Belgrade
Belgrade, ancient city and the capital of Serbia, is situated beneath
Mount Avala, at the mouth of the rivers Sava and Danube. It has always
been an important trade centre and a goal for conquerors. It was a key
city for the Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, Habsburgs and others. This heritage
is still present in many of the works of its writers and artists.
In modern times, writers in Belgrade have been inspired by themes
of the big metropolis, the different regions of Serbia and from abroad.
Prose writing has taken two major routes, one dedicated to Serbian history,
and the other to dealing with more modern themes. Major novelists
from Belgrade include Nobel prize winner Ivo Andrić, Danilo Kiš and Borislav
Pekić. Currently the prominent writers are David Albahari, Svetislav
Basara and Srđan Valjarević, among others.
The poetry scene is lively and has grown in influence in recent times. Miloš
Crnjanski, Vasko Popa, Miodrag Pavlović, Borislav Radović, Milutin Petrović
are all greatly admired and today Belgrade is proud of it's young voices
such as Ana Ristović, Dragan Radovančević and others.Belgrade has always
been a regional center for literary publications. There is the old and
famous literary magazine
Književnost and today there are many equally important
literary magazines, such as
Pismo, Poezija, Književni magazin, Treći Trg and
Beogradski književni časopis. Belgrade always was and still is a
centre for the publishing and performing of literature. Its International
Book Fair is one of the biggest and most visited events in the region.
News
Word Express in Scotland
9th - 15th August
See a new generation of talented poets and translators Raman Mundair,
Ryan van Wynkle, Marko Pogačar,
Found in Translation
"I’ve got this sickly taste in my mouth... "
an extract and video from Sian Melangell Dafydd's
The Third Thing
"Sitting up on the bed, you strain and plunge like a frogman among
wobbegong dorsal fins."
three poems from Radu Vancu