Oskar Davičo ( sr-cyr, Оскар Давичо; 18 January 1909 — 30 September 1989) was a

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

n and

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

n novelist and poet. A leading literary figure of his generation, he was one of the most acclaimed Serbian

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 l ...

writers, but also a

revolutionary socialist Revolutionary socialism is a political philosophy, doctrine, and tradition within socialism that stresses the idea that a social revolution is necessary to bring about structural changes in society. More specifically, it is the view that revoluti ...

activist and a politician. Davičo was awarded prestigious literary

NIN Award The ''NIN'' Award ( sr, Ninova nagrada, italics=yes, Нинова награда), officially the Award for Best Novel of the Year, is a prestigious Serbian (and previously Yugoslavian) literary award established in 1954 by the ''NIN'' weekly an ...

a record three times.

Biography

Early life

Oskar Davičo was born on 18 January 1909 in

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 p ...

to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family. His father was an atheist Jewish accountant and a

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 e ...

. During World War I in Serbia, Šabac was the scene of heavy fighting, so the whole family moved temporarily to

Negotin Negotin ( sr-cyrl, Неготин, ; ro, Negotin) is a town and municipality located in the Bor District of the eastern Serbia. It is situated near the borders between Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria. It is the judicial center of the Bor District. ...

Interwar period

Davičo finished the

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

and lower gymnasium Šabac, and then continued his education at the

First Belgrade Gymnasium First Belgrade Gymnasium ( sr, Прва београдска гимназија, Prva beogradska gimnazija) is a gymnasium (Central European type of grammar school) with a long tradition, founded in 1839 in Belgrade, Serbia. Since 1938, it is sit ...

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

. Davičo started to write poetry while in gymnasium. He was expelled from the gymnasium in 6th grade for criticizing religion in a self-published magazine. He later graduated as a part-time student in 1926. After that, he left for

Paris Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and enrolled at the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

, studying

romance studies Romance studies or Romance philology ( an, filolochía romanica; ca, filologia romànica; french: romanistique; eo, latinida filologio; it, filologia romanza; pt, filologia românica; ro, romanistică; es, filología románica) is an acade ...

. In Paris he worked as a waiter,

courier A courier is a person or organisation that delivers a message, package or letter from one place or person to another place or person. Typically, a courier provides their courier service on a commercial contract basis; however, some couriers are ...

shoe maker Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as '' cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen ...

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

trainer, and a paid companion of wealthy women. While in Paris, Davičo attended meetings of the

Communist Party of France The French Communist Party (french: Parti communiste français, ''PCF'' ; ) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its MEPs sit in the European Unit ...

. He left the university without passing a single exam. After two years in France, he returned to Belgrade in 1928 and enrolled at the

University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy The University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy ( sr, Филозофски факултет Универзитета у Београду), established in 1838 within the Belgrade Higher School, is the oldest Faculty at the University of Belgrade ...

studying

French language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...

and

French literature French literature () generally speaking, is literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than Fr ...

. He graduated in 1930 ''

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

''. Soon after graduation, he found employment as a French language teacher in a high school in

Šibenik Šibenik () is a historic city in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of Šibenik-Knin County, and is also the ...

. He was fired after only three months on the job, and then got a

part-time job A part-time job is a form of employment that carries fewer hours per week than a full-time job. They work in shifts. The shifts are often rotational. Workers are considered to be part-time if they commonly work fewer than 30 hours per week. Accord ...

as a teacher at the First Belgrade Gymnasium, the same school he was expelled from in 1925. In 1931 Davičo got a full-time job as a high school teacher in

Bihać Bihać ( cyrl, Бихаћ) is a city and the administrative centre of Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of river Una in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina ...

. While in Bihać, he secretly founded the local committee of the

Communist Party of Yugoslavia The League of Communists of Yugoslavia, mk, Сојуз на комунистите на Југославија, Sojuz na komunistite na Jugoslavija known until 1952 as the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, sl, Komunistična partija Jugoslavije mk ...

(CPY). Communist activity was illegal in the

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

after 1920. Davičo was arrested on 31 May 1932 after being betrayed by one of the members of the CPY, and the court sentenced him to five years in prison. He served his sentence at

Lepoglava prison Lepoglava is a town in Varaždin County, northern Croatia, located southwest of Varaždin, west of Ivanec, and northeast of Krapina. Demographics A total of 8,283 residents in the municipality (2011 census) live in the following settlements: * ...

and Sremska Mitrovica prison. While incarcerated, he wrote a novel titled ''"Detinjstvo"'' (''Childhood''), but did not finish it. The manuscript was lost during his transfer from Lepoglava to Sremska Mitrovica in 1935. After his release, he lived in Belgrade and worked as a co-editor of a magazine called ''"Naša stvarnost"'' (''Our Reality''). After a broad police action in Belgrade in 1938, Davičo was arrested again, but released soon after. He left Belgrade and moved to

Kopaonik Kopaonik ( sr-cyr, Копаоник, ; sq, Kopaoniku) is a mountain range located in Serbia and Kosovo. The highest point is the Pančić's Peak with . The central part of the Kopaonik plateau was declared a national park in 1981 which today cove ...

. While in Kopaonik, he wrote poem cycles ''"Hana"'' and ''"Srbija"'' and some other poems that were later published in a collection ''"Višnja za zidom"'' (''A Cherry Tree behind a Wall''). In 1939 he moved to

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

on orders of the leadership of the CPY. After he showed ''"Hana"'' to

Miroslav Krleža Miroslav Krleža (; 7 July 1893 – 29 December 1981) was a Yugoslav and Croatian writer who is widely considered to be the greatest Croatian writer of the 20th century. He wrote notable works in all the literary genres, including poetry (''Ba ...

and

Vaso Bogdanov Vaso is a village located in Kheda district of Gujarat, India. The ZIP Code, zip code is 387380. Places of interest Vithalbhai Haveli is a of late 18th century ''haveli'' with beautifully carved wooden pillars, frames, beams, ceilings and do ...

, they advised him to write a novel about his life in prison. Davičo finished the novel in March 1941, but 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 ...

broke out soon after, and the novel was never printed.

World War II

Working illegally for the CPY, Davičo moved to Italian-occupied

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enterta ...

, where he was arrested in August 1941. To the Italian police, he gave a fake Jewish name Ostap Daburo, and they did not recognize him. He was taken to an Italian camp for Jews on the island of

Korčula Korčula (, it, Curzola) is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea. It has an area of , is long and on average wide, and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 15,522 inhabitants (2011) make it the second most populous Adriatic island after K ...

and then

interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

, Italy. During 1942, he tried to escape two times, but failed. He finally escaped in 1943, and moved back to

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...

via

Monte Gargano Gargano (, Gargano Apulian Italo-Romance arˈgæːnə is a historical and geographical sub-region in the province of Foggia, Apulia, southeast Italy, consisting of a wide isolated mountain massif made of highland and several peaks and forming ...

. There, he joined the

1st Proletarian Brigade The 1st Proletarian Brigade, later the 1st Proletarian Division, was the first brigade-size formation raised by the Yugoslav Partisans during World War II. The unit was one of the elite formations of the National Liberation Army of Yugoslavia. Its ...

of 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 ...

as a soldier. He saw fighting in

Bosnia 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 He ...

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

Sandžak Sandžak (; sh, / , ; sq, Sanxhaku; ota, سنجاق, Sancak), also known as Sanjak, is a historical geo-political region in Serbia and Montenegro. The name Sandžak derives from the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, a former Ottoman administrative dis ...

, Tara and

Durmitor Durmitor ( Montenegrin: Дурмитор, or ) is a massif located in northwestern Montenegro. It is part of the Dinaric Alps. Its highest peak, Bobotov Kuk, reaches a height of . The massif is limited by the Tara River Canyon on the north, the ...

. He worked briefly in the press bureau of the Central Command on the island of Vis. Davičo rejoined the Brigade and participated in the Belgrade Offensive.

Post-World War II

After the liberation, Davičo stayed in Belgrade and worked for a month in the newly established

Tanjug Tanjug (/'tʌnjʊg/) ( sr-cyr, Танјуг; sometimes stylized as TANJUG) was a Serbian state news agency based in Belgrade, which officially ceased to exist in March 2021. Since then, Belgrade based private company Tanjug Tačno, acquired the r ...

news agency. From there, he moved to '' Borba'', and then to ''Glas'' newspaper. As a reporter, he reported from the

Nuremberg Trials The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies of World War II, Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II. Between 1939 and 1945 ...

, from the

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...

during the Trieste crisis, and from the

Greek Civil War The Greek Civil War ( el, ο Eμφύλιος �όλεμος ''o Emfýlios'' 'Pólemos'' "the Civil War") took place from 1946 to 1949. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece, which was supported by the United Kingdom ...

, where he joined

Markos Vafiadis Markos Vafeiadis (also spelled as Vafiadis and Vafiades; el, Μάρκος Βαφειάδης; Tosya, – Athens, ) was a leading figure of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) during the Greek Resistance and the Greek Civil War. Pre-war life Vaf ...

and his

Democratic Army of Greece The Democratic Army of Greece (DAG; el, Δημοκρατικός Στρατός Ελλάδας - ΔΣΕ, Dimokratikós Stratós Elládas - DSE) was the army founded by the Communist Party of Greece during the Greek Civil War (1946–1949). At ...

. After publishing a travel novel about his experiences in Greece in 1947, Davičo left journalism and became a full-time writer. He spent the rest of his life in Belgrade.

Death

Oskar Davičo died on 30 September 1989 in Belgrade. He is interred in the

Alley of Distinguished Citizens The New Cemetery ( sr, Ново гробље, ''Novo groblje'') is a cemetery complex in Belgrade, Serbia, with a distinct history. It is located in Ruzveltova street in Zvezdara municipality. The cemetery was built in 1886 as the third Christia ...

in the

Belgrade New Cemetery The New Cemetery ( sr, Ново гробље, ''Novo groblje'') is a cemetery complex in Belgrade, Serbia, with a distinct history. It is located in Ruzveltova street in Zvezdara municipality. The cemetery was built in 1886 as the third Christian ...

Literary work

Davičo's literary work belongs to the

movement. He started writing poetry in 1925, while in gymnasium. His early poetry is

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

and strongly surrealist. In late 1930s, he added

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

and

leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

elements to his poetry. Although mainly social, his 1938 poetry book ''"Pesme"'' (''Poems'') also contains humor, word play, and eroticism. His next two poetry books, ''"Hana"'' (1939) and ''"Višnja za zidom"'' (1950) are thematically linked to "Pesme" and they form a poetic trilogy. The main theme of ''"Hana"'' is love, while the theme of ''"Višnja za zidom"'' is

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

. Similar theme is explored in the poem ''"Zrenjanin"'' (1949) about the life and death of Partisan leader

Žarko Zrenjanin Žarko Zrenjanin "Uča" ( sr-Cyrl, Жарко Зрењанин, ; 11 September 1902 – 4 November 1942) was a partisan and National Hero of Yugoslavia. The city of Zrenjanin, in Serbia, is named after him, since 1946. Zrenjanin was born in ...

. The climax of Davičo's surrealist poetry is reached in the poem ''"Čovekov čovek"'' (1953). After ''"Čovekov čovek"'', Davičo published a dozen more poetry books, which were poorly received with both critic and readers. Davičo started writing novels during and after the World War II. Novels are the most important part of his work after the poetry. In the novels ''"Ćutnje"'' (1963), ''"Gladi"'' (1963) ''"Tajne"'' (1964), and ''"Bekstva"'' (1966), he wrote about the prison life of Yugoslavian Communists in the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...

. In ''"Pesma"'' (1952) and ''"Gospodar zaborava"'' (1981), he writes about the World War II in Yugoslavia and the people's liberation movement. Finally, in ''"Beton i svici"'' (1956) and ''"Radni naslov beskraja"'' (1958), Davičo writes about the post-war build-up of Yugoslavia. The main characters of his novels are usually young revolutionary communists. For his literary work, Davičo received numerous awards. He was the only author to be awarded the

for the novel of the year three times: in 1956 for ''"Beton i svici"'', in 1963 for ''"Gladi"'', and in 1964 for ''"Tajne"''.

Novels

*''"Pesma"'' (''Poem''), 1952 *''"Beton i svici"'' (''Concrete and Fireflies''), 1955 *''"Radni naslov beskraja"'' (''Working Title of the Eternity''), 1958 *''"Generalbas"'', 1962 *''"Ćutnje"'' (''Silences''), 1963 *''"Gladi"'' (''Hungers''), 1963 *''"Tajne"'' (''Secrets''), 1964 *''"Bekstva"'' (''The Escapes''), 1966 *''"Zavičaji"'' (''Homelands''), 1971 *''"Gospodar zaborava" (''The Master of Oblivion''), 1980

Poetry

*''"Anatomija"'' (''Anatomy''), 1930 *''"Pesme"'' (''Poems''), 1938 *''"Hana"'', 1939 *''"

Zrenjanin Zrenjanin ( sr-Cyrl, Зрењанин, ; hu, Nagybecskerek; ro, Becicherecu Mare; sk, Zreňanin; german: Großbetschkerek) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Central Banat District in the autonomous pro ...

''", 1949 *''"Višnja za zidom"'' (''A Cherry Tree Behind a Wall''), 1950 *''"Čovekov čovek"'' (''A Man's Man''), 1953 *''"Nastanjene oči"'' (''Occupied Eyes''), 1954 *''"Flora"'', 1955 *''"Pesme"'' (''Poems''), 1958 *''"Kairos"'', 1959 *''"Tropi"'' (''Tropics''), 1959 *''"Sunovrati"'' (''Downfalls''), 1963 *''"Snimci"'' (''Recordings''), 1963 *''"Pročitani jezik"'' (''A Language Read''), 1972 *''"Telo telu"'' (''Body to Body''), 1975 *''"Veverice-leptiri ili nadopis obojenog žbuna''" (''Squirrel-butterflies, or By-writing of the Colored Bush''), 1976 *''"Misterije dana"'' (''Mysteries of a Day''), 1979

Other

*''"Među Markosovim partizanima"'' (''Amongst Markos' Partisans''), a travel novel, 1947 *''"Poezija i otpori"'' (''Poetry and Resistance''), an essay, 1952 *''"Pre podne"'' (''

Ante meridiem The 12-hour clock is a time convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods: a.m. (from Latin , translating to "before midday") and p.m. (from Latin , translating to "after midday"). For different opinions on represent ...

''), an essay, 1960 *''"Crno na belo"'' (''Black on White''), a reportage, 1962 *''"Trg M''" (''M Square''), a poem, 1968 *''"Ritual umiranja jezika"'' (''The Ritual of Language Dying''), an essay, 1971 *''"Reči na delu"'' (''Words on Work''), a poem, 1977 *''"Pod-tekst"'' (''Sub-text''), essays and polemics, 1979

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davico, Oskar 1909 births 1989 deaths Writers from Šabac Serbian Jews Serbian novelists Serbian male poets Yugoslav poets Serbian surrealist writers Yugoslav Partisans members University of Paris alumni University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy alumni 20th-century Serbian novelists 20th-century Serbian poets Yugoslav expatriates in France Burials at Belgrade New Cemetery