Thursday, 13 February 2025

"The Enigma of Victory" Chronicles Dubrovnik's War History Now Available in English Edition

Written by  Jul 10, 2024

"The Enigma of Victory," a collection of testimonies from Croatian defenders about events in the Dubrovnik area during the Homeland War of 1991, has now been published in an abridged English edition after two Croatian editions.

This remarkable historical document is a project by the ArtFormat association, launched in 2007, which recorded and published numerous testimonies of Croatian defenders in collaboration with the Croatian Memorial-Documentation Centre of the Homeland War, various veterans' associations, and the Dubrovnik Museum of the Homeland War, under the patronage of the City of Dubrovnik.

Reviewers have described the book as the result of the most comprehensive research and compilation of memoir material ever conducted on any Croatian battlefield from 1991. The publishers are Art Format and the Croatian Memorial-Documentation Centre of the Homeland War.

Oliver Pezo, a journalist and cameraman, is the author of the books "The Enigma of Victory" and its Croatian version "Zagonetka pobjede," which deal with the early days of the Homeland War in Dubrovnik, a crucial historical period now preserved and documented for both present and future generations. The seriousness of the entire project is evident from the years Pezo has dedicated to this comprehensive project. The effort to locate and interview participants of the events, recording and filming, and the endless reading of the recorded material is unprecedented, especially concerning this subject. Pezo is still deeply involved in the project, which is yet to culminate in a TV documentary series, funding for which depends on book sales.

27322569

Oliver Pezo 

The project includes hundreds of defenders and other witnesses, more than 800 veterans from the wider Dubrovnik area, and defenders of Dubrovnik who came to aid from other parts of Croatia. Although the statements of Croatian historians, memories of various service employees, journalists, or medical staff have been recorded, the majority of testimonies belong to the defenders, making it clear that the content is primarily military in nature. As the years go by, many witnesses have unfortunately passed away, but their memories have been recorded for eternity, giving a special significance and purpose to the entire project.

449536539 1846625849096915 2520564319620344669 n

The abridged English edition "The Enigma of Victory" is a result of the significant interest of numerous visitors in Dubrovnik's rich history. They are particularly interested in the period of the Serbian-Montenegrin destructive and conquering siege of Dubrovnik during the Homeland War, its causes, and the sequence of events that they are trying to understand.

What makes the English edition unique is the foreword by the famous English journalist Paul Davies, who during the siege of Dubrovnik managed to break the media blockade imposed by the aggressor and sent television reports of the city's destruction, having a tremendous impact on the global public. Besides the foreword, the now-retired journalist and recipient of the City of Dubrovnik award in 2023, shared his first-hand experiences in Dubrovnik, recalling the fates of some of our fellow citizens, our defiance and suffering, becoming an important part of Dubrovnik's history himself.

449898842 1017925409866455 4555600934934032439 n

The first edition of "The Enigma of Victory" was published in 2015, the second expanded edition in 2023, and this year, the English edition.

The books can be purchased at Algebra bookstores on Stradun, the Society of Friends of Dubrovnik Antiquities store on Široka Street, and in several souvenir shops.

The Voice of Dubrovnik

THE VOICE OF DUBROVNIK


Find us on Facebook