Andrić donated all of the Nobel Prize money (nearly one million US dollars) so that it would go toward the advancement of national libraries in BiH. He also gave the original manuscript of his novel to the Museum of Literature and Performing Arts in BiH (MKPU BiH), where it has been preserved, along with more than 22,000 other important items.

In some parts of the original text it can be seen that both Latin and Cyrillic letters were used, and other sections were written in German and then later crossed out. There is even Andrić’s own drawing of the bridge.

By digitizing this manuscript, which talks about the richness and complexity of historical traditions in Yugoslavia, it will be made available to many more people.

MKPU’s aim is to digitize other valuable manuscripts, correspondence and photo archives in the near future.