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EXILE AS A LITERARY CONDITION IN ALEKSANDAR HEMON’S
THE
LAZARUS PROJECT
D . M. Sand a Ca mel Sophia
P o esso o English, KLEF Deemed Uni e si y, Gun u , AP
sophia@kluni e si y.in
h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17283303
Abs ac
Aleksanda Hemon, he Bosnian Ame ican au ho was bo n in Sa aje o in 1964 and came o he Uni ed
S a es in 1992 as pa o a cul u al exchange p og am bu was unable o e u n due o he Bosnian Wa . His
bes no el The Laza us P ojec (2008) inspi ed by he s o y o Laza us A e buch, Hemon's childhood iend,
pho og aphe Velibo Božo ić p o ides an in-dep h examina ion o ‘exile’ no me ely as a hema ic elemen
bu as a undamen al s uc u al and aes he ic mode o na a i e cons uc ion. ‘Exile’ in i s di e se o ms-
geog aphical, cul u al, linguis ic, and psychological-eme ges as a pi o al condi ion wi hin con empo a y
li e a y discou se. Hemon econcep ualizes he ‘exilic’ expe ience in o a li e a y pa adigm ha in o ms
na a i e s uc u e, oice, and iden i y. Th ough he dual na a i es o B ik, a con empo a y Bosnian
immig an au ho esiding in he Uni ed S a es, and Laza us A e buch, a Jewish immig an whose li e was
agically cu ailed in ea ly 20 h-cen u y Chicago, Hemon c a s a nuanced e lec ion on displacemen ,
his o ical memo y, and he inhe en impossibili y o e u n. The no el in e wines he ealms o ic ion and
non ic ion, pas and p esen , he eby illumina ing he ‘ agmen ed consciousness o he exile’, who
simul aneously na iga es mul iple empo al and spa ial dimensions. Hemon’s pe sonal expe ience o
linguis ic exile-composing in English as a seconda y language-imbues he ex wi h an in ensi ied sense o
aliena ion and linguis ic c ea i i y. The no el se es as a p ime illus a ion o how ‘exile’ ans o ms in o a
‘li e a y condi ion’ ha displaces p e ailing na a i es, unde mines linea his o ical in e p e a ions, and
accen ua es agmen ed, hyb id iden i ies. The na a i e si ua es he exilic w i e as bo h a wi ness o
displacemen and auma, and as a ch onicle o obscu ed o ma ginalized his o ies, by encapsula ing
pe sonal and poli ical ace s o exile, and econ igu es he pa ame e s o wo ld li e a u e h ough i s
ansna ional and me a ic ional pe spec i es.
Keywo ds: Aleksanda Hemon, Bosnian Ame ican, exile, agmen ed, consciousness, hyb id iden i ies,
displacemen , auma
In oduc ion: Aleksanda Hemon & Exile and Li e a y Imagina ion
Bosnian Ame ican au ho Aleksanda Hemon was bo n in Sa aje o in 1964 and came o he
Uni ed S a es in 1992 as pa o a cul u al exchange p og am bu was unable o e u n because
o Bosnian Wa . Repu ed o penning in luen ial w i ings ha explo e issues o exile, iden i y,
and home h ough cha ac e s d awn om Hemon’s own expe ience as an immig an . Hemon
began w i ing ic ion in English in 1995 and has since become a highly acclaimed w i e ,
ecei ing accolades like a Guggenheim Fellowship and a MacA hu "genius g an ". Hemon
in ended o s ay in he Uni ed S a es o a b ie pe iod ill he du a ion o he p og am. He
applied o and was g an ed s a us as a poli ical e ugee. Th ee yea s a e a i ing in he Uni ed
S a es, he w o e his debu s o y in English, “The So ge Spy Ring.” These s o ies we e la gely
in o med by Hemon’s own immig an expe ience in Chicago. The s o y was no able o he
au ho ’s in en i e use o he English language. He was awa ded a MacA hu
Founda ion “genius g an ” in 2004.
B ie no e on The Laza us P ojec
The Laza us P ojec (2008) is made o wo s o ies o eas e n Eu opean immig an s o
Chicago. Vladimi B ik, a Bosnian immig an w i e and he no el’s na a o , becomes obsessed
wi h a mu de case om nea ly a cen u y ea lie in which Laza us A e buch, a young Russian
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Jew, killed by Chicago’s police chie . Hemon ecei ed much c i ical applaud o he no el, which
was a inalis o a Na ional Book Awa d. The Laza us P ojec (2008) ans o ms exile om a
me e hema ic backg ound in o a undamen al li e a y condi ion—a lens h ough which o
pe cei e, o ganize, and na a e ha in luences e e y aspec o he ex , om s ylis ic choices a
he sen ence le el o o e a ching plo a chi ec u e and supplemen a y ma e ial. Th ough i s
dip ych na a i e s uc u e (1908/2000s), i s anslingual poe ics, and i s inno a i e
inco po a ion o documen a y pho og aphs, he no el elucida es he mig an ’s bi ocal ision: o
inhabi dispa a e empo ali ies and geog aphies, o ecoun expe iences wi h agmen ed
a chi es, and o na iga e h ough languages ha ne e ully align. By analysing speci ic ex ual
ins ances and engaging wi h c i ical discou se, he no el explo es how Hemon me amo phoses
his o ical p eca i y ( he assassina ion o Laza us A e buch in Chicago, 1908) and con empo a y
displacemen (Vladimi B ik’s pos -Bosnian-wa disloca ion) in o a poe ics o “diplopic
emembe ing,” whe ein memo y, image y, and language esona e wi h one ano he wi hou
amalgama ing. The ul ima e ou come is a pa adigm o exile w i ing ha is e hically
in ospec i e, aes he ically hyb id, and his o ically cognizan .
His o ical Displacemen and he Immig an Expe ience
Hemon has consis en ly a icula ed his oeu e as a ising om expe iences o displacemen -
o igina ing in Sa aje o, p og essing in Chicago a e he 1992 siege, and composed in an adop ed
English ha he acqui ed in adul hood. In a ious in e iews, he elucida es ha mig a ion is
in insically linked o na a ion: exile compels bo h o m and oice in o a s a e o pe pe ual
expe imen a ion. The Laza us P ojec embodies his impe a i e in a li e al sense: he e y
s uc u e o he no el-in e wea ing a esu ec ed a chi e (A e buch) wi h a con empo a y
seeke (B ik)- ende s exile he ounda ional me hodology.
The na a i e s uc u e o he no el comp ises wo in e wo en h eads. Fi s ly, he ini ial
na a i e econs uc s he au hen ic his o ical inciden in ol ing Laza us A e buch, a nine een-
yea -old Jewish immig an o igina ing om Eas e n Eu ope who, in he yea 1908 in Chicago, is
a ally sho by Police Chie Geo ge Shippy. Media ou le s p omp ly label him as an ana chis ,
he eby exace ba ing a bu geoning clima e o xenophobia and app ehension ega ding
immig an s. The pa icula s su ounding his demise emain ambiguous, esul ing in a
agmen ed and un esol ed accoun o Laza us’s expe ience. Thus, he i s pa p esen s a
his o ically nuanced po ayal o 19-yea -old Laza us A e buch sho by Chicago police chie
Geo ge Shippy on Ma ch 2, 1908, du ing a pe iod o heigh ened na i is anxie y conce ning
ana chism.
The seconda y na a i e a c cen es a ound Vladimi B ik, a Bosnian au ho esiding in
Chicago du ing he ea ly 2000s, who expe iences a p o ound sense o aliena ion wi hin his
adop ed en i onmen . In igued by he ci cums ances su ounding Laza us, he emba ks on a
esea ch expedi ion h oughou Eas e n Eu ope accompanied by his companion, Ro a, who is a
wa pho og aphe . As hey a e se egions such as Sa aje o, Moldo a, and Uk aine, B ik
engages in in ospec i e con empla ion ega ding his own sense o displacemen , he endu ing
consequences o con lic , and he inhe en challenges associa ed wi h achie ing a sense o
belonging. The second pa ch onicles he con empo a y jou ney o Vladimi B ik, who
endea ou s o ace Laza us's oo s eps h oughou he Midwes and subsequen ly e aces his
pa h back h ough Eas e n Eu ope alongside his pho og aphe companion, Ro a. This
jux aposi ion se es o elucida e he empo al p edicamen o he exile-pe pe ually si ua ed in
a s a e o "elsewhe e," ne e wholly ancho ed wi hin a singula empo al amewo k o
signi icance.
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Na a i e F agmen a ion as an ‘Exilic’ Fo m
The li e a y wo k inco po a es a chi al isuals alongside mode n image y, he eby me ging
he dis inc ions be ween na a i e and documen a y, as well as be ween his o ical and
con empo a y con ex s. By in ica ely in e wining hese dual na a i es, Hemon illus a es
exile no me ely as a hema ic elemen bu as a undamen al s a e o being disjoin ed,
ambiguous, and cha ac e ized by an ongoing ques o iden i y and connec ion. In sho The
Laza us P ojec cons i u es a hyb id li e a y wo k ha explo es hemes o immig a ion,
memo y, and he a o s o y elling, in which he so ow associa ed wi h he demise o one
immig an e e be a es h ough he agi a ed endea ou o ano he exile o ecoun his
na a i e a cen u y he ea e .
Language, T ansla ion, and he S uggle o Exp ession
Hemon's u iliza ion o he English language cons i u es a delibe a e and ic ional medium.
his Hemon’s p ose exhibi s a p onounced sense o es angemen —me apho s ha adia e wi h
un amilia pe spec i es, hy hms ha esis assimila ion in o Ame ican linguis ic no ms. This
s ylis ic "accen " anscends me e o namen a ion; i se es as subs an i e con en . The
language he has adop ed unc ions as a locus o pe pe ual bo de -c ossing: B ik's na a i e
oice oscilla es be ween egis e s, accumula es idioma ic exp essions, and engages wi h he
chasm ha exis s be ween language and eali y. Such anslingual dynamism is in eg al o he
book's acclaim o i s " e lec ions on iden i y and mo ali y" p esen ed wi hin an inno a i e
s uc u al amewo k. The phenomenon exempli ies wha con empo a y academic discou se
delinea es as Hemon’s disloca ed subjec i i y: a na a i e ha exhibi s a heigh ened
consciousness o i s own disloca ion, he eby econ igu ing he no el o accommoda e an
iden i y ha esis s singula linguis ic o cul u al a ilia ion.
O e wen y black-and-whi e pho og aphs accen ua e he olume: a chi al images sou ced
om his o ical eposi o ies in Chicago alongside con empo a y pho og aphs by Velibo
Božo ić, a collabo a o o Hemon. These images anscend he ole o me e illus a ions; hey
complica e he ac o eading, dis up ch onologies, and engende a “double- ision” whe ein he
pas is si ua ed wi hin he ame o he p esen . Schola s ha e e e ed o his phenomenon as a
mode o diplopic emembe ing: wo exposu es ha ne e achie e comple e alignmen .
Velibo Božo ić’s ini ia i e u he ampli ies he collabo a i e engagemen beyond he
con ines o he p in ed medium, p esen ing nume ous images in conjunc ion wi h exce p s om
he na a i e; he pho og aphs a e “in ima ely” associa ed wi h he ex while simul aneously
anscending i s bounda ies. This pa a ex ual exis ence illus a es how he concep o exile
exceeds he physical limi a ions o he no el- he a chi e emains in a s a e o lux.
His o ical Displacemen and he Immig an Expe ience
By e isi ing a case his o ically cha ac e ized by xenophobia and an isemi ic hys e ia, he
na a i e engages wi h he e hical implica ions o ep esen ing he oices o he ma ginalized
deceased. Documen a ion om 1908 illus a es he apidi y wi h which au ho i ies and media
ou le s classi ied A e buch as a o eign ana chis . Hemon posi ions his ideological has e as he
cen al dilemma o he na a i e-wha can be a icula ed, and in wha manne , when he
e aci y o e idence is comp omised by p e ailing powe s uc u es? B ik’s endea ou is
pe sis en ly unde mined by his pe sonal aspi a ions (such as ecogni ion, publica ion, and
ma i al challenges), he eby ende ing him an e hically con lic ed obse e . Exile in his con ex
anscends B ik’s indi idual ci cums ance; i encapsula es he condi ion o he a chi e—
disloca ed om ce ain y and aliena ed om esolu ion.
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Exile as a Me apho o he Human Condi ion
I exile engende s isola ion, Hemon posi s a coun e a gumen h ough he lens o iendship.
Ro a-an es eemed wa pho og aphe and acon eu —se es as B ik’s scep ic and co-au ho ,
e ec i ely unde mining his g and na a i es wi h meande ing anecdo es om he Bosnian wa and
i s subsequen a e ma h. Thei jou ney ac oss Eas e n Eu ope cons i u es an amalgama ion o a
esea ch expedi ion and a pe o ma i e enac men o diaspo ic knowledge: na a i es in e wea e
wi h one ano he , es imonies con e ge wi h my h, and pho og aphs ( hose o Ro a and Božo ić)
empha ically highligh he nuanced complexi ies o u h. The in en ion is no o esol e he puzzle
o A e buch bu o elucida e he epis emology o he mig an : emenda ion, jux aposi ion, e ision.
Hemon has a icula ed, in a di e en con ex , ha mig a ion necessi a es he ac o s o y elling-
i eo ganizes memo y in o i ine a ies a he han con en ional na a i es. The Laza us P ojec
adhe es o his p inciple by in eg a ing documen a y endencies wi h pos mode n sel -awa eness,
a phenomenon ha schola s ha e iden i ied h oughou la e-20 h and ea ly-21s -cen u y li e a u e:
an inclina ion o “combine he aspi a ion o au hen ici y wi h he he i age o pos mode nism.”
Hemon’s amalgama ion-comp ising a chi al ma e ials, pho og aphs, a el na a i es, and
me a ic ion-con o ms o his b oade amewo k ye possesses a dis inc ly exilic impe a i e.
The Laza us P ojec econcep ualizes ‘exile’ as a li e a y phenomenon cha ac e ized by a
disjoin ed amewo k, a mul ilingual s ylis ic app oach, an ambiguous a chi e, and an unse led
e hical s ance ega ding ep esen a ion. By linking he auma ic displacemen o Laza us
A e buch wi h he con empo a y es angemen o Vladimi B ik, Hemon elucida es he way
exile in luences no only he de elopmen o cha ac e s bu also he e y s uc u e and pu pose
o he na a i e i sel . In his li e a y wo k, exile se es as bo h he ocal heme and an aes he ic
ene —a condi ion ha undamen ally o ganizes language, memo y, and he a o s o y elling.
The Laza us P ojec ul ima ely eschews con en ional edemp ion na a i es. Consequen ly,
exile is no me ely he physical ealm whe e he cha ac e s exis ; bu he concep ual space ha
he ex engages. So, he no el h ows ligh on he ac ha con empo a y li e a u e can espond
o he aumas o his o y h ough i s o mal s uc u es.
Re e ences
Hemon, Aleksanda . The Laza us P ojec . London: Penguin, 2008.
Addams, Jane. Twen y yea s a hull-house. USA: Uni e si y o Illinois P ess, 1990.
Hemon, Aleksanda , and Velibo Božo ić. The Laza us P ojec : Pho og aphs. Buybook, 2008.
Kennedy, Liam. “Exilic Na a ion and he Immig an A chi e in Aleksanda Hemon’s The Laza us
P ojec .” Jou nal o Ame ican S udies, ol. 47, no. 2, 2013, pp. 211–229.
Peinado‐Aba io, Rubén. "“A geog aphy o he soul”: The displaced and he ci y in he wo k o
Aleksanda Hemon." Li e a u e Compass 19.12 (2022): e12686.
Schuyle -Ho man, Michael. “The Tac ile Beau y o The Laza us P ojec .” Vi ginia Qua e ly
Re iew, ol. 85, no. 2, 2009, pp. 74–82.
We ne , Ma a. “Documen s o Absence: A chi al Aes he ics and Exile.” Tex ual P ac ice, ol. 25,
no. 1, 2011, pp. 65–83.
Schine, Ca hleen. “Raising he Dead.” The New Yo k Times Book Re iew, 25 May 2008.
Lasdun, James. Re iew o The Laza us P ojec , by Aleksanda Hemon. The Gua dian, 5 Sep .2008.
Bez uko , And ii, and Oksana Boho yk. “His o ical Na a i es, Fic ional Biog aphies, and
Biblical Allusions in Aleksanda Hemon’s The Laza us P ojec as a New Li e a y Hyb id.”
Fo um o Wo ld Li e a u e S udies, ol. 13, no. 2 (June 2021), pp. 270
Boswell, Timo hy. “The Audaci y o Despai : An In e iew wi h Aleksanda Hemon.” S udies in
he No el, ol. 47, no. 2 (2015), pp. 246–266.
