After several years of research, this French diplomat wrote a work on Herzegovina, which was published in Paris in 1875.
“Herzegovina: a geographical, historical and statistical study”, a book written by Jean-Baptiste Evariste Charles Pricot de Sainte Marie, the French consul in Mostar from 1870 to 1873, was presented on Monday, March 18, in Mostar.
After almost 150 years since Paris
This valuable and research-based publication, after almost 150 years since the Paris one, got its Bosnian editions, both in translation and in the original form (reprint of the original edition).
Namely, after several years of research, this French diplomat wrote a paper about Herzegovina, which was published in Paris in 1875, and after the Federal Ministry of Education and Science acquired the electronic version through the NUB of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it was decided to access his translation, for which translator Almira Drino is responsible.
“I think it is very important that such books are saved from oblivion. It is a geographical statistical and social study of Herzegovina written by the French consul in Mostar from 1875. By the way, he was a member of the geographical society in France and was an archaeologist, like his father. He did this, in my opinion, exceptional study, which covered many fields and which gives a very accurate picture of Herzegovina at that time”, said translator Drino at the presentation.
One of the first scientific parts about Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sainte-Marie’s study is one of the first scientific works on (Bosnia and) Herzegovina, based on contemporary principles and methodology of Western provenance.
“This event and this book are very interesting and important, and it can be the basis for researching Herzegovina in the 19th century,” said the director of the French Institute in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Loé Lagrange, and emphasized the artistic importance of this translation.
This is the third presentation of the book in our country.
“Before, the historical aspect always dominated, and now for the first time we have the opportunity to hear our translator, who translated the book in an impressive way, very responsibly, consulting various data and historians. In the end, we have the final product, which is very faithful to the original and we have both a replica of the original and a translation so that it enables those who know the language, primarily historians, to be able to check certain data and determine what is and how it was”, he said. Jasmin Branković, book editor and assistant to the Federal Minister of Education and Science.
I mentioned how the consul stayed here in a time that was relatively peaceful, so as a scientist in various fields, he had the opportunity to visit the terrain and determine the relief, flora, fauna, climate and economic and any other relations in these regions.
The book was presented in Mostar on the occasion of Francophonie Day 2024, organized by the French Institute in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Source: blesak.info
