
The magazine was initially intended to have a dual function. First, it would attempt to re-establish some of the lines of communication between regional and ethnic communities in the Balkans that had been abruptly severed. Second, it would focus on the creation of a regional public forum that would foster, facilitate and encourage dialogue among important intellectuals and regionally recognized public activists, thus contributing to the overall process of reconciliation in the countries of former Yugoslavia.
In each issue, topics of regional importance are initiated with comprehensive interpretations from different perspectives. Topics have included: women's writing; writers on the border-line; writers and nationalism; writers' responsibility; non-European Europe; the national literary canon; the city/town; nomadism; young writers; contemporary literature and our languages; and regional focuses on contemporary drama, the contemporary novel, the contemporary short story, contemporary poetry, contemporary criticism, and contemporary film. The English edition of Sarajevo Notebook, "Best of Sarajevo Notebooks", selects articles published in the magazine up to 2007.
Sarajevo Notebook also concentrates on current socio-political issues, such as the position of Balkans in the wider context of European culture and political practice; post-totalitarian nationalism; the responsibility of intellectuals in disrupted social conditions; and the cultural and political aspects of transition.
Over time, Sarajevo Notebook has grown into an extremely important example of regional cooperation and an influential forum that provides a space for debate on different themes relevant for regional integration in the wider European context. A total number of 30 000 copies of Sarajevo Notebook have been published and distributed throughout the region, as well as to a number of important destinations in Europe, for example Slavonic faculties at various universities and libraries.
Our donors are or have been: The Open Society Fund BiH; The Balkan Trust for Democracy, Norway Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Portugal, France, Great Britain, Spain, Slovenia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, United States of America; Zagreb City; the European Community; the Goethe-Institut Sarajevo; KulturKontakt Austria; Buybook bookshop Sarajevo; Carl Bildt. All have also served as valued consultants and collaborators helping us to implement our project.
Self-description in Bosnian














