AUTHORS presented in this anthology are Branislav Nušić (The Deceased), Djordje Lebović (Hallelujah), Aleksandar Obrenović (The Bird), Aleksandar Popović (Hats Off!), Ljubomir Simović (The Traveling Troupe Šopalović), Dušan Kovačević (Balkan Spy), Siniša Kovačević (Times Have Changed), Nebojša Romčević (Caroline Neuber), Biljana Srbljanović (Barbelo, on Dogs and Children), Milena Marković (A Boat for Dolls).*****Modern Serbia's theatrical drama began in 1804, when Serb leader Đorđe Petrović, also known as Karađorđe (1762-1817), liberated Serbia from the Ottoman Empire. This volume follows the culmination of a long and progressively successful tradition of the dramatic arts in the country, leading to the zenith of Serbian dramaturgy in the twentieth century. The theatre's limited achievements in the eighteenth century were the result of the Serbian people's negative and sarcastic perception of theatre as an institution. Yet this attitude changed in the subsequent two centuries, when plays based on the concept of realism--both political and social--became popular, contributing to the development of the country's dramaturgy and theatre. Selected writers from this modern period include Branislav Nušić, Dušan Kovačević, Biljana Srbljanović, and Milena Marković--names readily recognized by today's Serbian theatre-goers. The choice of authors for inclusion in this anthology is based on their acknowledged reputations and individual excellence in areas of topical significance, theatrical innovation, continuous performance and acclaim, and enduring truth and message.-Branko Mikasinovich*****After Tito died in 1980, the Yugoslavian government tried to pretend nothing had changed. Their motto was "After Tito - Tito". The rules may have become less strictly enforced, but their presence still hung in the air. Holding on to the days of Tito, of course, proved more aspirational than actual. Without him, the economic imbalance between different regions continued to grow more severe and the historical grudges between ethnic groups floated back to the surface, making the eventual dissolution of the country, in retrospect, seem like a foregone conclusion. Milošević, eventually, was a poor imitation of Tito - and, where Tito controlled political subversion with a nuanced cleverness, Milošević lost control of it through a brazen arrogance. This allowed for a short period of more explicitly political and defiant works. Nothing of that nature, however, is included in this collection. The socio-political connections within the most contemporary works in the collection, Barbelo and A Ship For Dolls, are less local in their concerns - responding with a wider attack on the human condition within the 21st century. The theatrical imagination at work within these plays provokes and inspires simultaneously . . . Though not about to compete yet on an international scale with the likes of NewYork or London, Belgrade has an astonishingly prolific theatre scene, and as Harold Clurman reminded us at every opportunity, great theatre can only exist where the efforts to make theatre are legion. Belgrade is such a place and as the reader who becomes familiar with the plays in this book will avouch, Belgrade has produced some of the greatest.-Dennis Barnett

Selected Serbian Plays

Literature & Fiction

Mikasinovich, Branko

Stojanović, Dejan

Barnett, Dennis

Dramas & Plays

New Avenue Books

An Anthology of Serbian Satire and Aphorisms Between 1950 and 1990, satire contributed the most to the democratization of society in the former Yugoslavia and Serbia. Cabaret performances, The Alarm-Clock by Vlada Bulatovic Vib; The Tavern, The Court, The Mad House by Brana Crncevic or Marx, Marx, What Time Is It? by Milovan Vitezovic played a large role in the process. In 1969 Vitezovic’s book, My Heart Betrayed Me, was burned. In addition, Matija Beckovic, primarily a poet, had both the courage (considering that he lived in communist Yugoslavia) and the talent to write such provocative texts as “On Yugoslavs” and “On Success and Failure.” Writings of this nature were generally considered heresy, to put it mildly, and could have led to censorship, ostracism, or imprisonment. Under the influence of the great Polish aphorist and poet Stanislaw Jerzy Lec and later under the influence of Brana Crncevic and Milovan Vitezovic, the world-renowned Belgrade Aphoristic Circle was formed. Aphorisms were heavily used in the last decades of the 20th century in Serbia without slowing down in the 21st century. “It is a miserable democracy when people have to choose between two evils,” wrote Vitezovic four decades ago. These words are equally fresh and alive today, regardless of where one stands along the political spectrum. The form of satirical aphorism culminated under the pen of Vitezovic in the earlier decades and more recently under the pen of Aleksandar Baljak and Aleksandar Cotric, to name a few. “Our native land is in danger. From the saviors,” says Cotric, and this is the critique or social function of satire at its best. The absurdity of the situation and the use of paradox by satirists led to the best results in their works. Strangeness in literature is a quality regardless of form or genre, but in satire, strange or grotesque situations create a much stronger message. In a story titled, “Letter from 1920,” Andric wrote that “most evil and dark people can be seen around shrines, monasteries and mosques.” Humor is not present in this sonorous statement, yet the tone and message are piercingly satirical. In his essay "Laughter," Henri Bergson rightfully argues that, when people are found in unusual situations, it triggers laughter. For example, somebody walks down the street and for no obvious reason falls down in a grotesque way, so that passersby start laughing immediately. The peculiarity of this scene lies in the fact that it is not usual that a person walking down the street falls for no obvious reason. People who laugh in such situations react mechanically. Although comedies or humorous literary works are not necessarily satiric, many satirical plays and novels or stories are humorous. Humor in literature is most effective if it contains the elements similar to the situation described in the Bergson’s essay. Strangeness, absurdity, paradox, and hyperbole make satire more appealing, effective, and clear in its message. All these elements were employed by Petar Kocic in his play A Badger in Court. We can hardly imagine a stranger situation than a person suing a badger and bringing it to court to seek justice. From the first stories of Domanovic and Kocic, Serbian satire moved on to an adventurous journey full of creativity and surprises that led to improvement and artistic invention along a wide spectrum of artistic forms and mediums. One of the most popular and fruitful forms was aphorism, in which Serbian authors achieved the highest points even on the world scene. Today, there is no immediate danger for the satirical writers in Serbia since society has changed and democratized and not much courage is needed to write about any subject. Still, this journey not only continues in the 21st century but is equally productive, thought-provoking, and adventurous. -Dejan Stojanovic

Serbian Satire and Aphorisms

Domanović, Radoje

Bećković, Matija

Crncevic, Branislav Brana

Putnikovic, Radomir

Miletic, Slobodan

Nusic, Branislav

Dis, Vladislav Petkovic

Kocic, Petar

Humor & Satire

Movement Publishing

Serbian comedies by Jovan Sterija Popovic, Branislav Nusic, and Dusan Kovacevic. In the period between the two world wars, with only a few exceptions, nobody believed that Nusic was a great writer. Today, almost all people familiar with theater and the history of Serbian theater and literature would agree that Nusic was, in fact, the only Serbian playwright of high caliber between the two world wars. Thanks to the turns or whims of history, as well as the more open-minded theater people, Nusic became the most staged Serbian playwright and most popular after World War II. The new generations of theater directors realized that Nusic had a streak of genius and was, perhaps, 50 years ahead of his time for the Serbian theater. The third playwright in this anthology, Dusan Kovacevic, has been one of the most prolific and popular Serbian playwrights on the Serbian theatrical scene since the 1970s. The first term that comes to mind when thinking about some of Kovacevic's plays is grotesque, especially in The Marathon Family, one of Kovacevic's first plays. He more or less continued in this manner in his other plays. Victor Hugo thought that grotesque was "the richest source nature can offer art." The simplest explanation why grotesque is so effective is that it makes the contrasts more obvious while juxtaposing the ugly and the beautiful, the divine and the unholy, the sublime and the ordinary, the romantic and the dull. If we are directly confronted with beauty and ugliness, beauty starts shining brighter and becomes more obvious, forcing us to appreciate it more and not take it for granted. Kovacevic is a master of the grotesque and, for that reason, his plays may appear somewhat exotic, especially to foreign theater goers. The Marathon Family play, as well as a movie made in 1982, based on a screenplay by Kovacevic himself and directed by Slobodan Sijan, was so popular in the former Yugoslavia and Serbia that, in 2013, theater director Milica Kralj decided to stage The Marathon Family with the male roles played by female actors. In such a situation, for instance, Grandma Pantelija resembles Josip Broz Tito, and the main goal of all the women in the family is to become CEOs of some kind. This was not the first time that this play was played by female actors. Actually, in 1996, director Jagos Markovic staged the same play with female actors and achieved much success. Similarly, also in 2013, the female roles in Mrs. Minister, directed by Tatjana Mandic Rigonat, were played by male actors at the Bosko Buha theatre. By presenting these three playwrights and their comedies, we can follow the most important developments in the last few centuries and develop direct and indirect feelings about the state of affairs in Serbian society on many levels, not only on the level of literature and theater. Popovic was more of an intellectual and a didactic educator, desiring to enlighten the general populous and open their eyes through satire within the idea of the comedy of character. Meanwhile, Kovacevic uses his imagination more freely, relies much more on humor, and does not incorporate much satirical tone into his comedies. Somewhere between them, not only chronologically but also stylistically and in terms of the creative method, stands Nusic, as the most remarkable figure of the Serbian theatre. -Dejan Stojanovic

Selected Serbian Comedies

Popović, Jovan Sterija

Kovacevic, Dusan

Short Stories & Anthologies

ABSOLUTE (THE WORLD IN NOWHERENESS)

Science & Math

Astronomy & Space Science

Independently published

Home Of Light

Chicago : New Avenue Books

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