A different take on the Balkan literature: Baška

Although it is based from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the magazine has a wide range of distribution and finds itself on shelves across major cities in Turkey as well.

The latest issue of the Baška magazine covered Skopje and as a result the team published the latest issue in Skopje, likewise they plan to publish the next issue in Prizren. In this way, they want to place a different story and a special meaning behind every issue.

Balkan Literature: Forgotten and Romanticised

Baška team aims to bring the forgotten Balkan literature to light, but knowing how mercilessly it has been romanticised in Turkey, they chart out a different route for the magazine.

This difference in approach does not mean they overlook the classical Balkanic themes, quite to the contrary, they explore and show different or never-seen-before aspects of these themes and topics. For example, you can come across an article on ex-Yugoslavia and a praise on Tito in one page and in the next you can see the traces of the Ottoman Empire, and after all is said and done you may find yourself in the Austro-Hungarian Empire!

Poetry, too, often graces the pages of this magazine. Reading Turkish literary giants such as Nazım Hikmet or Yahya Kemal in Bosnian language and finding the same rhythm to their poems is simply fascinating. Likewise, having hosted a Croatian and a Serbian poets in the 2. and 3. issues respectively, and plans to include more in the future, the magazine stands firmly behind its claim of being a Balkan magazine.

Baska team also has their hands in cinema! A short movie accompanies each new issue and leaves readers eagerly waiting for the next installment.

Long story short; Baska, meaning ‘different’ in English, and the team behind it deserves all the credit for being true to their name.

All that is left for you is to follow them in their journey.

Here you can find Baška on social media;

baskadergi.tumblr.com
balkanedebiyati.com
facebook.com/baskayiz
twitter.com/baskayiz