Land Without Justice

by Milovan Djilas, Enrique Pizzoni (Translator)

The autobiography of the youth of the former Vice President of Yugoslavia, which is also the story of a little-known land, Montenegro. Introduction and notes by William Jovanovich. Translated by Michael B. Petrovich.

Genres: Biography, History, Autobiography, Memoir, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

Milovan Đilas was a prolific political writer and former Yugoslav communist official remembered for his disillusionment with communism. Much of his work has been translated into English from Serbian. He was, above all, a literary artist. In several of his books, Djilas proclaimed himself a writer by vocation, and a politician only under the pressure of events.

Reviews

[Andrew Weitzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look into the life of a Montenegrin growing up during the early 1900s and how the savage and primitive conditions of the country at the time drove him towards communism. Despite it being the back-story for the author's political convictions, it is not a political book at all. It's definitely worth reading if you have an interest in Balkan history. The only downside of this book is the author's tendency to jump around a bit in the timeline, especially in part 3 when discussing his schooling. Otherwise a very interesting book.

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolute 'must read' for everyone who wants to understand Montenegro. I wasn't even aware of how little I know.

I had prejudice against Djilas as a literate, (I thought that it is too much for one person to be a revolutionist, politician, theorist, diplomat, dissident and a great writer), but he proved me wrong.

[Jovana Marović]

In the very first sentence of this book, the author says that the history of a family can reflect the soul of a country and he goes on to demonstrate that quite well. It’s absolutely fine to read Đilas despite all the controversies, because he truly is a great writer. With all the social divisions it portrays, this book sadly remains relevant even today.

[Sead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knjiga koja docarava mentalitet i istoriju Crnogoraca u 19. i pocetkom 20. veka. Djilas obuhvata i istorijske i licne dogadjaje i to kako se oni prelamaju u coveku i oblikuju ga. Iako sam ranije citao Djilasa, iznenadilo me je koliko lijepo pripoveda i uklapa licne storije likova sa istorijsko-politickim dogadjajima i njihovim uticajem na likove. Iako se radi o memoaru, u pojedinim momentima on dobija karakter romana.
Knjiga je podeljena na tri dela. U prvom delu opisuje istoriju svoje porodice, slicnu porodicama tog doba u Crnoj Gori, pracenu ubistvima, krvnim osvetama, plemenskim odnosima i dr.
Drugi deo je Djilasovo odrastanje u Kolasinu i tu ima dosta licnih dozivljaja, ali i pripovedanja o istorijskim dogadjajima u tadasnjem Kolasinu, npr. WW1, potere za odmetnicima, ubistva zandarma.
Treci deo obuhvata srednjeskolske dane provedene u Beranama, njegova iskustva i dogodovstine, ali i tadasnju drustveno-politicku klimu nove drzave SHS, radjanje novih ideologija poput komunizma, kao i nestajanje starog sveta i njegovih plemenskih sukoba, staresina itsl.

[tea, boginja opste prakse · Rating 3 out of 5]

zanimljivo sa antropoloske tacke gledista, ali stilski je prosto. nije ni struja svijesti, a nema ni stabilnu strukturu. potcjenjuje inteligenciju i opste znanje citalaca

[Tucker Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Djilas' memoir is one part family and village history to two parts memoir. Throughout the full first third of the book, the author is not a character in his own memoir!

Djilas has a knack for summarizing individuals from his childhood in formative years and their role in their small societies. He reads men and women well, and, through this book, eloquently and vividly allows us to read them too. He explores what drives men and women, in the small confines of Montenegrin towns and villages and more broadly.

He explores how these motivations change, or don't, in times of great upheaval-- war, urbanization, an end to a pastoral way of life and the beginning of industrialization, the advent of a modern state upon a not-quite-modern people. Throughout the course of the memoir, Montenegro transforms from a world truly alien to ours, where violence and clan ties are the forces that dominate men and women's lives, to a society beginning to resemble its contemporary counterparts in rural or small-town Western Europe or America, where questions of personal ambition and greater ideology begin to hold sway.

He gives us a taste of how he and his friends and family became part of a radical, and ultimately violent, political movement, that of Yugoslav Communism. But the full story remains for other books.

Djilas' anecdotes are well-chosen, but still can feel muddled and can be tough to get through. This isn't entirely his fault, but it's a testimony to the difficulty of the task he has chosen. How can you explain generations of interaction between families in small valley communities to an outsider? Nonetheless, this fault keeps me from giving the book a perfect score.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have any interest in Montenegro, meaning its history from the late 19th century to the beginning of WWII, or any interest in Milovan Djilas as a important figure in Yugoslavia. This is the best book in those aspects. Djilas does jump around topics at places, but I have never had a better picture of Montenegro during that time than I have after finishing this book. I knew about Djilas but wasn’t really interested that much, but now I realise how important he is, and in the future I will definitely read more from him.

[Andre Viticc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caught between global ideals and small town mischief, between battles of race, religion and neighborly respect, Djilas delivers narrative poetry as sharp as the mountains and people of Montenegro. A historical deep cut and a glimpse into past lives, with all the truths of local legend.

[TroTro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. I learned a lot about Montenegro.

[Momcilo Pejovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super

[Maša Tomković · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nezaobilazna knjiga za one koji zele bolje upoznati obicaje i istoriju Crne Gore sa kraja XIX i pocetka XX vijeka.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A full review of this book may be found at www.cloquetriverpress.com.
Peace
mark

[Lysergius · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first part of the autobiography of Milovan Djilas, who rose to become one of the leaders of international communism. It is also the story of his native land, Montenegro, for Djilas writes, "The story of a family may be the portrait in miniature of a land."

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book; gave me a nuanced view of politics, and was a spiritual read as well.