An Evening with Viktor Lazić – A Traveler, a Writer, and a Man You Can Trust

Sometimes, the most extraordinary things happen entirely spontaneously.
Viktor Lazić arrived in Prijedor as a driver, a travel companion, and a friend of our dear guests, Mirjana Bulatović and Slađana Bušić. He was quiet and unassuming, as if he did not want anyone to know who he truly was.
We soon realized that it would have been unreasonable not to dedicate an evening to him.zViktor Lazić is a writer, travel author, lawyer, and a doctoral candidate in Chinese law. He is also a polyglot, translator, licensed tour guide, philatelist, and numismatist.

On May 28, in the organization of the Nikola Baroš Foundation, an unforgettable literary evening took place in the packed Sreten Stojanović Gallery, titled “The Traveler and the Writer – Viktor Lazić in Conversation with Mirjana Bulatović.”

We learned that in Mongolia, he washed donkeys to earn money for car repairs, and that on Sumatra, by complimenting a young woman, he unintentionally proposed to a member of a cannibal tribe. He then had to flee from the wedding they had prepared for him in the Batak tribe due to a language misunderstanding.
He described this experience in his book In the Heart of Sumatra (U srcu Sumatre).

One of his most well-known adventures is described in the book The Great Adventure (Velika avantura), which began in Kosovo and Metohija, more precisely at the Dečani Monastery, from where he set off on an epic journey in his Lada Niva car. Over the course of 421 days, he traveled through a large part of Europe, reached the northernmost point of the continent, Nordkapp, and then continued across Asia to Vladivostok.
Along the way, he spent nearly 300 nights sleeping in his car, often without heating or safety, but always with faith in people and in the stories he was collecting.

Behind the smile of this humble man stands a collection of more than two million books and artifacts from 150 countries.

In Belgrade, he founded Adligat. Within this unique association, the Museum of Serbian Literature and the Museum of Books and Travel have found their home, places where books made of rice, elephant dung, and palm leaves are preserved, each carrying its own story and path.
The Lazić Library, which has existed for 250 years, was officially founded in 1882 and stands as one of the pillars of his family’s tradition.

Viktor succeeded in creating more than one hundred legacies of prominent individuals.
Through his travels, which in total lasted more than twelve years, he visited over one hundred countries across six continents. All of this was made possible by his tireless work and his deep love for the written word.

One of the most dramatic stories took place in South Ossetia. Due to a misunderstanding, Viktor was arrested and spent about ten days in prison, several of which he spent in solitary confinement without light. In a cell marked by traces left by previous inmates, he was offered a belt so that they could “speed up the process,” as they told him.
Thanks to the intervention of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, Viktor was released. This episode is described in his book At the Gates of the East (Na vratima Istoka).

We warmly recommend his books as well: The Soul of Sudan (Duša Sudana), In the Heart of Sumatra ( U srcu Sumatre), Wandering through the Land of Smiles (Tumaranje zemljom osmijeha), , At the Gates of the East (Na vratima istoka), Kenya: Chariots of the Wild (Kenija: Damari divljine) and of course The Great Adventure (Velika avantura), which was published in as many as 20,000 copies.
Each of these books bears witness to a life that is not retold, but truly lived.

What is most beautiful is that Viktor speaks about all of this without a trace of vanity. His warmth, knowledge, humor, and humility turned the evening gathering into one of those rare moments that you carry in your heart.

Everything he said, everything he shared that evening, conveyed one simple truth: that true greatness lies in simplicity.
His presence felt like a quiet miracle that made us laugh, moved us, and deeply inspired us.

During his stay in Prijedor, he took the time to explore and photograph everything that caught his interest.
We watched him walk, notice details that many of us overlook, quietly record them, and preserve them with care.

He came as a driver.
He left as a friend.
He remained an inspiration.
❤️