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University of Bradford >> Library >> Special Collections >> Dimitrije Mitrinovic and New Atlantis Foundation Library and Archive
Dimitrije Mitrinović (1887-1953) was born in Bosnia-Hercegovina. As a young student he took a leading part in the movement to create a united Yugoslavia. Having studied art history in Munich, he came to England in 1914 and moved among influential cultural circles in the U.K. Between the wars he was concerned with organic world order, and was a major contributor to the radical journal "New Age", writing a column on world affairs.
Mitrinović held that there was a need for a new stage in human development, "From individual initiative, through personal alliance to the absolute collective". This required the recognition of the essential complementary functions in the world of different ethnic, religious and other groups, the need for guidance through intermediation to solve conflicts in society, and the need for personal change to develop individuals as the mediators of society. Re-evaluation of the wisdom of the past meant the investigation of works from all periods of history on religion, philosophy,sociology, psychology, and the arts. These interests are reflected in his remarkable library.
In 1927, Mitrinović founded the English Branch of the International Society for Individual Psychology (the Adler Society), lecturing on psychology and related subjects. The desire of the group to derive practical results from their psychological studies, and association with like-minded radical groups, led to the formation of The New Europe Group, aiming at European federation and a re-evaluation of European culture. From this proceeded the New Britain Movement in 1932, with proposals for national changes in society, federation and devolution, reform of the financial system, workers' control in industry through National Guilds, and a House of Industry and House of Culture to supplement the House of Commons. The movement was supported by the journal "New Britain" and its successor "The Eleventh Hour". The New Britain Movement dissolved in 1935-36 but the New Europe Group continued to be active for many years and its cultural programme, the Renaissance Club, held lectures and concerts. Active members of the group included H.C. Rutherford, Violet MacDermot, Valerie Cooper, Ellen Mayne, Philip Mairet, David Shillan, and the Nobel prize-winner Frederick Soddy.
The New Atlantis Foundation was started as a charitable trust after the death of Mitrinović to continue his work and to spread his ideas. Annual lectures covered various aspects of religion and philosophy, giving particular attention to thinkers whose work is considered to have been neglected or misinterpreted. The Foundation continues to publicise the work of Mitrinović and other members of the Group.
This collection of over 4,500 volumes includes some of Mitrinović's own library, to which the Foundation later added. The Library thus reflects Mitrinović's very wide range of interests and command of languages. Many of the books were heavily annotated by Mitrinović, or have other interesting provenance. Most material is from the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The main languages used are English and German, with some French and Far Eastern and Eastern European languages.
The layout and classification used are based on the arrangement of the books in their former home in Ditchling, Sussex. The largest and most significant sections are:
The literature section (ML/C) is especially rich in the works of John Cowper Powys. Adler and Jung dominate psychology (ML/G). Other subjects covered include art history, science, and history. Authors whose work appears in several sections include Bhagavan Das and Patrick Geddes.
The large, complex Archive created by Mitrinović and his circle was donated by the Foundation in 2003 and 2004. It includes published and unpublished writings of Dimitrije Mitrinović and documents and correspondence produced by members of Mitrinović's circle, members of the New Europe Group and members of the New Atlantis Foundation.
Further information about the archive:
Please note that access to the archive requires the permission of the Foundation, and that the archive is not yet fully catalogued. Access will be limited until cataloguing is completed. For more information, please contact Special Collections staff.
Image: from photograph of Mitrinović, probably 1920s, photographer unknown (reference: Temp.NAF/Woodbine/1). Image © University of Bradford.
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