Not Even the Black Sea...

Book excerpt: This tells the story of the author’s family, from his great-grandfather and his life in Montenegro at the end of the nineteenth century, through to Milan’s family’s arrival in Australia, after years of struggle with Soviet officialdom. It takes place over four continents...Europe, The Soviet Union, America and Australia. Milan’s father, Jukan, was born in Bosnia, but took Russian citizenship after being sent to a Soviet military academy after the Second World War. It was there in Odessa, that he met Klara, who was to become his wife. Jukan was brought up on a farm in rural Bosnia, where life was hard. Jukan’s grandparents were the most important influences in Jukan’s life. Jukan left the family farm and worked in many different jobs, from tree cutting to forest warden, but because of something that happened when he was about sixteen, he ended up in the infamous jail, Zenica. He was here when war broke out. He became a leading member of the Bosnian resistance, which finally saw the Germans defeated. This story blends the lives of other important people in Jukan and Klara’s lives, but most of all it tells about Jukan and Klara’s love and determination, their strengths, and the lengths they went to in order to provide the best for their family. This story is about Jukan and Klara’s life, both before and after their marriage, at times of war and peace, and, as amazing as it seems on reading about the things that happened at this time, Milan assures that every word is true.