Desanka Maksimovic
Encyclopedia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n poet, professor of literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, and a member of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts is the most prominent academic institution in Serbia today...
.
Biography
Maksimović was born on May 16, 1898 in Rabrovica, near ValjevoValjevo
Valjevo is a city and municipality located in western Serbia. It is the center of the Kolubara District, which includes five other smaller municipalities with a total population of almost 180,000 people...
, the oldest child of father Mihailo, a teacher, and mother Draginja. Right after her birth, her father was transferred, and they moved to Brankovina
Brankovina
Brankovina is a village in the municipality of Valjevo, Kolubara District in the north of Valjevo about 12 km. According to the census of 2002, there were 573 people ....
, where Desanka spent her childhood. She graduated from the gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in Valjevo
Valjevo
Valjevo is a city and municipality located in western Serbia. It is the center of the Kolubara District, which includes five other smaller municipalities with a total population of almost 180,000 people...
and the University of Belgrade
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
Faculty of Philosophy
University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy
The University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Serbia, founded in the early 19th century within the Belgrade Higher School...
.
In August 1933 she married Sergij Slastikov, but they had no children of their own. Maksimović was a professor of Serbian language
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
from 1923 until 1953 in several schools. First, she was a teacher at the Obrenovac
Obrenovac
Obrenovac is a town and municipality located in Serbia at 44°40′ North, 20°13′ East. Its name stems from last name "Obrenović" which in turn stems from name "Obren" in Serbian language. In 2003 the municipality has total population of 75,949...
gymnasium, then she moved to the Third Female Gymnasium in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. Eventually, she was transferred to the teachers' school in Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
, where she spent one year. After that, she worked in First female gymnasium in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. One of her best students was Mira Alečković, who also became a poet and a close friend of Desanka Maksimović.
When she heard of German soldiers
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
shooting primary school children in Kragujevac
Kragujevac
Kragujevac is the fourth largest city in Serbia, the main city of the Šumadija region and the administrative centre of Šumadija District. It is situated on the banks of the Lepenica River...
, she wrote "Krvava Bajka" (trans. "The Legend of Blood" or, more literally "A Bloody Fairy Tale"), a poem that speaks of the terror practiced by German army in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The poem was not published until after the war had ended.
She traveled across Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, and befriended writers and poets such as Miloš Crnjanski
Miloš Crnjanski
Miloš Crnjanski was a poet of the expressionist wing of Serbian modernism, author, and a diplomat...
, Ivo Andrić
Ivo Andric
Ivan "Ivo" Andrić was a Yugoslav novelist, short story writer, and the 1961 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. His writings dealt mainly with life in his native Bosnia under the Ottoman Empire...
, Gustav Krklec
Gustav Krklec
Gustav Krklec was a Croatian writer.Krklec was born in Udbinja near Karlovac. He studied in Vienna and Zagreb. Since 1922 he lived in Belgrade, working as a secretary at the stock exchange, and as an editor of Nolit...
, Isidora Sekulić
Isidora Sekulic
Isidora Sekulić was a famous Serbian prose writer, novelist, essayist, adventurer, polyglot and art critic....
, and Branko Ćopić
Branko Copic
Branko Ćopić was Yugoslav writer. He was an ethnic Serb born in the village of Hašani near Bosanska Krupa. He attended schools in Bihać, Banja Luka, Sarajevo and Karlovac before moving to Belgrade to study philosophy at the University of Belgrade until his graduation in 1940.Upon the uprising in...
.
Maksimović won a number of literature awards among them Vuk Award, Njegoš Award (1984) and AVNOJ Award. She was elected as honorary citizen of Valjevo
Valjevo
Valjevo is a city and municipality located in western Serbia. It is the center of the Kolubara District, which includes five other smaller municipalities with a total population of almost 180,000 people...
. In 1985, the primary school in Brankovina, where she began her education, was reconstructed. It was in this school that her father worked as teacher. Local people called it "Desanka's school", and that is now its official name. While she was still alive, a statue of her was built in Valjevo
Valjevo
Valjevo is a city and municipality located in western Serbia. It is the center of the Kolubara District, which includes five other smaller municipalities with a total population of almost 180,000 people...
, although she objected to it. Because of the undying value of her poetry, Desanka Maksimović was elected on December 17, 1959 as an associate member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts is the most prominent academic institution in Serbia today...
(SANU), and on December 16, 1965 she became a regular member.
Desanka Maksimović died on February 11, 1993, in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, at the age of 95. She was buried in Brankovina, where she grew up. After her death, the Desanka Maksimović Foundation was founded. This foundation organizes Desanka Maksimović award.
Literary works
- Pesme (1924)
- Vrt detinjstvа, pesme (1927)
- Zeleni vitez, pesme (1930)
- Ludilo srcа, pripovetke (1931)
- Srce lutke spаvаljke i druge priče zа decu (1931, 1943)
- Gozbа nа livаdi, pesme (1932)
- Kаko oni žive, priče (1935)
- Nove pesme (1936)
- Rаspevаne priče (1938)
- Zаgonetke lаke zа prvаke đаke (sа Jovаnkom Hrvаćаnin, 1942)
- Šаrenа torbicа, dečje pesme (1943)
- Oslobođenje Cvete Andrić, poemа (1945)
- Pesnik i zаvičаj, pesme (1945)
- Otаdžbinа u prvomаjskoj povorci, poemа (1949)
- Sаmoglаsnici A, E, I, O, U (1949)
- Otаdžbino, tu sаm (1951)
- Strаšnа igrа, priče (1950)
- Vetrovа uspаvаnkа (1953)
- Otvoren prozor, romаn (1954)
- Prolećni sаstаnаk (1954)
- Miris zemlje, izаbrаne pesme (1955)
- Bаjkа o Krаtkovečnoj (1957)
- Ako je verovаti mojoj bаki, priče (1959)
- Zаrobljenik snovа (1960)
- Govori tiho, pesme (1961)
- Prolećni sаstаnаk (1961)
- Pаtuljkovа tаjnа, priče (1963)
- Ptice nа česmi, pesme (1963)
- Trаžim pomilovаnje, lirskа diskusijа s Dušаnovim zаkonikom (1964)
- Hoću dа se rаdujem, priče (1965)
- Đаčko srce (1966)
- Izvolite nа izložbu dece slikаrа (1966)
- Prаdevojčicа, romаn (1970)
- Nа šesnаesti rođendаn, pesme (1970)
- Prаznici putovаnjа, putopisi (1972)
- Nemаm više vremenа, pesme (1973)
- Letopis Perunovih potomаkа, pesme (1976)
- Pesme iz Norveške (1976)
- Bаjke zа decu (1977)
- Ničijа zemljа (1979)
- Vetrovа uspаvаnkа, pesme zа decu (1983)
- Međаši sećаnjа, pesme (1983)
- Slovo o ljubаvi, pesme (1983)
- Pаmtiću sve (1989)
- Nebeski rаzboj (1991)
- Ozon zаvičаjа (1991)
- Zovinа svirаlа (1992)