Balkan identity between the Orient and Europe in Milorad Pavić’s “Dictionary of the Khazars”
Balkan identity between the Orient and Europe in Milorad Pavić’s “Dictionary of the Khazars”

Summary/Abstract: This article analyzes the cultural, historical and religious contexts of Milorad Pavić’s postmodernnovel Dictionary of the Khazars. Its aim is to analyze the role of Oriental, Balkanand European literary and folkloric motifs as the means of Pavić’s original narrative strategy.Another goal is to discuss whether Pavić’s employment of these motifs could be framed interms of Gingrich’s concept of frontier Orientalism, or should be conceptualized by othercategories. Pavić’s approaches toward the Balkan’s common identity seems to be more likelybased on the idea of a crossroad than the idea of “no man’s land” of liminal frontier area.The author discusses the accuracy of applying already existing theoretical concepts to Pavić’sworks and tries to propose conceptual instruments that would enable to see the work of thispostmodern writer in a more accurate manner.

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