Bosna i Hercegovina u češkim književnim putopisima prve polovine 20. veka
Bosnia and Hercegovina in Czech literary travelogues of the first half of 20th century

Summary/Abstract: Travelogue records of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the pen of Czech authors can be traced back to earlier periods, but records with genre traits of literary travelogue can be seen only from the second half of the 19th century, to reach their expansion in the number and artistic quality in the 20th century. This will be influenced by non-literary factors, above all a different historical and political map of the Balkans, but also the formal and poetic characteristics of the travelogue genre. For the Czech travelogue writers, Bosnia and Herzegovina has not been identified with the Ottoman Empire since the beginning of the 20th century but is rather described as part of the Balkans inhabited by Slavic people who are viewed with affection and admiration for the rich folk tradition and heroic struggle for independence, while the Ottoman heritage in the culture and tradition of Bosnia is recognised as a particularly attractive exotics. Through the examples of the travelogues of Ludvik Kuba, Jiři Daneš, Jiři Mahen and Vaclav Fiala, the picture of Bosnia and Herzegovina is sketched, which the Czech travelogue writers in their time conveyed to their readers, but on the other hand, the outlines are given of the wider picture of the history, past, tradition and the culture of this country viewed from the angle of another. Finally, the analysis of selected literary travelogues also reveals an objective and subjective map of the encounter between the culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina and that of Czechia. In terms of the selected art form, these travelogues range from humorous and satirical stories, reportage reports, adventure reading, through photographic record commentary, folkloric and ethnographic studies, to deep intellectual and spiritual meditation.

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