Serbian literature

Serbian literature is literature written in Serbian and/or in Serbia.

Periodization

Medieval literature

The oldest manuscript book and a monument of Old-Serbian literacy is Miroslav's Gospel (Serbian: "Мирославово јеванђеље / Miroslavovo jevandjelje"), a 362-page liturgic book written between 1180 and 1191 in a transitional form between Old Church Slavonic and Slavoserbian. It was written by two monk pupils, Grigorije and probably Varsameleon, on a white parchment paper for Miroslav, the Duke of Zahumlje, brother of King Stefan Nemanja.

Miroslav's Gospel explains the origin of the Cyrillic script, the letters in it are a masterpiece of calligraphy and illustrations are daring and magnificent miniatures, vignettes and initials. For centuries Miroslav's Gospel has been kept in the Hilandar monastery of the Serbian Orthodox Church, on Mount Athos, Greece. In 2005 Miroslav's Gospel was entered into UNESCO program "Memory of the World".

However, the most beautifully written and decorated manuscript remains Serbian Psalter of Munich, created in the last quarter of 14. century.

The other monumental inscription from this same period is the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, dedicated to the Catholic coastal areas of the Serbian state of Dioclea, that would later convert fully to Orthodox Christianity.

Oral literature

Medieval Serbian literature was dominated by folk songs and epics passed orally from generation to generation. Historic events, such as the "Battle of Kosovo" (Serbian: "Бој на Косову / Boj na Kosovu") in the 14th century play a major role in the development of the Serbian epic poetry.

Baroque

Serbian literature in Vojvodina continued building onto Medieval tradition, influenced by Russian baroque, which culminated in Slavoserbian language. Most important authors of the time are Đorđe Branković, Gavril Stefanović-Venclović, Jovan Rajić and Zaharije Orfelin.

Pre-Romantism

One of the first countries to win independence from the Ottoman Empire, the Serbian independence movement sparked the first works of modern Serbian literature. Most notably Petar II Petrović Njegoš and his Mountain Wreath of 1847, represent a cornerstone of the Serbian epic, which was based on the rhythms of the folk songs.

Furthermore, Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, a friend of J. W. von Goethe, became the first person to collect folk songs and epics and to publish them in a book. Vuk Karadžić is regarded as the premier Serbian philologist, who together with Đuro Daničić played a major role in reforming the modern Serbian language, though in recent times his work has been widely criticized for destroying the ethos of the Serbian language.

Modern literature

In the 20th century, Serbian literature flourished and a myriad of young and talented writers appeared. Ivo Andrić published "The Bridge on the Drina" (На Дрини ћуприја / Na Drini ćuprija) in 1945, for which he received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1961.

Since Andrić, Danilo Kiš is regarded as one of the most notable Serbian authors, alongside writers such as Miloš Crnjanski, Meša Selimović, Borislav Pekić, Milorad Pavić, Dobrica Ćosić, Goran Petrović, Igor Marojević, Zoran Živković and many others. Jelena Dimitrijevic and Isidora Sekulić are two early twentieth century women writers. Svetlana Velmar-Jankovic is the best known female author in Serbia today.

Milorad Pavić is perhaps the most widely acclaimed Serbian author today, most notably for his "Dictionary of the Khazars" (Хазарски речник / Hazarski rečnik), which has been translated into 24 languages.

English translations of modern Serbian literature

Andric, Ivo, "The Bridge on the Drina", The University of Chicago Press, 1977.Kis, Danilo, "A Tomb for Boris Davidovich", translated by Translated by Duska Mikic-Mitchell, Penguin Books, 1980.Pekic, Borislav, "The Time of Miracles" (Writings from an Unbound Europe), translated by Lovett F. Edwards, Northwestern University Press, 1994.Pekic, Borislav, "The Houses of Belgrade" (Writings from an Unbound Europe), translated by Bernard Johnson, Northwestern University Press, 1994.

External links

* [http://www.serbianunity.net/culture/literature/ Serbian Language and Literature]
* [http://learning.lib.vt.edu/slav/lit_authors_serbian.html Selected Literatures and Authors Page - Serbian, Montenegrin, and Yugoslav Literature]
* [http://www.serbiatravelers.org/en/index.php/literature A brief overview of Serbian Literature]