Author: Skender Kulenović (1910–1978) – a prominent Bosnian and Yugoslav poet, novelist, and playwright.
Title:Ponornica (literally “The Sinking River” – a karst river that disappears underground, common in Balkan geography).
Genre: A philosophical/allegorical poem, sometimes described as a poetic epic or a modern ballad.
Year of publication: 1957 (though it was written earlier and revised).
Significance: It is one of the most famous and complex poems in Bosnian and Serbian literature. It deals with themes of memory, guilt, historical cycles, and the disappearance of truth – using the metaphor of a river that sinks into the earth.
Conclusion for the Searcher: You are most likely looking for Canto 15 of Ponornica. If you are a student assigned to analyze the poem’s rising action, the "15" refers to the structural section, not the PDF page count.
The Narrative Arc: The poem begins with a description of the river and the land. By page 15 (in standard A4 or Book format), the narrative usually shifts to the tragic fate of the people living by the river or the specific historical allegories.
Key Verses (Approximate Location): You are likely past the introduction of the river's mysterious nature and are now entering the section describing the suffering or the specific events (the "kletva" or curse, or the interaction with the "krajputiši" - wayside tombstones).
Formatting: If you are looking at a scan of the original manuscript or an early edition, page 15 will contain the poem itself, formatted in the style of a "deseterac" (ten-syllable epic verse).
: The title refers to a "lost river"—a stream that disappears underground. This serves as a metaphor for the hidden, internal lives of the characters and the "split" spiritual state of a society in flux. Disintegration of Tradition : The novel depicts a dysfunctional family skender+kulenovic+ponornica+pdf+15
The Conflict of Generations: The tension between the older generation, clinging to fading feudal privileges, and the younger generation, represented by Muhamed, who feel alienated from their roots. Conclusion for the Searcher: You are most likely
The novel depicts the end of an era for Bosnian Muslim noble families during the transition to Austro-Hungarian rule. The Symbol of the River: clinging to fading feudal privileges