Dušan Matić
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Dušan Matić (
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 ...
: Душан Матић; 31 August 1898 – 12 September 1980) was a Serbian
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...
who was active as part of the Belgrade
surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...
group.


Biography


Early life

Dušan Matić was born on 31 August 1898 in
Ćuprija Ćuprija (Serbian Cyrillic: Ћуприја, ) is a town and municipality located in the Pomoravlje District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 19,380, while the municipality has 30,645 inhabitants. History The Romans founded the ...
. His father was a civil servant from
Jagodina ) , image_shield = Jagodina-grb.png , image_flag = FLAG Jagodina.png , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = File:Municipalities of Serbia Jagodina.png , map_caption = Location of Jagodina w ...
, and his mother was from
Kruševac Kruševac ( sr-cyr, Крушевац, , tr, Alacahisar or Kruşevca) is a city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina river. According to the 2011 census, t ...
. Due to his father's occupation, the Matić family moved frequently, spending time in Pirot,
Čačak Čačak ( sr-Cyrl, Чачак, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Moravica District in central Serbia. It is located in the West Morava Valley within the geographical region of Šumadija. , the city proper has 73,331 inhabitants, wh ...
,
Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, while ...
and
Šabac Šabac (Serbian Cyrillic: Шабац, ) is a city and the administrative centre of the Mačva District in western Serbia. The traditional centre of the fertile Mačva region, Šabac is located on the right banks of the river Sava. , the city ...
. Just as he had started attending school in Šabac in 1912, the
First Balkan War The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...
erupted. His family home was destroyed in the early days of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, after which the Matić family moved to Kruševac to stay with the family of Dušan's mother. At the age of 16, Matić published his first poetry in the Serbian Social Democratic Party aligned ''Radničke novine'' (The Workers' Journal) under the ''
nom de plume A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...
'' Uroš Jovanović. In 1915, Matić followed his father in the
Great Retreat The Great Retreat (), also known as the retreat from Mons, was the long withdrawal to the River Marne in August and September 1914 by the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the French Fifth Army. The Franco-British forces on the Western Fro ...
, eventually departing from
Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...
. Moving from Messina to
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...
, followed by
Grenoble lat, Gratianopolis , commune status = Prefecture and commune , image = Panorama grenoble.png , image size = , caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
, Matić eventually continued his education in
Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...
, where he graduated from high school in July 1917.


Education

In October 1917, Matić enrolled at the
Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...
in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, where he studied philosophy. There, he met and befriended
Rastko Petrović Rastko Petrović (1898-1949) was a Serbian poet and writer. After serving in the Serbian Army in World War I, he studied law in Paris and became a diplomat. Based at the Yugoslav embassy in Washington, D.C. during World War II, he remained in ...
, with whom he would attend meetings hosted by French ''
avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...
'' writers of the era. In 1919, Matić befriended
Miloš Crnjanski Miloš Crnjanski ( sr-cyr, Милош Црњански, ; 26 October 1893 – 30 November 1977) was a Serbian writer and poet of the expressionist wing of Serbian modernism, author, and a diplomat. Biography Crnjanski was born in Csongrád (mode ...
, who was in Paris as an exchange student. From 1919 to 1921, Matić attended early psychology lectures by professor Georges Dumas. Matić was the first of the Belgrade
surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...
group to read André Breton's '' Les Champs magnétiques'', which he brought to Belgrade during summer break in 1920. At this time, he collaborated 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 ...
, who published Matić's essay ''Bergson o predviđanju i novom'' ( Bergson on Prediction and the New) in the May issue of '' Zenit'' (Zenith). Matić discontinued his studies in March 1921 due to illness. In 1922, he moved from Paris to Belgrade, where he graduated with a degree in philosophy on 6 March 1922. In August 1922, Matić arrived in
Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...
where he studied German
Romanticist Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...
philosophy. During this time, he was critical toward the Belgrade-based avant-garde magazine ''Putevi'' (Roads). He elaborated on his criticism in a letter to Marko Ristić, which caused a rift between the two.


Surrealism

Matić started publishing his poetry in ''Putevi'' in October 1923. He also wrote on Freud's psychoanalisis. Matić's most influential essay published in ''Putevi'' was ''Bitka oko zida'' (A Struggle over the Wall). After the disestablishment of ''Putevi'' in 1924, Marko Ristić started a new magazine titled '' Svedočanstva'' (Testimonies). In it, Matić published his essay ''Ujević'' detailing the group's view of Tin Ujević, as well as a segment on the creation of madness in the sixth issue and a large portion of the seventh issue titled ''Pakao'' (Hell) detailing the inner lives of the mentally ill, the blind, prisoners, sex workers and beggars. During this time, Matić was a substitute teacher at the Belgrade
Realschule ''Realschule'' () is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), ...
(Realka). In 1925, Matić travelled to Paris where he associated with Breton's group Clarté, often visiting Café Cyrano where he signed the group's petition against the
Rif War The Rif War () was an armed conflict fought from 1921 to 1926 between Spain (joined by France in 1924) and the Berber tribes of the mountainous Rif region of northern Morocco. Led by Abd el-Krim, the Riffians at first inflicted several de ...
. Between October 1925 and June 1926, Matić left his position at the Realka to work in journalism. In June 1926, he became a substitute teacher at the Fourth Belgrade Gymnasium, where he taught the Serbian and French languages. In 1927, Matić published his essay ''Buđenje materije'' (The Awakening of Matter) in Zvezdan Vujadinović's magazine ''50 u Evropi''. On 30 November 1929, in the apartment of
Aleksandar Vučo Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
, the Belgrade surrealist group was officially formed. Matić co-signed a letter on the formation sent to ''
Politika ''Politika'' ( sr-Cyrl, Политика; ''Politics'') is a Serbian daily newspaper, published in Belgrade. Founded in 1904 by Vladislav F. Ribnikar, it is the oldest daily newspaper still in circulation in the Balkans. Publishing and owners ...
'' and published on 14 April. In May, the first surrealist
almanac An almanac (also spelled ''almanack'' and ''almanach'') is an annual publication listing a set of current information about one or multiple subjects. It includes information like weather forecasts, farmers' planting dates, tide tables, and othe ...
the group authored was published under the name ''Nemoguće'' (The Impossible), with an introduction written by Ristić and Matić. Controversially, Matić got into a physical confrontation with Zvezdan Vujadinović in Hotel Moskva in May, while in October the group got into several physical confrontations with Rade Drainac after the publishing of his openly disdainful and derogatory article on the group in the magazine ''Pravda''. According to Drainac, he was beaten by the entire group. However, according to Đorđe Kostić, Drainac got into a short scuffle with Đorđe Jovanović and himself, during which Jovanović grabbed Drainac by the coat and Kostić blocked his arm when he swung at them with a walking stick. Kostić claimed that Radojica Živanović Noe beat Drainac only later that night in a one-on-one fight near Hotel Moskva. Several members of the group signed an announcement outlining a similar story in late October. In 1931, Matić and Ristić positioned themselves as the main theoreticians of the surrealist movement in Belgrade. They published a declaration titled ''Pozicija nadrealizma'' (The Position of Surrealism) in January. The declaration was later banned by the authorities because of the group's
socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...
sympathies, and was critiqued severely by
Matica srpska The Matica srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Матица српска, Matica srpska, la, Matrix Serbica, grc, Μάτιτσα Σρπσκα) is the oldest Serbian language independent, non-profit, non-governmental and cultural-scientific Serbian national inst ...
. After several members left the group because of their disagreements with the declaration, the group published a new review titled '' Nadrealizam danas i ovde'' (Surrealism Here and Now) which would continue until June 1932. In late 1932, Matić published the book ''Položaj nadrealizma u društvenom procesu'' (The Position of Surrealism in the Social Process) in collaboration with
Oskar Davičo Oskar Davičo ( sr-cyr, Оскар Давичо; 18 January 1909 — 30 September 1989) was a Serbian and Yugoslavian novelist and poet. A leading literary figure of his generation, he was one of the most acclaimed Serbian surrealist writers, but ...
and Đorđe Kostić. The book was openly critical of the limits of surrealism and caused a falling out between Ristić and Matić which would continue for several years. During this period, Matić married Lela Ristić, the daughter of his superior, the principal of the Fourth Belgrade Gymnasium Miodrag Ristić. Lela was 12 years his junior, and her father disapproved of Matić continuing to work at the school following their marriage.


Socialist realism

In 1932, Matić was under investigation over his ties to Davičo, who was sentenced to 5 years in prison by the National Court for the Defense of the State. In 1934, Matić held two lectures at the People's University of the Academicians' Club, "Psychoanalysis and Freudianism" and "Fascism and Culture". In April 1935, Matić resided in Kragujevac with a group of writers including Aleksandar Vučo, Velibor Gligorić and
Radovan Zogović Radovan Zogović (Cyrillic: Радован Зоговић) (18 August 1907 – 5 January 1986) was a Montenegrin poet. He was born in Mašnica, Plav, in northeastern Montenegro on 19 August 1907. Before World War II he lived in Skopje, Zagreb a ...
. There, he presented his essay "Contemporary Criticism and
Svetozar Marković Svetozar Marković ( sr-Cyrl, Светозар Марковић, ; 9 September 1846 – 26 February 1875) was a Serbian political activist, literary critic and socialist philosopher. He developed an activistic anthropological philosophy wit ...
". That same year, Matić published the poem "Marija Ručara" in collaboration with Aleksandar Vučo, which was later banned. He translated
Ivan Pavlov Ivan Petrovich Pavlov ( rus, Ива́н Петро́вич Па́влов, , p=ɪˈvan pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ ˈpavləf, a=Ru-Ivan_Petrovich_Pavlov.ogg; 27 February 1936), was a Russian and Soviet experimental neurologist, psychologist and physio ...
's book on conditional reflexes and co-signed a protest letter with Marko Ristić and Milan Dedinac against Crnjanski's ''Antologija Ideja'' (Anthology of ''Ideje''), which they published in '' NIN''. In April 1935, Matić transferred from the First Realschule to the Fourth Realschule. He was sent into early retirement on 9 May. In 1936, Matić and Vučo published an excerpt from the novel they were working on, at that time titled ''Beograd'' (Belgrade), in the first double issue of ''Naša stvarnost'' (Our Reality). Marko Ristić was highly critical of the publication. Matić's friend, the architect Milan Minić, also collaborated on the magazine, designing the visual elements. In sharp contrast to the sentiments of most of his surrealist collaborators, Matić also invited Desanka Maksimović to work on the magazine. Despite Ristić's objections,
Koča Popović Konstantin "Koča" Popović ( sr-cyrl, Константин "Коча" Поповић; 14 March 1908 – 20 October 1992) was a Yugoslav politician and communist volunteer in the Spanish Civil War, 1937–1939 and Divisional Commander of the Fir ...
would collaborate with Matić and Vučo on the next double issue. In the 9-10 double issue of ''Naša stvarnost'' in 1937, dedicated to the defense of culture in
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
, Milan Dedinac published the poem ''Jedan čovek na prozoru'' (A Man on the Window), with an introduction by Matić and Koča. In 1938, Matić was one of the leading members of the Association of Scientists, Writers and Artists headed by
Branislav Nušić Branislav Nušić ( sr-cyr, Бранислав Нушић, ;  – 19 January 1938) was a Serbian playwright, satirist, essayist, novelist and founder of modern rhetoric in Serbia. He also worked as a journalist and a civil servant. Life Br ...
and law professor Đorđe Tasić. Matić held a speech at Nušić's funeral in early 1938 in front of the writers' section. That same year, he was again dismissed from his new position of professor at the newly formed Girls' Gymnasium in Belgrade. He was again sent into early retirement, being found guilty of spreading communist propaganda. In 1939, Matić translated
Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, also , ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism, and an important contributor to the development of ...
's novels '' Germinal'' and '' Son Excellence Eugène Rougon''. In 1940, Geca Kon published Matić and Vučo's finished novel, now titled ''Gluho doba'' (The Deaf Times). Its visual elements were provided by Matić's friend and later architect and owner of Belgrade's Hotel Majestic, Oliver Minić. The novel tried to portray everyday Serbian life during the 1903 May Coup. That same year, Matić and Eli Finci translated Roger Martin du Gard's first novel in his multi-volume ''
The Thibaults ''The Thibaults'' () is a multi-volume ''roman-fleuve'' (French, novel sequence) by Roger Martin du Gard, which follows the fortunes of two brothers, Antoine and Jacques Thibault, from their upbringing in a prosperous Catholic bourgeois family to ...
'', ''Le cahier gris'' (The Grey Notebook).


World War II

Matić fled from Belgrade following the
April War The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, or ''Projekt 25'' was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was p ...
to stay with his friends, the Minić family, in
Prijepolje Prijepolje ( sr-cyr, Пријепоље, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of southwestern Serbia. As of 2011 census, the town has 13,330 inhabitants, while the municipality has 37,059 inhabitants. Etymology One possibl ...
. He barely escaped the
Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionary Move ...
attack on Prijepolje and made it to Belgrade before September 1941. He was arrested in December along with Aleksandar Vučo and interred at the
Banjica concentration camp The Banjica concentration camp (german: KZ Banjica, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Бањички логор, Banjički logor) was a Nazi Germany, Nazi German Nazi concentration camps, concentration camp in the Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia, the ...
. Matić was released in February 1942, but remained under police surveillance until the 1944 Allied bombing of Belgrade when travel became easier. He left for
Užice Užice ( sr-cyr, Ужице, ) is a city and the administrative centre of the Zlatibor District in western Serbia. It is located on the banks of the river Đetinja. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 59,747. The C ...
in April 1944, where he stayed at Zabučje, a nearby hill. He returned to Belgrade in August 1944, and was staying at Oliver Minić's Hotel Majestic during the Belgrade Offensive. During the war, Matić tried to make contact with 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 ...
in 1942, but was intercepted by Chetnik forces en route to the Lipovica forest.


Post-war career

Soon after the end of the war, Matić started working in
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 1946. There, he edited the news about new plays, books and exhibitions. During that time, he translated
Gustave Flaubert Gustave Flaubert ( , , ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. Highly influential, he has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flauber ...
's ''
Sentimental Education ''Sentimental Education'' (French: ''L'Éducation sentimentale'', 1869) is a novel by Gustave Flaubert. Considered one of the most influential novels of the 19th century, it was praised by contemporaries such as George Sand and Émile Zola, but ...
''. On 1 January 1949, Matić became dean of the newly formed Academy of Performing Arts. There, he taught contemporary literature during the following decade. He mentored young writers such as
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 ...
and Miodrag Pavlović, who he held in especially high regard. In 1950, he started publishing his essays in ''Književnost'' (Literature) and ''Književne novine'' (Literary News). In 1951, Matić became an editor in ''Književnost'' and a member of the Council for Culture and Art of the city of Belgrade. In March of the following year, he participated in the publishing of a reformed ''Svedočanstva'' with most of his former surrealist collaborators. He was elected president of the
Association of Writers of Serbia The Association of Writers of Serbia (Serbian: Удружење књижевника Србије, ''Udruženje književnika Srbije'') is Serbia's official writing association. Its current president is Milovan Vitezović. History The association ...
in 1952, after which he joined the League of Communists of Yugoslavia in late December. His application was supported by Aleksandar Vučo and Roksanda Njeguš. In 1953, Matić traveled to
Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...
to attend a meeting of European intellectuals. There, he watched an early staging of Samuel Beckett's '' Waiting for Godot'', which he brought back to Yugoslavia to be translated into
Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian () – also called Serbo-Croat (), Serbo-Croat-Bosnian (SCB), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), and Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) – is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia an ...
. It was staged the following year at
Atelje 212 Atelje 212 ( sr-Cyrl, Атеље 212) is a theatre located in Belgrade, Serbia. Established in 1956 on the premises of the '' Borba'' building in front of 212 chairs, its opening play was the staging of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's ''Faust'' dire ...
, directed by Pavle Ugrinov. Matić attended the meeting in Geneva more than five times during the following years. In 1956, Matić became co-editor of ''Književnost'' alongside Eli Finci, also contributing to Oskar Davičo's newly created modernist periodical ''Delo'' (Labor). The following year, he became president of the commission at the first
Sterijino pozorje Sterijino pozorje ( sr-cyr, Стеријино позорје) is an annual theater festival held since 1956 in the Serbian National Theater in Novi Sad, featuring the national theaters of Serbia and previously Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; ...
theater festival. That year, he published his collection of essays titled ''Anina balska haljina'' (Ana's Ball Gown) for which he received an award from the Association of Writers of Serbia in 1957. Also in 1957, he published his novel ''Kocka je bačena'' (The Die is Cast), a sequel of sorts to ''Gluho doba''. Borislav Mihajlović Mihiz was highly critical of Matić's novel, publishing a scathing critique in ''Politika''. In 1958, Matić became co-editor of ''Književne novine'' (Literary News) alongside Čedomir Minderović. The following year, he published his book of poetry ''Buđenje materije'' (The Awakening of Matter) for which he was awarded the 7th of July Award. During this time, Matić began assembling a group of young poets who became his protégés. The group included Jovan Hristić and Draško Ređep. In 1962, Matić published his novel ''Laža i paralaža noći'' (The Lie and Paralysis of Night). His book, written largely as a monologue, was adapted into a play and was put on in Atelje 212, directed by Boda Marković. The following year, Matić traveled to Paris where he stayed as a guest of
André Malraux Georges André Malraux ( , ; 3 November 1901 – 23 November 1976) was a French novelist, art theorist, and Minister of Culture (France), minister of cultural affairs. Malraux's novel ''La Condition Humaine'' (Man's Fate) (1933) won the Prix Go ...
, at the time Minister of Cultural Affairs. He visited the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
that same year.


Final years

During the following decade, Matić was awarded several honors for his accomplishments. He became a corresponding member of the
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts ( la, Academia Scientiarum et Artium Serbica, sr-Cyr, Српска академија наука и уметности, САНУ, Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, SANU) is a national academy and the ...
(SANU) in 1965, and a full member in 1970. He was awarded the Zmaj Award by
Matica srpska The Matica srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Матица српска, Matica srpska, la, Matrix Serbica, grc, Μάτιτσα Σρπσκα) is the oldest Serbian language independent, non-profit, non-governmental and cultural-scientific Serbian national inst ...
in 1966 and the Order of People's Merit by Josip Broz Tito in 1968. In 1967, a documentary about Matić's life was produced by Vladimir Andrić. During this period, a collection of his essays, articles and interviews was published titled ''Proplanak i um'' (The Meadow and the Mind) in 1969, as well as a selection of his essays titled ''Bitka oko zida'' (A Struggle over the Wall) in 1971, selected by Jovan Hristić. Matić traveled to Paris in 1975, where he fell ill. His sight was weak during his final years, and he continued to maintain correspondence primarily with Draško Ređep who was residing 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 ...
. During this time, Bernard Noël published a study on Matić titled ''Treize cases du je'' (Thirteen Boxes of the Self) in 1975, while Gérard de Cortanze published a long form interview with Matić in '' Les Nouvelles littéraires'' recorded in Paris. In 1976, Matić published his memories about André Breton in Paris titled ''André Breton oblique'' (A Skewed André Breton). That same year, BIGZ published a selection of Matić's poems titled ''Tajni plamen'' (The Secret Flame), with a foreword by Ređep. Matić's book on Breton was translated and published in Yugoslavia in 1978.


Death

Matić died on 12 September 1980 at the Clinical Centre of Serbia in Belgrade. His remains were cremated on 15 September at the Belgrade New Cemetery. At his funeral service, speeches were given by Ivan V. Lalić and Peđa Milosavljević representing SANU, and Živorad Kovačević representing the City of Belgrade.


Legacy

In 1980, the
Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
musical group TC Matic was named after Dušan Matić. Starting in 1981, the Dušan Matić National Library in his hometown of
Ćuprija Ćuprija (Serbian Cyrillic: Ћуприја, ) is a town and municipality located in the Pomoravlje District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 19,380, while the municipality has 30,645 inhabitants. History The Romans founded the ...
organizes the Matić's Days festival in September. The festival presents the annual Matić's Scarf award to young poets and visual artists. On 13 September 2010, a memorial plaque commemorating the writer was placed on his home in Vojvode Dobrnjca street in Belgrade. The event was attended by Draško Ređep and the president of Ćuprija municipality, Borivoje Kalaba.


Works

* ''Položaj nadrealizma u društvenom procesu'' (1932), with
Oskar Davičo Oskar Davičo ( sr-cyr, Оскар Давичо; 18 January 1909 — 30 September 1989) was a Serbian and Yugoslavian novelist and poet. A leading literary figure of his generation, he was one of the most acclaimed Serbian surrealist writers, but ...
and Đorđe Kostić * ''Gluho doba'' (1940), with
Aleksandar Vučo Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
* ''Jedan vid francuske književnosti'' (1952) * ''Bagdala'' (1954) * ''Anina balska haljina'' (1957) * ''Buđenje materije'' (1959) * ''Laža i paralaža noći'' (1962) * ''Proplanak i um'' (1969) * ''Bitka oko zida'' (1971) * ''André Breton oblique'' (1976) * ''Tajni plamen'' (1976) * A number of essays, articles on philosophy, critiques and screenplays for radio shows


References


Sources

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External links


Brief BiographySerbian Surrealism
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matić, Dušan 1898 births 1980 deaths 20th-century male writers 20th-century Serbian novelists 20th-century Serbian poets Burials at Belgrade New Cemetery Communist poets Members of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts People from Ćuprija Serbian male poets Serbian surrealist writers University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy alumni Yugoslav expatriates in France