Andric and Byron or transformation by beauty: 'Byron in Sintra' as a proposal for the school reading list

Abstract

The paper proposes, within the context of the continuity of the presence of Ivo Andrić in the curricula, a new, additional reading and interpretation of this great Serbian writer. The short story that should be included in the school reading list is the story 'Byron in Sintra' and the reasons for selecting this story from the writer's wide literary opus are numerous. Inclined to combine the factual and the fictional in his work, Andrić told his story about Byron in which, in his unique style, he de­scribed the highs and the lows that human beings can reach in their pursuit of meaning and serenity. In this masterfully written short story, full of fluid hints and inner psychological drama, through what belongs to the outer world, as well as through 'flashing visions' and not by means of an epic narrative, the writer confronts the reader with the effect of the beauty that in a 'man of senses', such as Byron, opens an abyss and arouses previously undreamed of dimensions where things, which even desire cannot define precisely, can be realised. The reading and interpretation of the story would provide the students with new possibilities for understanding Andrić's story-telling skills, show how literary motifs correlate and call for reconsideration in the works of the great writers, as well as confront them with the questions regarding the complexity of the human nature, the world in general and the opportunities and obstacles that it constantly provides.