Balkanski paradoks periferije i izgnanih / The Balkan Paradox of the Periphery and the Expelled

This paper explores the Balkan paradox of the concepts of ‘periphery’ and ‘exile’ in Ivo Andric’s work, Travnik Chronicle (1945). The aim of this research is to show that what Andric called “third world” actually consists of the men expelled to a territory which was in fact the periphery of the empire, and therefore creates a paradoxical notion of exile. The research method employed consists of an analysis of the Travnik Chronicle, specifically sections that relate to the personality of the protagonists of the “third world” (Davna, Rota, Kolonja), as well as a comparison with some sections of the work The Bridge on the Drina (1945). The result of the analysis leads to the uncovering of a paradox within a paradox, where the “third world” group is undermined from the inside by one of its members (Kolonja) who opposes the axiom of choice.