After his release, he studied experimental psychology at the University of Belgrade and began a successful career as a screenwriter, with his film The Fourteenth Day representing Yugoslavia at the Cannes Film Festival in 1961. His first novel, Vreme čuda (The Time of Miracles), was published in 1965, but it was Houses , which won the prestigious NIN Award in 1970, that solidified his reputation. Shortly after, he emigrated to London, where he lived as an expatriate, continuing to write and advocate for democratic reform until his death from lung cancer in 1992. He is remembered as a giant of 20th-century literature, a master of irony and "critical integralism" who deconstructed utopian thinking and the dogma of all ideologies.
Borislav Pekić’s Atlantida (Atlantis), published in 1988, is a cornerstone of modern Serbian literature and a landmark in the science fiction and dystopian genres. As the second installment in Pekić’s acclaimed —alongside Besnilo (Rabies) and 1999 —it explores the haunting possibility that our "Indo-Machine" civilization is not truly human, but a metaphorical and literal android construct. The Core Premise: A War Between Humans and Androids
Have you read Pekić's work? Share your thoughts on how his vision of Atlantis compares to modern dystopian fiction. borislav pekic atlantidapdf
The novel's genesis is fascinating. The author originally wrote an essay on the subject, but it was a dream that compelled him to write the novel. In his words, his ambitions were to conduct an "artistic analysis of our machine-industrialized civilization, which, in many respects, I did not find to be human". The narrative is described as a dynamic struggle between human and robot civilizations that coexist on Earth, a blend of negative utopia, a classic epic, and a crime thriller.
: A PDF version of the book's preface and study notes for students of Serbian literature can be found on After his release, he studied experimental psychology at
Pekić is widely considered one of the greatest 20th-century Serbian authors, with receiving the prestigious Goran Award Intellectual Depth: Readers on
praise the book for its complex narrative and philosophical layers, though some warn it requires significant concentration and imagination to fully grasp. Modern Relevance: He is remembered as a giant of 20th-century
This article explores the novel's origins, its core themes, its place in Pekić's grand literary vision, and its legacy in an era where digital discovery has become the primary way to encounter literature.
To understand Atlantida , one must first understand its author, a figure whose life was as dramatic and complex as his fiction. Borislav Pekić (1930–1992) is celebrated as one of the most significant Serbian literary figures of the 20th century. His life was marked by extraordinary contrasts—from communist prisoner to celebrated expatriate author, from screenwriter to political activist.
The central, haunting question posed by the novel is direct and unsettling: "Are you a human or an android?" As you read, you are forced to confront this about yourself and the world around you. The novel explores a reality where the line between authentic human experience and artificial, programmed existence has become almost imperceptible. This reflects Pekić's broader intellectual project, what one scholar calls his "critical integralism" — a systematic skepticism that interrogates all fixed truths, whether religious, political, or technological.
It is worth noting that Atlantida is sometimes grouped with Pekić's other anthropological studies, including 1999: Antropološka povest (1999: An Anthropological Tale) and Besnilo (Rabies). Why Atlantida Matters Today
