Sarajevo

Robert J. Donia makes the case that Sarajevo has been underrated in accounts of world culture, society and politics, and that it deserves a central place in those histories. The book reframes the city as a place where many peoples, faiths and traditions met and mixed over the centuries.

Donia's account is a biography of the city itself, tracing its development from its origins as a Bosnian urban center through the Ottoman period, the Austro-Hungarian era and the Yugoslav years, and on to the devastating 1990s siege. The narrative follows the city's social life, communities and politics, treating Sarajevo as a subject in its own right rather than a backdrop to larger events.

The book suits readers interested in Balkan history, urban history and the making of multicultural cities, as well as anyone wanting to understand how a single city's experience can illuminate wider European and global developments.