Outrage Erupts after Milosevic Apologist Wins Nobel Prize for Literature

Peter Handke, seen here delivering a eulogy at Milošević’s funeral, won the Nobel Prize for Literature on October 10. (AP)

Austrian writer Peter Handke won the 2019 Nobel Prize for Literature on October 10. In announcing his achievement, the Swedish Academy cited Handke’s “influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has explored the periphery and the specificity of human experience.” The prize, however, ignited outrage among those who know Handke as a sympathizer for the regime of genocidal former Serbian leader Slobodan Milošević.

Critics note that Handke has refused to acknowledge the extensive war crimes that Serbia committed against Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 1990s, particularly those led by Milošević. Many critics have branded Handke a Serbian nationalist and political extremist for his views, which include intensely Islamophobic and anti-Bosnian positions, as well as assertions of Serbian supremacy.

Moreover, a significant portion of the writings for which Handke received the award are devoted to chauvinistic sentiments and a controversial portrayal of Serbia as a victim of other Balkan states. His 1996 book A Journey to the Rivers: Justice for Serbia casts Serbia as a martyr within former Yugoslavia: for example, Handke has compared the experience of Serbs to the plight of Jews under Nazism. 

Handke’s most widely criticized move, however, was his choice to attend Milošević’s funeral in 2006, where he praised the leader in an emotional eulogy, emphasizing that he was “close to” the late Serbian leader. Eastern European scholars have dubbed Milošević the “Butcher of the Balkans” for his genocidal actions in former Yugoslavia. At the time of his death, Milošević was facing trial by the UN War Crimes Tribunal for genocide and war crimes dating back to the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. 

In Srebrenica, a Muslim-majority city in Bosnia-Herzegovina, indignation erupted following news that Handke had won the Nobel prize, and a petition to revoke the award gained over 30,000 signatures in the 24 hours after the announcement. Srebrenica is the site of the 1995 genocide of over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and children—a massacre that Handke claims was staged by Bosnian forces in order to gain global sympathies. Moreover, Handke has professed support for Bosnian Serb leaders Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, both of whom the UN has convicted of genocide in respect to the Srebrenica massacre. 

"Are they sending a message that the Nobel prize is awarded to those who support those who killed Muslims at the end of the 20th century?” Munira Subasic, the president of the Mothers of Srebrenica, wondered.

Leaders around the globe have also expressed strong opinions about Handke’s recognition. The president of Kosovo, the prime minister of Albania, and the Bosniak member of Bosnia-Herzegovina's joint presidency have all condemned Handke and called for the Swedish Academy to rescind the award. In Serbia, however, where most perceive Handke as a supporter for their rocky history, politicians have lauded the author extensively as “a friend to Serbs.” Despite petitions and protests, the Swedish Academy, too, has remained firm in its selection of Handke.