Iz Belzena: 1944–1945 by Hanna Lévy-Hass

Iz Belzena: 1944–1945
Hanna Lévy-Hass
(Bosnian edition, Buybook, Sarajevo, 2024)

The Bosnian edition of Iz Belzena: 1944–1945, the diary of Sarajevo-born Hanna Lévy-Hass written during her imprisonment in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, was presented on 6 July 2024 during the Bookstan International Literary Festival in Sarajevo.

The presentation, held under the program “Logorski dnevnici: svjedočanstva banalnosti zla” (“Camp Diaries: Testimonies to the Banality of Evil”), brought together Amira Hass, Emil Kerenji, and Florence Hartmann for a discussion on the historical and contemporary significance of the diary.

The foreword to the Bosnian edition, published by Baybook, was written by Amira Hass, Israeli-born Jewish journalist and the author’s daughter. In her text and public remarks, Hass referenced the work of the WARM Foundation and the project Traces of Humanity, in which she participated. During the research process for the project, the only surviving original manuscript and surviving text in the original language were identified and preserved.

The discovery of this manuscript directly contributed to the decision to publish the Bosnian edition, which was released by WARM’s long-time partner Buybook in Sarajevo. The publication thus represents not only the return of an important historical testimony to the author’s birth city, but also a continuation of collaborative efforts to preserve, document, and make accessible works of memory and resistance.