Within the series “Mostovi”, that at the time I’ve
launched exactly for that reason, I made many broadcasts, as well as a dozen
documentaries about important artists, members of minorities.
So far no one has been dealing
with them in this way, so thoroughly and studiously, in this form, and
therefore, for example, my friends, Bosniak intellectuals, often say in joke
that I did more for affirmation of Bosniak culture in Montenegro than any
member of their nation. I'm glad to hear that, and what have contributed to it
are the movies about Ćamil Sijarić, Avdo Međedović, Ismet Rebronja, Husein
Bašić, Hilmija Ćatović, etc.
Mr. Rakočević, you were born in Mojkovac, a city rich
in history, tradition and culture. That’s where, in Podbišće, was born Milovan
Đilas, a famous writer, translator but also a dissident.
Do you perhaps consider his
autobiographical reflection in “Besudna zemlja”, which is actually a story of a
hard time, growing up and all the fractures of the then Montenegrin society,
for his best work?
RAKOČEVIĆ: I don’t think that “Besudna zemlja” is the
best Đilas’s work, but he accurately marked some of our important character traits
in that book, the genealogy of the Montenegrin family at the transition between
the 19th and 20th centuries, and described the years that
marked Montenegro during the times of wars, great famine, Spanish flu and other
miseries. Above all, he was the first in the literature of that time that
pointed to some of our false values, such as heroism, ethics, morale, etc.
He substantiated this with a
crime in Šahovići in 1924, in which his father Nikola was also involved.
Although it is a dominant
literary text that implies fiction, “Besudna zemlja” is often referred to as a
historical source. Although Đilas’s life was marked by many
contradictions, he is one of the most famous Montenegrins of the 20th
century, if not the most famous one. I spent the first years of studying in a school that
he also attended for a while and this is certainly flattering to me.
Exactly in “Besudna zemlja”,
Đilas gave nice descriptions of the countryside around Mojkovac, which are
still intact and beautiful.
You graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy of the
University of Montenegro, from the Department of Serbo-Croatian Language and
Yugoslav Literature. As a young man at the age of 23, you published your
first collection of poetry “Motivi buđenja”. How much did this first public appearance in the
public have meant to you and was it a kind of stimulus for you to become one of
the prominent Montenegrin intellectuals?
RAKOČEVIĆ: At that time, I edited the literary program
of the Youth Center “Budo Tomović” in Titograd, which was the publisher of my
first book “Motivi buđenja”. Within this institution, it was held one of the
most important festivals of young Yugoslav poets “Handshakes in May” which,
unfortunately, as many other things, has ceased to exist with the
disintegration of the former state.
All the important regional mid-generation poets have
circulated there and I’m still bound for many of them by a lasting friendship
from these days. By circumstance I began to publish in periodicals very early
and the first book came as a natural sequence. Some of the poems from it have already been published
in newspapers and magazines, so I was a formed “poet” in a way even before the
book. At that time, there were plenty of festivals, so we have often
travelled, socialized, exchanged books and knowledge about literary flows in our
communities and published each other’s poems. We had a very dynamic literary life.
It was the last Yugoslav generation
of writers distinguished by different poetics, but it was as if we were all
from the same environment.
For many years, you have been an editor and promoter
of numerous and important international literary festivals, including
Ratković's Poetry Evenings in Bijelo Polje. How important is it for us to have
such important events and how much they contribute to the affirmation of
Montenegro on the cultural map of Europe?
RAKOČEVIĆ: Festivals are important because of direct
acquaintance with creators and certainly also because of the image of an
environment. So far, I have been in many ways connected with many regional literary
festivals and the general impression is that they are important for the
literary life and life of a place in general. However, the festivals lost the spirit they had in
socialist Yugoslavia, but, it seems to me they’ve become more serious. At least
the international ones. Today in Montenegro we have several literary festivals
with an international dimension and their quality varies from year to year,
depending on the financial resources, but they are profiled as serious literary
parades and they significantly contribute to the idea of the culture of our
homeland in the world.
You are the author and editor of the first cult
television anthology of the 20th century “Poetika Montenegrina”,
which was broadcasted on the first program of RTVCG and had 30 half-hour
episodes, and in which for the first time you presented some of the most
important Montenegrin authors and writers to the audience.
How important is it for
younger generations to get to know, read and understand the works of
Montenegrin authors?
RAKOČEVIĆ: The book of the same name was created on
the basis of this series and it came to an excellent reception of the reading
and expert public and it had two editions. Interest in it was high probably due to the fact that
the Montenegrin poetic twentieth century was selectively consolidated for the
first time. Thus, a systematic selection enabled a proper insight into the work of
the most important Montenegrin poetry spawns, accompanied by special essays
about them and an equal number of selected poems reflecting their work.
When it comes to young people,
the perception of this poetry is certainly facilitated for them because of the way
of processing it, that is, the format, since the television and electronic form
in general is closer to them. Many of the authors represented here were unjustly
forgotten and, thanks to this selection, they were returned to our current
literature. After the series and the book “Poetika Montenegrina” many people asked
me how come some poets whose works trustworthy reflected our poetic movements
of the past century are not present in public and are they completely
forgotten. This injustice has been corrected to a certain extent and I could
see that the interest for some authors has continued, to my joy.
That, among other things, was
my goal.
You have received many awards and prizes for your
creative work. How much those awards have been stimulant for you to continue
your mission of a cultural creator?
RAKOČEVIĆ: I would be hypocritical if I would say that
awards do not mean anything to me. They, together with a bit of luck and a lot of
closeness with certain literary lobbies and structures, create a cultural scene
and they are some kind of official affirmation of what you are doing. And that
is certainly pleasant. On the other hand, many important writers have never
received a single prize and their works have outlived many with a lot of
recognition. I want to say that awards are not a measure of the quality of a writer.
It is important to create the
best you can, and it is not so important whether this will be valued by some
official recognition. Readers and time are the best filters and something
awarded “by force” becomes completely forgotten.
You have published an extremely large number of
literary and professional works, your works were translated into more than 12
languages and you are present in all important anthologies of contemporary
Montenegrin literature. Where did you find inspiration for your works?
RAKOČEVIĆ: In the beginning, as a young writer, you
are always burdened by choosing a topic, constructing works, overly theorizing,
and so on, but eventually you stop thinking about it and things become
spontaneous. I think what we call inspiration is nothing but the feeling that you are
in creative enthusiasm, in a certain degree of responsibility that simply
obliges you to seriously engage in some kind of business. As a football
player has to practice almost every day in order to play, every serious writer
must continually write so everything can crystallize, filter, and she or he can
eventually throw away a lot and keep what is useful. Translations are also important due to the fact that
we create in a relatively small environment and in a language not spoken by
many, so each step is extremely useful both for a certain author and for the
Montenegrin literature as a whole. In frequent contacts with colleagues from abroad, I’m
often ashamed to inform them about the circulation of our editions because they
cannot understand that a usual circulation in our country is around three
hundred copies, and all above that is a success. Even that is hard to sell.
North of Montenegro has given numerous prominent literates,
writers, poets, painters. You support and promote the cultural connection of
the North of Montenegro with the South and the Old Royal Capital to the maximum
extent. Do you think this is an important step in the affirmation of the culture
of all creators from the North and why?
RAKOČEVIĆ: Working long time in the Radio and
Television of Montenegro, where I did various editorial jobs, I was able to
create some program segments, most often in the field of culture. By the nature of
things, the things that were closer to me were more often found in the program. I have always
insisted that we devote our attention to cultural creators who live farther
from Bioče, in the North of our country and whose work deserves valid
affirmation and popularization. Without any false modesty, I have to boast that I have
greatly contributed to the greater presence of these people in the RTCG
programs, especially in the last five years when I started to work with more
serious forms, creating shows and documentaries. Within the series “Mostovi” I made many shows about
the cultural creators from the north, as well as a dozen documentaries about
important artists, members of minorities. So far no one has been dealing with them in this way,
so thoroughly and studiously, in this form, and therefore, for example, my
friends, Bosniak intellectuals, often say in joke that I did more for
affirmation of Bosniak culture in Montenegro than any member of their nation.
I'm glad to hear that, and what have contributed to it are the movies about
Ćamil Sijarić, Avdo Međedović, Ismet Rebronja, Husein Bašić, Hilmija Ćatović,
etc. Of
course, there is my book “Utisci”, which deals with the literary work of
minority writers. It is very important to break prejudices, to
understand each other as we live in such a small space that we share in every
way. No
minority people in Montenegro have fallen from the sky.
They are here for centuries,
so our culture, tradition, our customs and habits so permeate that it is
sometimes difficult to distinguish what belongs to whom or impossible to prove
any authenticity. After all, in our area so many civilizations and
cultures were present and a stubborn insistence on many of our peculiarities
would lead us nowhere.
How and in what way should younger generations be
encouraged to read more and develop love towards the book?
RAKOČEVIĆ: It seems to me that the tendency towards
the book and the reading is one of genetic human's qualities, regardless of the
omnipotent Internet; the book in the classical sense cannot be compromised. Reading data is
always deceptive and it depends on many factors. I have received some encouraging information from
public libraries where a large number of young people are members. We can only
problematize the kind of literature they read, but in any case, the statistics
are in favour of the book. Love towards it first develops in family and school,
and then things take a natural flow. A lot of young people also writes, so the picture of them
and the book is not pessimistic.
Is contemporary poetry in Europe in a sort of “crisis”?
RAKOČEVIĆ: Poetry is in crisis everywhere. It is now,
in the right sense, elitist and reduced to a very small number of devotees to
this literary form. The question is how much even the poets themselves
read each other’s poetry. Definitely, prose has achieved the predominance over
poetry, although it contains the essence of writing. Everything that some prose writers need the whole book
for, a good poet could summarize in several verses.
You’re the director of the National Library “Đurđe
Crnojević” in Cetinje, where you have a very notable activity, numerous quality
programs and promotions. You give your personal seal to the quality cultural
life of the Old Royal Capital. How much does this contribute to the promotion of
Cetinje as a city of history, culture and chess?
RAKOČEVIĆ: First of all, the leading position in the
National Library of Montenegro is a great honour and obligation for me,
although, when you think about it, a reputable writer’s place is in the
Library. Wherever
I worked, I shrank from stereotypes and inactivity; I liked to start new
things. In
the past few years in the National Library of Montenegro, we have done a lot of
work on the affirmation of that institution, as well as the Montenegrin culture
in general, and the dynamics of the cultural life of Cetinje. We have received
the international code for the Montenegrin language, launched several new
editions, established cooperation with a number of institutions in the country
and abroad, significantly renewed the library fund, invested a lot of own funds
in renovation of the buildings in which the Library is situated, drafted the
Rulebook on internal organization and job classification which have been waited
for for years, started the general audit of the holdings that has not been done
since 1982 and have dynamized I believe the quality programs thanks to whom the
Library imposed itself as one of the most serious creators of the cultural
scene of Cetinje and beyond.
Who would you single out among significant writers
from the area of Cetinje who left a strong mark on the Montenegrin cultural
scene?
RAKOČEVIĆ: Writers from the Petrović dynasty with the
undisputed Njegoš, then Leso Ivanović, a distinctive lyricist who has spent his
whole life in Cetinje and a number of high-quality writers that I will not
list, because I don’t want to leave anyone out. Cetinje gave our most important writers and painters.
Does Cetinje, according to you, deserve a literary
manifestation that would have a permanent character of existence and as such would
be recognized throughout Europe and what do you think should be done on that
issue?
RAKOČEVIĆ: Of course it deserves and, as far as I
know, this issue is being actualized at different levels for several years. Even the National
Library was in some variants as one of the main organizers of a renowned
literary parade, which would be quite natural, but the whole thing is not yet
fully precised. In any case, I believe that Cetinje will soon receive
an important literary manifestation that it deserves, which would be in favour
of Cetinje and the written word.
What would you, as the director of the National
Library, a writer and a former professor, recommend to someone to read?
RAKOČEVIĆ: It's always a matter of personal choice and
affinity. I always say that it is necessary to read, as much as it’s possible,
classics because everything starts from them. That’s where a great wisdom and a human experience
that cannot be found anywhere else are summarized. Other books are read according to will. I am very fond of many
of them and now I remember “The Cinnamon Shops” by Bruno Schulz, Georges Perec’s “Life a User's Manual”, Italo
Calvino’s “If on a Winter's Night a Traveller”, etc. I am indecisive in that sense and this list is
definitely much longer.
In addition to literary evenings in the National
Library, the National Library organizes other events in the field of culture.
What are the plans for the future?
RAKOČEVIĆ: We organize various exhibitions, round
tables, mark jubilees. There are plenty of plans and their realization does
not depend only on us. In program terms, we will continue as before, as a
good part of the forms proved to be good, and in that case they should not be
changed. We
will intensify the activities on the international scene and that is why we
have signed some important Memorandums of Understanding that enable joint
programs with related foreign institutions. Some of them have already been drafted and agreed upon.
For the very end of the conversation, please describe
your courtyard to us, your corner where you have your peace and in which you
create poetry, criticism, essays.
RAKOČEVIĆ: Well, that's a special story, and I better
keep it quiet. I still do not have a millimetre of work space, so I'm
managing as I know. The most important thing is to arrange things in your mind,
and then it becomes easier. I write everywhere. Where ever I get the chance.
Within the series “Mostovi”, that at the time I’ve launched exactly for that reason, I made many broadcasts, as well as a dozen documentaries about important artists, members of minorities. So far no one has been dealing with them in this way, so thoroughly and studiously, in this form, and therefore, for example, my friends, Bosniak intellectuals, often say in joke that I did more for affirmation of Bosniak culture in Montenegro than any member of their nation. I'm glad to hear that, and what have contributed to it are the movies about Ćamil Sijarić, Avdo Međedović, Ismet Rebronja, Husein Bašić, Hilmija Ćatović, etc.
The interview was taken over from the web address: https://www.avlija.me/intervju/vazno-je-da-razumijemo-jedni-druge
Interviewer: Božidar Proročić
Mr. Rakočević, you were born in Mojkovac, a city rich in history, tradition and culture. That’s where, in Podbišće, was born Milovan Đilas, a famous writer, translator but also a dissident. Do you perhaps consider his autobiographical reflection in “Besudna zemlja”, which is actually a story of a hard time, growing up and all the fractures of the then Montenegrin society, for his best work?
RAKOČEVIĆ: I don’t think that “Besudna zemlja” is the best Đilas’s work, but he accurately marked some of our important character traits in that book, the genealogy of the Montenegrin family at the transition between the 19th and 20th centuries, and described the years that marked Montenegro during the times of wars, great famine, Spanish flu and other miseries. Above all, he was the first in the literature of that time that pointed to some of our false values, such as heroism, ethics, morale, etc. He substantiated this with a crime in Šahovići in 1924, in which his father Nikola was also involved. Although it is a dominant literary text that implies fiction, “Besudna zemlja” is often referred to as a historical source. Although Đilas’s life was marked by many contradictions, he is one of the most famous Montenegrins of the 20th century, if not the most famous one. I spent the first years of studying in a school that he also attended for a while and this is certainly flattering to me. Exactly in “Besudna zemlja”, Đilas gave nice descriptions of the countryside around Mojkovac, which are still intact and beautiful.
You graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Montenegro, from the Department of Serbo-Croatian Language and Yugoslav Literature. As a young man at the age of 23, you published your first collection of poetry “Motivi buđenja”. How much did this first public appearance in the public have meant to you and was it a kind of stimulus for you to become one of the prominent Montenegrin intellectuals?
RAKOČEVIĆ: At that time, I edited the literary program of the Youth Center “Budo Tomović” in Titograd, which was the publisher of my first book “Motivi buđenja”. Within this institution, it was held one of the most important festivals of young Yugoslav poets “Handshakes in May” which, unfortunately, as many other things, has ceased to exist with the disintegration of the former state.
All the important regional mid-generation poets have circulated there and I’m still bound for many of them by a lasting friendship from these days. By circumstance I began to publish in periodicals very early and the first book came as a natural sequence. Some of the poems from it have already been published in newspapers and magazines, so I was a formed “poet” in a way even before the book. At that time, there were plenty of festivals, so we have often travelled, socialized, exchanged books and knowledge about literary flows in our communities and published each other’s poems. We had a very dynamic literary life. It was the last Yugoslav generation of writers distinguished by different poetics, but it was as if we were all from the same environment.
For many years, you have been an editor and promoter of numerous and important international literary festivals, including Ratković's Poetry Evenings in Bijelo Polje. How important is it for us to have such important events and how much they contribute to the affirmation of Montenegro on the cultural map of Europe?
RAKOČEVIĆ: Festivals are important because of direct acquaintance with creators and certainly also because of the image of an environment. So far, I have been in many ways connected with many regional literary festivals and the general impression is that they are important for the literary life and life of a place in general. However, the festivals lost the spirit they had in socialist Yugoslavia, but, it seems to me they’ve become more serious. At least the international ones. Today in Montenegro we have several literary festivals with an international dimension and their quality varies from year to year, depending on the financial resources, but they are profiled as serious literary parades and they significantly contribute to the idea of the culture of our homeland in the world.
You are the author and editor of the first cult television anthology of the 20th century “Poetika Montenegrina”, which was broadcasted on the first program of RTVCG and had 30 half-hour episodes, and in which for the first time you presented some of the most important Montenegrin authors and writers to the audience. How important is it for younger generations to get to know, read and understand the works of Montenegrin authors?
RAKOČEVIĆ: The book of the same name was created on the basis of this series and it came to an excellent reception of the reading and expert public and it had two editions. Interest in it was high probably due to the fact that the Montenegrin poetic twentieth century was selectively consolidated for the first time. Thus, a systematic selection enabled a proper insight into the work of the most important Montenegrin poetry spawns, accompanied by special essays about them and an equal number of selected poems reflecting their work. When it comes to young people, the perception of this poetry is certainly facilitated for them because of the way of processing it, that is, the format, since the television and electronic form in general is closer to them. Many of the authors represented here were unjustly forgotten and, thanks to this selection, they were returned to our current literature. After the series and the book “Poetika Montenegrina” many people asked me how come some poets whose works trustworthy reflected our poetic movements of the past century are not present in public and are they completely forgotten. This injustice has been corrected to a certain extent and I could see that the interest for some authors has continued, to my joy. That, among other things, was my goal.
You have received many awards and prizes for your creative work. How much those awards have been stimulant for you to continue your mission of a cultural creator?
RAKOČEVIĆ: I would be hypocritical if I would say that awards do not mean anything to me. They, together with a bit of luck and a lot of closeness with certain literary lobbies and structures, create a cultural scene and they are some kind of official affirmation of what you are doing. And that is certainly pleasant. On the other hand, many important writers have never received a single prize and their works have outlived many with a lot of recognition. I want to say that awards are not a measure of the quality of a writer. It is important to create the best you can, and it is not so important whether this will be valued by some official recognition. Readers and time are the best filters and something awarded “by force” becomes completely forgotten.
You have published an extremely large number of literary and professional works, your works were translated into more than 12 languages and you are present in all important anthologies of contemporary Montenegrin literature. Where did you find inspiration for your works?
RAKOČEVIĆ: In the beginning, as a young writer, you are always burdened by choosing a topic, constructing works, overly theorizing, and so on, but eventually you stop thinking about it and things become spontaneous. I think what we call inspiration is nothing but the feeling that you are in creative enthusiasm, in a certain degree of responsibility that simply obliges you to seriously engage in some kind of business. As a football player has to practice almost every day in order to play, every serious writer must continually write so everything can crystallize, filter, and she or he can eventually throw away a lot and keep what is useful. Translations are also important due to the fact that we create in a relatively small environment and in a language not spoken by many, so each step is extremely useful both for a certain author and for the Montenegrin literature as a whole. In frequent contacts with colleagues from abroad, I’m often ashamed to inform them about the circulation of our editions because they cannot understand that a usual circulation in our country is around three hundred copies, and all above that is a success. Even that is hard to sell.
North of Montenegro has given numerous prominent literates, writers, poets, painters. You support and promote the cultural connection of the North of Montenegro with the South and the Old Royal Capital to the maximum extent. Do you think this is an important step in the affirmation of the culture of all creators from the North and why?
RAKOČEVIĆ: Working long time in the Radio and Television of Montenegro, where I did various editorial jobs, I was able to create some program segments, most often in the field of culture. By the nature of things, the things that were closer to me were more often found in the program. I have always insisted that we devote our attention to cultural creators who live farther from Bioče, in the North of our country and whose work deserves valid affirmation and popularization. Without any false modesty, I have to boast that I have greatly contributed to the greater presence of these people in the RTCG programs, especially in the last five years when I started to work with more serious forms, creating shows and documentaries. Within the series “Mostovi” I made many shows about the cultural creators from the north, as well as a dozen documentaries about important artists, members of minorities. So far no one has been dealing with them in this way, so thoroughly and studiously, in this form, and therefore, for example, my friends, Bosniak intellectuals, often say in joke that I did more for affirmation of Bosniak culture in Montenegro than any member of their nation. I'm glad to hear that, and what have contributed to it are the movies about Ćamil Sijarić, Avdo Međedović, Ismet Rebronja, Husein Bašić, Hilmija Ćatović, etc. Of course, there is my book “Utisci”, which deals with the literary work of minority writers. It is very important to break prejudices, to understand each other as we live in such a small space that we share in every way. No minority people in Montenegro have fallen from the sky. They are here for centuries, so our culture, tradition, our customs and habits so permeate that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish what belongs to whom or impossible to prove any authenticity. After all, in our area so many civilizations and cultures were present and a stubborn insistence on many of our peculiarities would lead us nowhere.
How and in what way should younger generations be encouraged to read more and develop love towards the book?
RAKOČEVIĆ: It seems to me that the tendency towards the book and the reading is one of genetic human's qualities, regardless of the omnipotent Internet; the book in the classical sense cannot be compromised. Reading data is always deceptive and it depends on many factors. I have received some encouraging information from public libraries where a large number of young people are members. We can only problematize the kind of literature they read, but in any case, the statistics are in favour of the book. Love towards it first develops in family and school, and then things take a natural flow. A lot of young people also writes, so the picture of them and the book is not pessimistic.
Is contemporary poetry in Europe in a sort of “crisis”?
RAKOČEVIĆ: Poetry is in crisis everywhere. It is now, in the right sense, elitist and reduced to a very small number of devotees to this literary form. The question is how much even the poets themselves read each other’s poetry. Definitely, prose has achieved the predominance over poetry, although it contains the essence of writing. Everything that some prose writers need the whole book for, a good poet could summarize in several verses.
You’re the director of the National Library “Đurđe Crnojević” in Cetinje, where you have a very notable activity, numerous quality programs and promotions. You give your personal seal to the quality cultural life of the Old Royal Capital. How much does this contribute to the promotion of Cetinje as a city of history, culture and chess?
RAKOČEVIĆ: First of all, the leading position in the National Library of Montenegro is a great honour and obligation for me, although, when you think about it, a reputable writer’s place is in the Library. Wherever I worked, I shrank from stereotypes and inactivity; I liked to start new things. In the past few years in the National Library of Montenegro, we have done a lot of work on the affirmation of that institution, as well as the Montenegrin culture in general, and the dynamics of the cultural life of Cetinje. We have received the international code for the Montenegrin language, launched several new editions, established cooperation with a number of institutions in the country and abroad, significantly renewed the library fund, invested a lot of own funds in renovation of the buildings in which the Library is situated, drafted the Rulebook on internal organization and job classification which have been waited for for years, started the general audit of the holdings that has not been done since 1982 and have dynamized I believe the quality programs thanks to whom the Library imposed itself as one of the most serious creators of the cultural scene of Cetinje and beyond.
Who would you single out among significant writers from the area of Cetinje who left a strong mark on the Montenegrin cultural scene?
RAKOČEVIĆ: Writers from the Petrović dynasty with the undisputed Njegoš, then Leso Ivanović, a distinctive lyricist who has spent his whole life in Cetinje and a number of high-quality writers that I will not list, because I don’t want to leave anyone out. Cetinje gave our most important writers and painters.
Does Cetinje, according to you, deserve a literary manifestation that would have a permanent character of existence and as such would be recognized throughout Europe and what do you think should be done on that issue?
RAKOČEVIĆ: Of course it deserves and, as far as I know, this issue is being actualized at different levels for several years. Even the National Library was in some variants as one of the main organizers of a renowned literary parade, which would be quite natural, but the whole thing is not yet fully precised. In any case, I believe that Cetinje will soon receive an important literary manifestation that it deserves, which would be in favour of Cetinje and the written word.
What would you, as the director of the National Library, a writer and a former professor, recommend to someone to read?
RAKOČEVIĆ: It's always a matter of personal choice and affinity. I always say that it is necessary to read, as much as it’s possible, classics because everything starts from them. That’s where a great wisdom and a human experience that cannot be found anywhere else are summarized. Other books are read according to will. I am very fond of many of them and now I remember “The Cinnamon Shops” by Bruno Schulz, Georges Perec’s “Life a User's Manual”, Italo Calvino’s “If on a Winter's Night a Traveller”, etc. I am indecisive in that sense and this list is definitely much longer.
In addition to literary evenings in the National Library, the National Library organizes other events in the field of culture. What are the plans for the future?
RAKOČEVIĆ: We organize various exhibitions, round tables, mark jubilees. There are plenty of plans and their realization does not depend only on us. In program terms, we will continue as before, as a good part of the forms proved to be good, and in that case they should not be changed. We will intensify the activities on the international scene and that is why we have signed some important Memorandums of Understanding that enable joint programs with related foreign institutions. Some of them have already been drafted and agreed upon.
For the very end of the conversation, please describe your courtyard to us, your corner where you have your peace and in which you create poetry, criticism, essays.
RAKOČEVIĆ: Well, that's a special story, and I better keep it quiet. I still do not have a millimetre of work space, so I'm managing as I know. The most important thing is to arrange things in your mind, and then it becomes easier. I write everywhere. Where ever I get the chance.