The Cellist of Sarajevo

It has been ten minutes since the sniper fired and several people have crossed the intersection with no problem. Dragan is hungry, wanting to cross and get to the bakery. But another part of him urges caution and Dragan shifts back further behind the railway car. A woman approaches, and Dragan recognizes an old friend of his wife’s, Emina. Dragan dreaded dinners with Emina and her boring husband Jovan before the war and he hopes to avoid her now.

Emina sees Dragan and rushes toward him. Dragan briefly considers rushing into the street to avoid saying hello, but keeps himself from risking his life that way. Dragan greets Emina, as Emina asks after Dragan’s wife Raza. Dragan explains as much as he can, but there is so much sadness in his life now that he cannot bring himself to talk about. Dragan worries over whether to ask about Jovan, unwilling to bring up possible tragedy in Emina’s own life. After standing in awkward silence, Dragan finally asks. Emina explains that Jovan joined the army.

Dragan tells Emina that a sniper has fired at this intersection, and Emina seems genuinely concerned that people may have been hurt. Dragan can’t remember the last time he allowed himself to truly care about the violence. Emina decides to wait a bit before crossing, as she is in no hurry on her errand to deliver medicine across town. Now that the hospital has few supplies, Radio Sarajevo advertises for drugs that the hospital needs, and people with expired or unnecessary prescriptions respond. Emina has heart medicine from her late mother who died before the war started.

Emina asks Dragan if he has heard about a new production of Hair that is trying to get many Sarajevans out of the country. Dragan remembers when all one needed was a visa to travel the world, but now it is almost impossible to leave the city. He had originally stayed to keep his family’s apartment and his job, but now he wishes he had left with Raza and Davor.

Emina firmly claims that the world will have to send help soon, but Dragan knows that Sarajevo is on its own. For months at the beginning of the war, Dragan tried to act as though life would return to normal. He finally had to accept that this was his life now, after an old bakery client who lived through Auschwitz killed himself rather than experience another war. Dragan wonders when people will learn from suffering, rather than causing more of it.

Dragan and Emina look around at the gray streets, and Emina comments that the war has made her walk down many streets she had never been down before. On one of these new streets, Emina met a woman who was picking cherries from a tree in her yard. When Emina found herself with extra salt, she decided to share it with the woman. In return, the woman gave Emina two pails of cherries. Emina longs for the days when that kind of sharing and kindness was routine in Sarajevo. Dragan thinks that the men on the hill would be content to make them all forget how to act civilized, if they cannot kill everyone in the city.

Dragan decides it is time to cross. About a quarter of the way across, Dragan feels a bullet rush by his ear. He is stunned that the sniper missed, and rushes back to safety behind the boxcar. Emina hugs Dragan as he falls to the ground. He can’t believe that he has finally been targeted, or that he has survived. After a few calm minutes, Dragan jokes that the sniper isn’t a good shot. Emina laughs about Sarajevo roulette as Dragan counts his blessings that he is alive.