ABSTRACT Since its publication in 2018, the novel Uhvati zeca (Catch the Rabbit) by Lana Bastašić (Zagreb, 1986) has entered the European and the global market as a novel that problematises the identity of the generation brought up during the Bosnian war (1992–1995), the role of language in the construction of that identity, and the different forms of displacement experienced by the two female protagonists. Along with these thematic traits, Bastašić also establishes a dialogue with Dubravka Ugrešić’s work and the Southeastern European tradition that problematises the linguistic myth constructions, as well as the established ideas of Europeanness and transnationalism, focusing on voices from the margins of the continent. This article analyses Bastašić’s work with the methodological perspective of the global novel discussion and explains the narrative strategies that allow a reflection on identity from both a local and a global perspective: aware of the political implications of the narrative construction of identity, Bastašić novel refuses to adapt to simplified global literary models circulating in the global market and provides a complex view on the narrative strategies of national and European identity building.
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