Taboo Topics in Children’s Literature: Lijeve Priče (Left Stories) by Alija Isaković

The publication of Lijeve priče (Left Stories) by Alija Isaković (1990), although nearly unnoticed by contemporary literary critics, marked a turning point in Bosniak and Bosnian-Herzegovinian children’s literature at the end of the 20th century. In this only collection intended for the youngest readers, Isaković offered unexpected themes and initiated an unusual dialogue with young readers. Addressing them as equals, the author opens up a whole range of topics that had previously been taboo, such as sexuality, death, violence, and many others, which prior literary practice had avoided, offering an idyllic portrayal of childhood where there was no place for “serious” life situations. In this way, Isaković was among the first to free children’s literature from idealization and its utilitarian pedagogical dimension. This paper examines the themes that continue to qualify Lijeve priče as “inappropriate” for young readers today, as well as the justification for taboo topics in contemporary children’s literature.