Muhamed Bekir Kalajdžić (22 October 1892 – 10 September 1963) was a Bosnian writer, bookseller and publisher, who founded the journal '' Biser'' as a teenager. The first issue of the magazine was published 1 June 1912. He was a fighter for the emancipation and preservation of Bosniak literary work and their heritage and culture.

Early life

Kalajdžić was born in the city

Mostar , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = Mostar (collage image).jpg , image_caption = From top, left to right: A panoramic view of the heritage town site and the Neretva river from Lučki Bridge, Koski Mehmed Pasha ...

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 H ...

, where he grew up and was educated, completed maktab and two years of

trade school A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the tasks ...

. After being expelled from school twice for behavioral issues, Kalajdžić bought a

printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the ...

and worked towards opening a bookstore, with the aim of collecting and preserving Bosniak, Turkish and Arabic literary works.

''Biser''

In Mostar he lived with a group of young Bosniak writers; Abdurezak Hifzi Bjelevac,

Husein Dubravić Husein Đogo Dubravić (3 May 1880 – 11 September 1961) was a Bosnian comedic writer, historian, teacher, and publisher. He wrote about the history of Persian literature and general history of the Middle Ages. Dubravić revived the Bosnian pol ...

, Salih-beg Bakamović, Mirhab Karišiković, Omer Balić and Muhamed Behlilović. With their assistance, Kalajdžić established the first Bosniak bookstore and print shop in Mostar on 1 December 1911, with a branch in

Trebinje Trebinje ( sr-Cyrl, Требиње, ) is a city and municipality located in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is situated on the banks of Trebišnjica river in the r ...

. The group was a strong support system for Kalajdžić as a publisher and young store-owner. On 1 June 1912 he launched the magazine '' Biser'', first as a monthly magazine, and in 1913 in a bimonthly format, intended to be a non-political replacement for the defunct political magazine ''

Behar Behar, BeHar, Be-har, or B'har ( — Hebrew language, Hebrew for "on the mount," the fifth word, and the Incipit, first distinctive word, in the parashah) is the 32nd weekly Torah portion (, ''parashah'') in the annual Judaism, Jewish cycle of Tor ...

''. One of the most important moves in Kalajdžić's publishing and editorial work was hiring poet Musa Ćazim Ćatić who wrote poetry and essays for the paper as well as contributing translations of numerous Turkish and Arabic studies and books for the Muslim Library that Kalajdžić had established. The main theme of these publications was Islam and Bosniak culture, but also works of literature, didactics and textbooks. The

First World War 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 ...

interrupted the publishing business from 1914 until 1918, when Kalajdžić started issuing ''Biser'' again to avoid being drafted into the army. All production of the paper ended in early 1919.

Death

Kalajdžić died aged 70 of an illness in

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 Sarajevo ...

on 10 September 1963. He was buried the following day in front of a Sarajevo mosque.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalajdzic, Muhamed Bekir 1892 births 1963 deaths Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Muslims Writers from Mostar Bosniak writers Bosnia and Herzegovina writers