Mak Dizdar
Encyclopedia
Mehmedalija "Mak" Dizdar (17 October 1917 - 16 July 1971) was one of the greatest Bosnian
and Yugoslav
poets of the second half of the 20th century.
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
in 1917. In 1936, Dizdar relocated to Sarajevo
where he attended and graduated from the Gymnasium
. Dizdar spent his World War II
years as a supporter of the Communist Partisans
. He moved frequently from place to place in order to avoid the NDH
authorities' attention.
After the war, Dizdar was a prominent figure in the cultural life of Bosnia and Herzegovina
, working as the editor-in-chief of the daily Oslobođenje (Liberation). He served as head of a few state-sponsored publishing houses and eventually became a professional writer and the President of the Writers' Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a post he held until his death.
culture, from the sayings of heterodox Islamic visionary mystics, and from the 15th century Bosnian
vernacular linguistic idiom. His poetry referenced medieval Bosnian tombstones ("stećci
" or "mramorovi" - marbles) and their gnomic
inscriptions on the ephemerality of life. It articulated a distinctive vision of life and death, drawing on Christian and Muslim Gnostic sensibilities of life as a passage between "tomb and stars", expressing both the Gnostic horror of corporeality and a sense of the blessedness of the universe.
Mak Dizdar also fought against the forced influence of the Serbian language on the Bosnian language
, as Dizdar called it, in his article "Marginalije o jeziku i oko njega", Zivot, XIX/11 - 12, Sarajevo, 1970, 109-120.
After the collapse of Communism and following the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina
, Dizdar's poetic magnum opus has remained the cornerstone of modern Bosnia-Herzegovina literature.
Bosnians
Bosnians are people who reside in, or come from, Bosnia and Herzegovina. By the modern state definition a Bosnian can be anyone who holds citizenship of the state. This includes, but is not limited to, members of the constituent ethnic groups of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs and...
and Yugoslav
Yugoslavs
Yugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...
poets of the second half of the 20th century.
Biography
Mehmedalija Mak Dizdar was born to a Bosniak family in StolacStolac
Stolac is a town and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in the southern part of Herzegovina. Administratively, it is part of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
in 1917. In 1936, Dizdar relocated to Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
where he attended and 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...
. Dizdar spent his 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...
years as a supporter of the Communist Partisans
Partisans (Yugoslavia)
The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...
. He moved frequently from place to place in order to avoid the NDH
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
authorities' attention.
After the war, Dizdar was a prominent figure in the cultural life of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, working as the editor-in-chief of the daily Oslobođenje (Liberation). He served as head of a few state-sponsored publishing houses and eventually became a professional writer and the President of the Writers' Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a post he held until his death.
Work
Dizdar's two poetry collections and series of longer poems, Kameni spavač ("Stone sleeper") (1966–1971) and Modra rijeka (1971), fused seemingly disparate elements. He drew inspiration from pre-Ottoman Bosnian ChristianBosnian Church
The Bosnian Church is historically thought to be an indigenous branch of the Bogomils that existed in Bosnia during the Middle Ages. Adherents of the church called themselves simply Krstjani...
culture, from the sayings of heterodox Islamic visionary mystics, and from the 15th century Bosnian
Bosnian language
Bosnian is a South Slavic language, spoken by Bosniaks. As a standardized form of the Shtokavian dialect, it is one of the three official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
vernacular linguistic idiom. His poetry referenced medieval Bosnian tombstones ("stećci
Stećci
The Stećci , are monumental medieval tombstones that lie scattered across Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the border parts of Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia. An estimated 60,000 are found within the borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the rest of 10,000 are found in Croatia, Serbia, and Montenegro...
" or "mramorovi" - marbles) and their gnomic
Gnomic poetry
Gnomic poetry consists of sententious maxims put into verse to aid the memory. They were known by the Greeks as gnomes, from the Greek word for "an opinion".A gnome was defined by the Elizabethan critic Henry Peacham as...
inscriptions on the ephemerality of life. It articulated a distinctive vision of life and death, drawing on Christian and Muslim Gnostic sensibilities of life as a passage between "tomb and stars", expressing both the Gnostic horror of corporeality and a sense of the blessedness of the universe.
Mak Dizdar also fought against the forced influence of the Serbian language on the Bosnian language
Bosnian language
Bosnian is a South Slavic language, spoken by Bosniaks. As a standardized form of the Shtokavian dialect, it is one of the three official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
, as Dizdar called it, in his article "Marginalije o jeziku i oko njega", Zivot, XIX/11 - 12, Sarajevo, 1970, 109-120.
After the collapse of Communism and following the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
, Dizdar's poetic magnum opus has remained the cornerstone of modern Bosnia-Herzegovina literature.
External links
- Mak Dizdar Foundation
- Rusmir Mahmutćehajić, "On the Poetry of Mak Dizdar: The Poet, the Road, and the Word", Telos 156 (Fall 2011): 131-52.