2020
author
Darjan Hardi (CZ)
title
Dictionary of the Khazars
degree
M.A. project
e-mail
school
Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague
supervisor
MgA. Ph.D. Tereza Říčanová
The goal of this project is to find a new visual form for Milorad Pavić’s first novel: Dictionary of the Khazars: A Lexicon Novel from 1984. The book takes the reader to the world of three religions – Christianity, Islam, and Judaism – and presents their versions of the rise and fall of the Khazar Kingdom. The new visual form is inspired by symbols, metaphors, and folk tales used by the author to reconstruct and recreate the Khazar world. The reader takes an active role in the project, just like in the act of reading the experimental Serbian novel. The designer has modified and improved the world of the book, combining fiction with reality similarly to Milorad Pavić. This is why the project has an additional chapter including pictures which document the traces of the Khazars in the territory of Serbia.