Alija Isaković (15 January 1932 – 14 March 1997) was a Bosnian writer, essayist, publicist, playwright, and lexicographer of the Bosnian language. Isaković studied

Slavic languages The Slavic languages, also known as the Slavonic languages, are Indo-European languages spoken primarily by the Slavs, Slavic peoples and their descendants. They are thought to descend from a proto-language called Proto-Slavic language, Proto ...

and literature and was a graduate of the

University of Sarajevo The University of Sarajevo ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Univerzitet u Sarajevu'' / Sveučilište u Sarajevu / Универзитет у Сарајеву) is a public university located in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the largest ...

. Isaković was also notable for his works treating Bosnian literary history; asserting the special character and identity of

Bosniaks The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry, ...

Early life

Isaković was born to a

Bosniak The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzeg ...

family in

Stolac Stolac is an ancient city located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the region of Herzegovina. Stolac is one of the oldest cities in Bosnia and Herzego ...

in January 1932, while modern-day

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...

was a part of the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 ...

. He was raised a Muslim and, as a child, lived in Bitunja, a village located in his birth city. He attended schools in his native Stolac, as well as

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Sl ...

Crikvenica Crikvenica () is a city in Croatia, located on the Adriatic in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. Names The names of the town in various languages include: * la, Ad Turres * it, Cirquenizza * hu, Cirkvenica, Cirkvenicza, Czirkvenicza, Czirkwen ...

Pančevo Pančevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Панчево, ; german: Pantschowa; hu, Pancsova; ro, Panciova; sk, Pánčevo) is a city and the administrative center of the South Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is located on ...

, Belgrade, and

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajev ...

Career

He wrote the screenplay for a 1983 film version of the

folk ballad ''

Hasanaginica ''Hasanaginica'', also ''Asanaginica'', (first published as ''The Mourning Song of the Noble Wife of the Hasan Aga'') is a South Slavic folk ballad, created during the period of 1646–49, in the region of Imotski, which at the time was a part ...

''. The film's script was turned into a

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

, directed by Sulejman Kupusović, that premiered in 1988. In 1972, he released an anthology of

literature called ''Biserje'' (''Pearls''). Isaković's ''Pearls'', it was said, was a pioneering project in establishing the delicate ethnic Bosniak literature.

Bosnian War

During the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

of the 1990s, Isaković was one of the speakers at the First Assembly of Bosniaks (''Prvi Bošnjački sabor''), one of the most important events in modern political history of Bosniaks, held in the besieged city of

between 27–28 September 1993.

Personal life

Isaković was a friend of the first Bosnian president,

Alija Izetbegović Alija Izetbegović (; ; 8 August 1925 – 19 October 2003) was a Bosnian politician, lawyer, Islamic philosopher and author, who in 1992 became the first president of the Presidency of the newly independent Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovin ...

, painter

Mersad Berber Mersad Berber (1 January 1940 – 7 October 2012) was a Bosnian painter. Early life Berber was born in Bosanski Petrovac, Kingdom of Yugoslavia. He trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana where he graduated with a BA and MA. In 1978, ...

and he knew the Yugoslavia prime minister

Branko Mikulić Branko Mikulić (10 June 1928 – 12 April 1994) was a Yugoslavian statesman. Mikulić was one of the leading communist politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the communist rule in the former Yugoslavia. Biography Branko Mikulić was born t ...

. He had two children: Adni and Faris. Isaković died 14 March 1997, at the age of 65 in

and was buried in the graveyard of a mosque there.

Legacy

An elementary school bearing Isaković's name has been opened in Prozor,

Works

*''Sunce o desno rame'' (''Sun on the Right Shoulder'', 1963) *''Semafor'' (''Stoplight'', 1966) *''Avdo Karabegović Hasanbegov: Izabrane pjesme'' (1967) *''Prednost imaju koji ulaze'' (''Priority is Given to Those Who Enter'', 1971) *''Građa za bibliografiju Muslimanske književnosti 1883-1971'' (1972) *''Biserje'' (''Pearls'', 1972) *''Hodoljublje'' (1973) *''Građa za bibliografiju bosansko-hercegovačkog (1842-1970)'' (1973) *'' Edhem Mulabdić: Izabrana djela'' (1974) *''Hasanaginica, 1774-1974'' (1975) *''Bibliografija radova o Hasanaginici 1774-1974'' (1975) *''Taj čovjek'' (''That Man'', 1975) *''Osman - Aziz (

Osman Nuri Hadžić Osman Nuri Hadžić (28 June 1869 – 23 December 1937) was a Bosnian intellectual and writer. On 1 May 1900, he co-launched the political journal '' Behar'' with Safvet beg Bašagić and Edhem Mulabdić. Biography Hadžić was educated in S ...

i Ivan Miličević): Izabrana djela'' (1980) *''Krajnosti'' (''Extremes'', 1981) *''Hasanaginica'' (1982) *''Pobuna materije'' (''Rebellion Matters'', 1985) *''Nasrudin Hodža'' (1986) *''Jednom'' (''Once'', 1987) *''Neminovnosti'' (''Inevitability'', 1987) *''Ahmed Muradbegović: Izabrana djela'' (1987) *''Lijeve priče'' (''Left Stories'', 1990) *''O »nacionaliziranju« muslimana. 101 godina afirmiranje i negiranja nacionalnog identiteta Muslimana'' (1990) *''Biserje. Izbor iz muslimanske književnosti. Drugo, prošireno, izdanje'' (1992) *''Rječnik karakteristične leksike u Bosanskome jeziku'' (''Dictionary of Characteristic Lexicon of the Bosnian Language'', 1992) ;Screenplays *''

'' (1983)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isakovic, Alija 1932 births 1997 deaths People from Stolac Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Muslims Bosnia and Herzegovina writers Bosniak writers