Gavrilo Gluščević was born in 1942 in the small village of Nudo near Nikšić, Montenegro. After finishing elementary school, he applied for a military scholarship to become a mechanical technician in the army. At the age of fifteen, he was awarded the scholarship, and moved to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).

Gavrilo prospered in BiH. The army ensured that Gavrilo received a proper education, and provided him with accommodation in Sarajevo, where he lived and worked until he was 50 years old, in 1992. When war broke out, however, Gavrilo, a civilian technician in the army, left BiH and returned to Montenegro, leaving behind everything he owned.

“I was 50 years old when I returned to Montenegro with nothing,” he says, pensively. “It took me a long time to get back on my feet and create a life again from scratch.”

Gavrilo has lived alone in his small apartment for many years. He never married or started a family. An avid reader, he spends his days reading books and finding comfort in the small library that he maintains.

“I have spent 80 years on my own, and in truth, it has not been easy,” he admits. “I spent most of my youth in military homes and institutions, so this type of accommodation is not new to me. I hope to find some company in the Home for the Elderly, and to be able to socialise with people my age again.”