at the end of their street in wintertime, the rattle of the tram, the blowsy roses that bloom each June in the mosque gardens, the plums and fogs in the autumn, the ponderous old men playing chess in the cafes, the mahalas - the old neighborhoods - that radiate from the centre like the spiral of a snail’s shell.

The author mentions in her note that there are no ethnic identities but national identities in Bosnia, but unless you read her note entirely, you won’t understand why.

A harrowing examination into the siege of Sarajevo in 1992, a period in history of which I knew nothing. The author depicts the complexities of war that includes turning neighbor against neighbor, making difficult decisions to leave or stay, caring for strangers, family, and friends, waking up one day as a refugee, loyalty to neighborhood and homeland, friends and acquaintances of different ethnicities are suddenly enemies, separation of families, etc. Before the Russian invasion, I saw an interview with some Ukrainian citizens and they reported that they were not concerned and planned to continue on with their normal activities…. So I found myself a little lost at times in understanding the geography and the politics of the region. The residents of Zora’s apartment building stuck together and supported each other revealing their resilience and love for their community as they painted, sang and watched out for one another.Nisam baš sigurna šta sam tačno očekivala, ali ovo što sam dobila je onako, recimo ok, tačno pisana za zapadnjake. I was interested in the subject matter but this feels superficial in treatment and with no subtlety or nuance or additional historical insight, or any sense of knowledge beyond that which anyone outside of the former Yugoslavia could have read in the newspapers.

Inspired by real-life accounts of the longest siege in modern warfare, only thirty years ago, Black Butterflies is a breathtaking portrait of disintegration, resilience and hope. It had a vibrancy though and a carpe diem pulse to it that I imagine only a city and its inhabitants that have been to the brink can really comprehend. Initially we see her painting its bridges and landscapes—and later the destruction and fires that take over the city. The devastation of the war - the death, the hunger, the destruction of the city, the freezing cold of winter with no heat, and more - plays out on these pages. Based on the experiences of those who lived through the Bosnian war, including the author’s own family, Black Butterflies demonstrates the strength of the human spirit, the power of art but also, as the people of Ukraine have discovered, that the peace and security we enjoy can vanish in a moment.

I think this might be the first work of fiction that I have read about the Bosnian War; it won't be the last. Empathic and immersive, it’s a story of humanity and community in a war zone: a story of survival when everything seems to be falling apart. Exploring the Siege of Sarajevo through the lens of one woman’s experience, Morris’ haunting novel about a painter and teacher who refuses to flee combines the traumatic realities of war with hope, resilience and solace in art. The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.