“Diary of Zlata Filipovic”

“… The war has suddenly entered our city, our home, our heads, our lives.” The diary of 12-year-old Zlata Filipović about her life in Sarajevo during the siege was first published in 1993 in a bilingual Bosnian-English edition. It had facsimiles of the original script, followed by English translation by Ferida Duraković. 2.000 copies were published and disseminated by the International Centre for Peace, with the support of several international NGOs: “Intervenir Toulouse”, “SOS Balkanes”, “Komitee für Grundrechte und Demokratie e.V.” and “Beati i Costruttori di pace”. It was soon discovered by international publishing houses who made their own editions in French, English, German and several other languages. Often presented as contemporary version of Anne Frank’s diary, the book became an international bestseller. Thanks to the attention the diary attracted, Zlata Filipović and her parents could leave Sarajevo in December 1993 and found refuge in France. She was invited to tv shows and by politicians, which was criticized by several solidarity groups who accused mainstream media and politics of misusing the young girl for entertainment and hiding their own failures. Zlata Filipović later moved to the UK and lives today in Dublin.