The National Library of Montenegro “Đurđe Crnojević” celebrated April
23rd, World Book and Copyright Day, dedicating it to the great Yugoslav
and world writer Danilo Kiš on the occasion of marking 90 years since
his birth. World Book Day was established in 1995 by UNESCO. It
traditionally celebrates literature and the importance of books through
various events around the world. In Montenegro this year, in particular,
a ceremony was organized in honor of Kiš.
The lecture about the life and work of Danilo Kiš, which was held in
the morning hours, was dedicated to young people, pupils of secondary
schools in Cetinje. Professor Božena Jelušić highlighted key aspects of
Kiš's life, including the difficult circumstances in which he grew up.
Danilo Kiš, as a Jewish boy, witnessed persecution, while his mother and
father bore the heavy burden of that time. On his adaptation to life in
the Montenegrin Old Royal Capital, it is enough to say that: “...He got
Cetinje and Cetinje got him...”.
Despite all these difficulties, Kiš developed a rich language
repertoire, speaking Hungarian, French, Russian and Serbo-Croatian. His
ability to translate, especially from Hungarian, French and Russian,
left a deep mark in literary and translation criticism.
A literary evening on the topic “Translations of Danilo Kiš from
Hungarian, French and Russian - Non Omnis Moriar” took place within the
central part of the program. The lecturers were Doc. Dr. Olga Vojičić
Komatina, Doc. Dr. Jasmina Nikčević and Prof. Dr. Tatjana Jovović. They
spoke of Kiš’s incredible ability to convey the emotional and
intellectual nuances of the languages he translated, with special
emphasis on the poetics of the avant-garde and socialist realism, which
shaped his translation opus.
Docent Dr. Olga Vojičić Komatina put a special accent in her speech
on Danilo Kiš's unique approach to literature and language. She
emphasized Kiš's ability to enter different literary directions, both in
his poetry and in his translation work. Kiš, according to Vojičić
Komatina, was deeply aware of all the cultural and political challenges
of his time. In his translations, Kiš processed the works of poets from
different literary traditions, using them as bridges between different
cultural spaces.
Vojičić Komatina particularly emphasized Kiš's role in the context of
avant-garde poetics and the poetics of contestation. Namely, some of
the poets that Kiš translated were close to avant-garde tendencies,
while others, like socialists, represented the opposite of those
tendencies. Kiš was a bridge between those two literary currents, which
was crucial for understanding his translation work. The ability to deal
with the complexity of different literary directions made Kiš unique in
his translation work.
In her speech, Docent Dr. Jasmina Nikčević discussed in detail Kiš's
poetics and his approach to literary creativity. According to Nikčević,
Kiš always emphasized the importance of writing out of necessity, not as
a technical skill, but as an inner need, as a psychological release.
The quote that Nikčević pick out: “The real text is the text that the
writer writes because he has to”, depicts Kish's view of literature as a
tool that has not only to be a technical exercise, but must be deeply
emotional and intellectually justified.
According to Nikčević, Kiš believed that “privileged moments” are
those moments of life that deserve to be recorded, to be written about.
This philosophy also shaped his translation practice. Kish wrote about
topics that deeply affected him, and this was reflected in his
translations. Through translations, Kiš tried to convey these emotional
and intellectual challenges, whether it was literature from Hungary,
France or Russia.
Professor Dr. Tatjana Jovović focused on Kiš's work in the field of
Russian literature. She pointed out that Kish was extremely dedicated to
Russian writers, especially poets, whose works were deeply rooted in
the specifics of the Russian cultural and political context.
Jovović pointed out that Kiš's role in translating Russian poets was
exceptional because it enabled readers in the Balkans to become familiar
with the deep philosophy of Russian poetic traditions. In addition, Kiš
was a key partaker in the creation of anthologies, with special
emphasis on the poems that other editors used in their collections.
Jovović also noted that Kiš's translators were not only writers, but
also friends, which provided additional depth to his approach.
Following the announced program, an exhibition was also presented. It
showed a selection of translations by Danilo Kiš from the collections
of the National Library of Montenegro. Visitors could see different
interpretations of his works in several languages, which once again
emphasized his importance as a translator. The authors of the exhibition
are Milenija Vračar, Library Advisor and Dragana Kaluđerović,
librarian.
The possibility of free membership in the Library was open during the
whole day, and books from various fields that the Library has in its
surplus fund were gifted to pupils and students.
This event not only paid tribute to Danilo Kiš as a writer, but also
underlined his exceptional role in the translation tradition, which
enabled a deeper connection between cultures and languages. This year's
World Book Day was another reminder of the power of literature to
transcend borders and connect people around the world.
The National Library of Montenegro “Đurđe Crnojević” celebrated April 23rd, World Book and Copyright Day, dedicating it to the great Yugoslav and world writer Danilo Kiš on the occasion of marking 90 years since his birth. World Book Day was established in 1995 by UNESCO. It traditionally celebrates literature and the importance of books through various events around the world. In Montenegro this year, in particular, a ceremony was organized in honor of Kiš.
The lecture about the life and work of Danilo Kiš, which was held in the morning hours, was dedicated to young people, pupils of secondary schools in Cetinje. Professor Božena Jelušić highlighted key aspects of Kiš's life, including the difficult circumstances in which he grew up. Danilo Kiš, as a Jewish boy, witnessed persecution, while his mother and father bore the heavy burden of that time. On his adaptation to life in the Montenegrin Old Royal Capital, it is enough to say that: “...He got Cetinje and Cetinje got him...”.
Despite all these difficulties, Kiš developed a rich language repertoire, speaking Hungarian, French, Russian and Serbo-Croatian. His ability to translate, especially from Hungarian, French and Russian, left a deep mark in literary and translation criticism.
A literary evening on the topic “Translations of Danilo Kiš from Hungarian, French and Russian - Non Omnis Moriar” took place within the central part of the program. The lecturers were Doc. Dr. Olga Vojičić Komatina, Doc. Dr. Jasmina Nikčević and Prof. Dr. Tatjana Jovović. They spoke of Kiš’s incredible ability to convey the emotional and intellectual nuances of the languages he translated, with special emphasis on the poetics of the avant-garde and socialist realism, which shaped his translation opus.
Docent Dr. Olga Vojičić Komatina put a special accent in her speech on Danilo Kiš's unique approach to literature and language. She emphasized Kiš's ability to enter different literary directions, both in his poetry and in his translation work. Kiš, according to Vojičić Komatina, was deeply aware of all the cultural and political challenges of his time. In his translations, Kiš processed the works of poets from different literary traditions, using them as bridges between different cultural spaces.
Vojičić Komatina particularly emphasized Kiš's role in the context of avant-garde poetics and the poetics of contestation. Namely, some of the poets that Kiš translated were close to avant-garde tendencies, while others, like socialists, represented the opposite of those tendencies. Kiš was a bridge between those two literary currents, which was crucial for understanding his translation work. The ability to deal with the complexity of different literary directions made Kiš unique in his translation work.
In her speech, Docent Dr. Jasmina Nikčević discussed in detail Kiš's poetics and his approach to literary creativity. According to Nikčević, Kiš always emphasized the importance of writing out of necessity, not as a technical skill, but as an inner need, as a psychological release. The quote that Nikčević pick out: “The real text is the text that the writer writes because he has to”, depicts Kish's view of literature as a tool that has not only to be a technical exercise, but must be deeply emotional and intellectually justified.
According to Nikčević, Kiš believed that “privileged moments” are those moments of life that deserve to be recorded, to be written about. This philosophy also shaped his translation practice. Kish wrote about topics that deeply affected him, and this was reflected in his translations. Through translations, Kiš tried to convey these emotional and intellectual challenges, whether it was literature from Hungary, France or Russia.
Professor Dr. Tatjana Jovović focused on Kiš's work in the field of Russian literature. She pointed out that Kish was extremely dedicated to Russian writers, especially poets, whose works were deeply rooted in the specifics of the Russian cultural and political context.
Jovović pointed out that Kiš's role in translating Russian poets was exceptional because it enabled readers in the Balkans to become familiar with the deep philosophy of Russian poetic traditions. In addition, Kiš was a key partaker in the creation of anthologies, with special emphasis on the poems that other editors used in their collections. Jovović also noted that Kiš's translators were not only writers, but also friends, which provided additional depth to his approach.
Following the announced program, an exhibition was also presented. It showed a selection of translations by Danilo Kiš from the collections of the National Library of Montenegro. Visitors could see different interpretations of his works in several languages, which once again emphasized his importance as a translator. The authors of the exhibition are Milenija Vračar, Library Advisor and Dragana Kaluđerović, librarian.
The possibility of free membership in the Library was open during the whole day, and books from various fields that the Library has in its surplus fund were gifted to pupils and students.
This event not only paid tribute to Danilo Kiš as a writer, but also underlined his exceptional role in the translation tradition, which enabled a deeper connection between cultures and languages. This year's World Book Day was another reminder of the power of literature to transcend borders and connect people around the world.