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Dragan Aleksić (
Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet ( sr, / , ) is a variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language, updated in 1818 by Serbian linguist Vuk Karadžić. It is one of the two alphabets used to write standard modern Serbian, t ...
: Драган Алексић, 22 December 1901 – 22 July 1958) was a Serbian
Dadaist Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 1920 Dada flourished in Paris ...
poet, author, journalist and filmmaker. He was the founder of the Yugoslavian branch of Dadaism, termed "Yugo-Dada". Born in a village in the region of Lika, Aleksić first published his poetry in several
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 Slov ...
-based youth magazines. During his year of studies in
Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
in 1920, he came into contact with then leading European Dadaists such as
Kurt Schwitters Kurt Hermann Eduard Karl Julius Schwitters (20 June 1887 – 8 January 1948) was a German artist who was born in Hanover, Germany. Schwitters worked in several genres and media, including dadaism, Constructivism (art), constructivism, surrealism ...
and
Tristan Tzara Tristan Tzara (; ; born Samuel or Samy Rosenstock, also known as S. Samyro; – 25 December 1963) was a Romanian and French avant-garde poet, essayist and performance artist. Also active as a journalist, playwright, literary and art critic, comp ...
. In 1921, he met with Branko Ve Poljanski, the brother of Zenitist leader
Ljubomir Micić Ljubomir Micić ( sr-cyr, Љубомир Мицић, 15 November 1895 – 14 June 1971) was a Serbs, Serbian poet, writer, critic, editor and actor. He was the founder of the avant-garde movement Zenitism and its magazine ''Zenit''. Both he and his ...
, and collaborated with the two on several projects for a year. After his personal and artistic break with Poljanski in 1922, Aleksić published the two single issue Dadaist publications '' Dada Tank'' and '' Dada Jazz'' in Zagreb, while Poljanski published a parody of Dada called '' Dada-Jok''. Aleksić gathered a circle of Dadaists with whom he participated in several "Dadaist Matinées". In late 1922, he left for Belgrade where he edited the culture section in the magazine ''Vreme''. Several side projects at the time include the
lost film A lost film is a feature Feature may refer to: Computing * Feature (CAD), could be a hole, pocket, or notch * Feature (computer vision), could be an edge, corner or blob * Feature (software design) is an intentional distinguishing char ...
''Kačaci u Topčideru'', an
American burlesque American burlesque is a genre of variety show derived from elements of Victorian burlesque, music hall and minstrel shows. Burlesque became popular in America in the late 1860s and slowly evolved to feature ribald comedy and female nudity. By th ...
he recorded with Boško Tokin in 1924 and poetry he published in Monny de Boully's almanach ''Crno na belo''. During the occupation of Yugoslavia in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Aleksić continued editing the culture section in the now collaborationist ''Novo Vreme''. He was arrested by mistake and suffered a crippling back injury, leaving him bedridden until his death in 1958.


Early life

Dragan Aleksić was born in Bunić near
Korenica Korenica is a village in Lika, Croatia, located in the municipality of Plitvička Jezera, on the D1 road between Plitvice and Udbina. According to 2011 census it has 1,766 residents. It is the seat of the Plitvička Jezera Municipality. In ...
on 22 December 1901. He attended the gymnasium in
Vinkovci Vinkovci () is a city in Slavonia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in eastern Croatia. The city's registered population was 28,247 in the 2021 census, the total population of the city was 31,057, making it the largest town of the county. Surround ...
, during which he first published his poetry in the
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 Slov ...
-based youth magazine ''Omladina'' in 1918, and in several other Croatian magazines during 1919.


Studies in Prague

In October 1920, Aleksić enrolled at a Slavic languages program in
Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
. There, he organized an event for several of his acquaintances, presenting his invention of "organic art" - orgart. After the event, he was informed of the Dada movement by one of his guests and came into contact with a member of the avant-garde theater group ''Revoluční scéna'' (The Revolutionary Scene). Soon after, he came into contact with leading European Dadaists such as
Kurt Schwitters Kurt Hermann Eduard Karl Julius Schwitters (20 June 1887 – 8 January 1948) was a German artist who was born in Hanover, Germany. Schwitters worked in several genres and media, including dadaism, Constructivism (art), constructivism, surrealism ...
,
Raoul Hausmann Raoul Hausmann (July 12, 1886 – February 1, 1971) was an Austrian artist and writer. One of the key figures in Berlin Dada, his experimental photographic collages, sound poetry, and institutional critiques would have a profound influence on ...
,
Walter Mehring Walter Mehring (29 April 1896 – 3 October 1981) was a German author and one of the most prominent satirical authors in the Weimar Republic. He was banned during the Third Reich, and fled the country. Early life He was the son of the tran ...
,
Richard Huelsenbeck Carl Wilhelm Richard Hülsenbeck (aka Charles R. Hulbeck) (23 April 189220 April 1974) was a German writer, poet, and psychoanalyst born in Frankenau, Hessen-Nassau who was associated with the formation of the Dada movement. Life and work Huel ...
,
Max Ernst Max Ernst (2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976) was a German (naturalised American in 1948 and French in 1958) painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a primary pioneer of the Dada movement and Surrealis ...
and
Tristan Tzara Tristan Tzara (; ; born Samuel or Samy Rosenstock, also known as S. Samyro; – 25 December 1963) was a Romanian and French avant-garde poet, essayist and performance artist. Also active as a journalist, playwright, literary and art critic, comp ...
. The Dadaists were given a translation of Aleksić's presentation of "orgart", to which they reacted positively, accepting it as a part of Dada. After hearing of Aleksić, Branko Ve Poljanski left the art and theater scene in Slovenia and traveled to Prague via
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
in April 1921 to meet with him. Together, they held a Dadaist event in Prague to public outcry, visited
Lajos Kassák Lajos Kassák (March 21, 1887 – July 22, 1967) was a Hungarian poet, novelist, painter, essayist, editor, theoretician of the avant-garde, and occasional translator. He was among the first genuine working-class writers in Hungarian litera ...
in Vienna, before settling in Zagreb where they collaborated on an early Yugoslav film magazine, ''Kinofon''. Because of an administrative issue, Aleksić discontinued his studies in Prague after the summer of 1921.


Collaboration with ''Zenit''

Aleksić started publishing his poems in collaboration with
Ljubomir Micić Ljubomir Micić ( sr-cyr, Љубомир Мицић, 15 November 1895 – 14 June 1971) was a Serbs, Serbian poet, writer, critic, editor and actor. He was the founder of the avant-garde movement Zenitism and its magazine ''Zenit''. Both he and his ...
's avant-garde magazine ''
Zenit Zenit, meaning "zenith", may refer to: Spaceflight and rocketry * Zenit (rocket family), a Soviet family of space launch vehicles * Zenit (satellite), a type of Soviet spy satellite * Zenit sounding rocket, a Swiss rocket Sports * Zenit (sports ...
''. Despite initially dismissing the
Dada Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 1920 Dada flourished in Pari ...
movement in the 2nd issue of the magazine in March 1921, the following April issue contained an article by Dragan Aleksić written from Prague, as well as two of his Dadaist poems. Up to and including the 13th issue of ''Zenit'', Aleksić's reviews and poems appeared in the magazine regularly. Concurrent with his work with ''Zenit'', he established a "purebred troop" of Dadaists, intending to develop the group into a movement. Aleksić notified Tzara of these developments in May 1922. Members of the troop included: Dragan Sremac, Vido Lastov, Slavko Stanić (Šlezinger), Mihailo S. Petrov, Antun Tuna Milinković (Fer Mill). However, there was an abrupt break with ''Zenit'' in May 1922. The final words of the 14th issue announced the excommunication of Aleksić from the Zenitist circle, as well as the author Mihailo S. Petrov, also a regular contributor in the early issues of the magazine. The same issue announced an upcoming single issue periodical titled '' Dada-Jok'', edited by Poljanski and parodying Dadaism.


Dadaist activities

Aleksić organized several "Dadaist Matinées" during 1922. The first of these was organized in
Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pan ...
in June 1922, with the help of several Hungarian activists. Tzara was informed of these events via mail on 14 May 1922. In response to the initial strikes by the Zenitists, Aleksić published two of his own single issue publications in
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 Slov ...
– '' Dada Tank'' in June and '' Dada Jazz'' in September 1922. ''Dada Tank'' was published in collaboration with
Tristan Tzara Tristan Tzara (; ; born Samuel or Samy Rosenstock, also known as S. Samyro; – 25 December 1963) was a Romanian and French avant-garde poet, essayist and performance artist. Also active as a journalist, playwright, literary and art critic, comp ...
and
Kurt Schwitters Kurt Hermann Eduard Karl Julius Schwitters (20 June 1887 – 8 January 1948) was a German artist who was born in Hanover, Germany. Schwitters worked in several genres and media, including dadaism, Constructivism (art), constructivism, surrealism ...
, including picture-poems and graphics by Mihailo S. Petrov, as well as a translation of a poem by Erwin Enders, originally published in the Hungarian avant-garde journal '' MA''. Although ''Dada Jazz'' has been characterized as a mere footnote to ''Dada Tank'', it was in fact a very different project. Its cover designated it to be a "Dada anthology", analogous to
Richard Huelsenbeck Carl Wilhelm Richard Hülsenbeck (aka Charles R. Hulbeck) (23 April 189220 April 1974) was a German writer, poet, and psychoanalyst born in Frankenau, Hessen-Nassau who was associated with the formation of the Dada movement. Life and work Huel ...
's ''Dada Almanach'', which Aleksić had translated and excerpted in ''Dada Tank''. In the two publications, Aleksić analyzes Schwitters' Merz Dadaism, as well
Vladimir Tatlin Vladimir Yevgrafovich Tatlin ( – 31 May 1953) was a Russian and USSR, Soviet painter, architect and stage-designer. Tatlin achieved fame as the architect who designed The Monument to the Third International, more commonly known as Tatlin's Towe ...
and
Alexander Archipenko Alexander Porfyrovych Archipenko (also referred to as Olexandr, Oleksandr, or Aleksandr; uk, Олександр Порфирович Архипенко, Romanized: Olexandr Porfyrovych Arkhypenko; February 25, 1964) was a Ukrainian and American ...
's ideas. On 20 August 1922, Aleksić organized the second "Dadaist Matinée" in the Royal cinema in Osijek. He wrote about the matinée to Tristan Tzara on the same day, detailing that he was joined by eight other "dada-stars" who performed "8 Dramas with Real-tricks". In an article for the daily ''Hrvatska obrana'' on 21 August, the matinée was described as an inter-disciplinary interaction of painters and poets with elements of
cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining o ...
, music hall and
circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...
performances, as well as propaganda film. The event included a Dadaist negation of
Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and worl ...
, Dostoevsky, Ibsen, Šenoa and Krleža. Aleksić held a general speech outlining Dada, claiming that the central elements of the movement were "denying logic" and "the element of surprise". According to Mihailo S. Petrov, the matinée was organized by Aleksić and himself, as well as Antun Milinković, Slavko Stanić (who booked the event hall), students of the Osijek Gymnasium Dragan Sremac and Zdenko Reich, the Russian emigrant Vido Lastov and three poets under the pseudonyms Jim Rad, Nac Singer and Mee Tarr. A further two matinées were organized on 1 October in Vinkovci and on 3 November in Subotica, again with the help of Hungarian activists.


Work in ''Vreme''

Aleksić moved to Belgrade in late 1922, when he became editor of the culture section of ''Vreme''. There, he wrote his art criticism, evaluating literature, cinema, theater and, until 1935, visual arts. During this time, Aleksić also collaborated with ''Misao'', ''Hipnos'' and ''Tribuna'' in 1923, published poetry in Monny de Boully's almanach ''Crno na belo'' in 1924, in ''Večnost'' in 1926 and in ''Oktobar'' and ''Letopis matice srpske'' in 1928. During Aleksić's time at ''Misao'', literary critic
Bogdan Popović Bogdan Popović (Serbian Cyrillic: Богдан Поповић; 20 December 1863 – 7 November 1944) was one of the most important literary critics and university professors in Serbia and later Yugoslavia and an academic. He was the brother of ...
published an article in 1923 against
African sculpture Most African sculpture was historically in wood and other organic materials that have not survived from earlier than at most a few centuries ago; older pottery figures are found from a number of areas. Masks are important elements in the art of m ...
, to which he likened Modern art. Alongside
Velibor Gligorić Velibor Gligorić (27 July 1899 – October 1977) was a Serbian university professor, literary and theatre critic, magazine editor and president of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Biography He was born to Dimitrije Gligorić Sokoljanin, a ...
, Aleksić published his rebuke to Popović's article, lauding African sculpture as a spontaneous, mystical and reflex-driven form of art. During this period, Aleksić wrote primarily on
Constructivism Constructivism may refer to: Art and architecture * Constructivism (art), an early 20th-century artistic movement that extols art as a practice for social purposes * Constructivist architecture, an architectural movement in Russia in the 1920s a ...
, which he saw as a synthesis and next step in the evolution of all previous major modern art movements such as
Impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
, Expressionism and Cubism. He collaborated with Boško Tokin in filming the silent film ''Kačaci u Topčideru ili Budi Bog s nama'' (
Kachaks Kachaks ( sq, kaçak, sr, качаци / ''kačaci'') is a term used for the Albanian bandits active in the late 19th and early 20th century in northern Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia, and later as a term for the militias of Albania ...
in
Topčider Topčider ( sr-cyr, Топчидер; ) is a forest park and an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is divided between the municipalities of Čukarica, Rakovica and Savski Venac. Being close to downtown, it is one of the ma ...
or God Be With Us) in 1924, written by Branimir Ćosić. Filming was stopped when the negative caught on fire. The film was an imitation of
American burlesque American burlesque is a genre of variety show derived from elements of Victorian burlesque, music hall and minstrel shows. Burlesque became popular in America in the late 1860s and slowly evolved to feature ribald comedy and female nudity. By th ...
.


WW2 and arrest

During the occupation of Serbia in
WW2 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Aleksić was initially employed at the collaborationist magazine ''Novo vreme'', as editor of the culture section. Because of a misunderstanding, he was arrested by the
Serbian Gestapo The 1st Belgrade Special Combat detachment/''Srpski Gestapo'')., group="Note" was a special police unit which was established by the German Gestapo in the Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia:official name of the occupied territory. during ...
, held for five months and tortured, causing him to remain bedridden until death. At the request of his coworkers, he was released from prison. In 1944, he was part of the management of the Centrala za humor theater. The
Yugoslav Partisans The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene: , or the National Liberation Army, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska (NOV), Народноослободилачка војска (НОВ); mk, Народноослобод ...
' Honor Court describes Aleksić as a "highly cultured" and "hardworking" journalist, saying "he behaved very honorably during the war, helping us out and never fully submitting to the collaborationist government or the occupiers".


Later life and death

After the war, Aleksić remained bedridden and was unable to pursue his career in journalism. He remained in contact with a small circle of friends and collaborated with
Radio Belgrade Radio Belgrade ( sr, Радио Београд, ) is a state-owned and operated radio station in Belgrade, Serbia. It has four different programs (Radio Belgrade 1, Radio Belgrade 2, Radio Belgrade 3, and Radio Belgrade 202), a precious archive ...
in the preparation of several
radio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
s. Dragan Aleksić died on 22 July 1958 in Belgrade. His personal archive was destroyed. His death was commemorated with a short article in the review ''Film danas'' (Film Today), and in 1958 several of his poems were published posthumously in the magazine ''Književnost'' (Literature). After being included in two anthologies of poetry by editor
Vasko Popa Vasile "Vasko" Popa ( sr-Cyrl, Васко Попа; 29 June 1922 – 5 January 1991) was a Serbian poet. Biography Popa was born in the village of Grebenac ( ro, Grebenaț), Vojvodina, Yugoslavia (present-day Serbia). After finishing hig ...
, ''Urnebesnik'' in 1960 and ''Ponoćno sunce'' (The Midnight Sun) in 1962, Aleksić's work was largely forgotten for several years. His complete work was published in 1978 by researcher Gojko Tešić under the title ''Dada Tank''.


See also

*
Ljubomir Micić Ljubomir Micić ( sr-cyr, Љубомир Мицић, 15 November 1895 – 14 June 1971) was a Serbs, Serbian poet, writer, critic, editor and actor. He was the founder of the avant-garde movement Zenitism and its magazine ''Zenit''. Both he and his ...


References


Sources

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aleksic, Dragan 1901 births 1964 deaths 20th-century Serbian poets Dada Serbian avant-garde