Notes of a Hostage

Notes of a Hostage is an autobiographical book describing the life and times of Svetozar Ćorović, a prominent Serb poet and writer from Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina during the opening stages of WWI. Before the outbreak of the Great War, Ćorović was elected as an MP of the of the only parliament under Austro-Hungarian rule over Bosnia and Herzegovina (1910-1913). This made him a prime target to be taken as a hostage by the authorities once the decision to start a war against Serbia was set in Vienna. Hostages were citizens of Austria-Hungary from Bosnia and Herzegovina, exclusively Serbs (of any religious affiliation) who during the First World War were responsible with their lives for the orderly conduct of the population, safety of the railways, troops and any infrastructure or factories deemed important enough by the authorities.