Lana Bastašić
A Bosnian literary voice who captured the haunting legacy of the Yugoslav wars in a debut novel that resonated across Europe.
Born 1986 (age 40)·Bosnian writer·Birthday: August 27·Millennials
Biography
Lana Bastašić writes from the fissures of history and geography. Born in Zagreb when it was part of Yugoslavia and raised in Bosnia and Herzegovina, her work is steeped in the personal and collective aftermath of the region's conflicts. She first built a career as a translator, bringing works from English and Spanish into Bosnian, a craft that sharpened her own linguistic precision. Her breakthrough came with the novel 'Catch the Rabbit,' a road trip story that uses a journey from Vienna to Bosnia to excavate buried memories of war and a fractured friendship. The book, written in a spare, potent style, became a critical sensation, winning the prestigious European Union Prize for Literature and establishing Bastašić as a vital new narrator of post-war complexities. Her writing avoids grand historical pronouncements, focusing instead on the intimate scars and uneasy silences that history leaves on individual lives, making the vast geopolitical deeply and painfully human.
Millennials
1981–1996
The first digital natives. Grew up with the internet, came of age during 9/11 and the 2008 crash. Highly educated, deeply indebted, slower to marry and buy houses. Redefined work, identity, and what it means to be an adult.
Lana was born in 1986, placing them squarely in the Millennials. The events that shaped this generation — the internet revolution, 9/11, and the 2008 financial crisis — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Lana Was Born
The biggest hits of 1986
#1 Movie
Top Gun
Best Picture
Platoon
#1 TV Show
The Cosby Show
Lana's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1986Born
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1991Started school
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1999Became a teenager
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2002Could drive
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2004Could vote
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2007Turned 21
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2016Turned 30
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 40
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Awarded the European Union Prize for Literature in 2020 for her novel 'Catch the Rabbit'.
- Her debut novel 'Catch the Rabbit' was translated into more than twenty languages.
- Co-founded the literary organization 'The Balkan Literary Collective' to promote regional writers.
Did You Know?
She writes in both Bosnian and English.
Before her literary success, she worked as a teacher and translator.
She has been a vocal advocate for peace and dialogue in the Western Balkans.
“I write about the wars we inherit, the ones fought at the kitchen table.”
