Dubrovačke slike i prilike (1800-1880.)

In his work “Dubrovnik Pictures and Situations (1800–1880)”, Josip Bersa provides an extremely interesting account of Dubrovnik in the century after the fall of the Dubrovnik Republic. The work consists of a series of essay and narrative chapters in which Bersa, as a historian and chronicler, combines a scientific approach with personal memories and local anecdotes. The book covers a period of great social and political changes – from French and Austrian rule to the emergence of a new bourgeois class and the cultural modernization of the city.

With great spirit and irony, the author describes the customs, characters and situations that shaped Dubrovnik after the fall of the Republic in 1808. He pays special attention to social classes: the nobility trying to adapt to the new order, the citizens taking on leading roles and the cultural awakening that would mark the late 19th century. The book is also a monument to “old Dubrovnik” – humorous, nostalgic and filled with vivid details from everyday life, from fashion and language to customs and political turmoil.

It is interesting that Bersa, himself a descendant of an old Dubrovnik family, wrote from a distance, but also with a deep understanding of the local mentality. His style, rich and elegant, is characterized by clarity and warmth, which is why the book reads almost like a novel about the mentality of a city. “Dubrovnik Pictures and Situations” is often considered an indispensable work for understanding Dubrovnik’s cultural identity and an important bridge between the history and literature of southern Croatia.