Vitomir "Vito" Nikolić ( sh-Cyrl, Витомир "Вито" Николић; 27 April 1934 – 10 September 1994) was a Yugoslav and Montenegrin

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 writte ...

and

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

from

Nikšić Nikšić ( cnr, Никшић, italic=no, sr-cyrl, Никшић, italic=no; ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 56,970 located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot ...

. His work is often compared to that of

Sergey Yesenin Sergei Alexandrovich Yesenin ( rus, Сергей Александрович Есенин, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪtɕ jɪˈsʲenʲɪn; ( 1895 – 28 December 1925), sometimes spelled as Esenin, was a Russian lyric poet. He is one o ...

, as he is often dubbed as "Montenegrin Yesenin", as well "The Good Spirit of Nikšić".

Background

Originally from

, he was born in

Mostar Mostar (, ; sr-Cyrl, Мостар, ) is a city and the administrative center of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina. Mostar is sit ...

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 ...

(now

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 his father served in the army. In 1941, he returned to Nikšić with his family. After his father and brother had been killed 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 opposin ...

, he lived in an orphanage until he turned 18. He spent most of his life in Nikšić, living in poverty, and was well known for his

bohemian lifestyle Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people and with few permanent ties. It involves musical, artistic, literary, or spiritual pursuits. In this context, bohemians may be wanderers, a ...

Works

Vito published his first two books of poetry, "Drumovanja" (''Journeys'') and "Sunce, hladno mi je" (''Sun, I'm feeling cold'') without a publisher, hence paying for the costs of their production. Although he had some conflicts with socialist Yugoslav government, the government gave him a flat in Nikšić. Afterwards, he moved from Nikšić to

Titograd Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...

, where he worked as a journalist for

Pobjeda Pobjeda ( cyrl, Пoбjeдa, , lit. "The Victory") ( MNSENIPO is a Montenegrin daily newspaper. Having been published for 75 years, it is the oldest Montenegrin newspaper still in circulation; in the media, it is also the oldest Montenegrin activ ...

, writing short stories under the title "Crnom Gorom, putem i bespućem". Some of his poems for children became notable, and are included in the literature books for elementary and high school students. In 2002, some of Nikolić's prose writings were collected and published in a book "Dobri duh Nikšića" (''The Good Spirit of Nikšić'').

Legacy

Following his death, a "Vito Nikolić Award" for poetry has been established in Montenegro. The award is presented annually, during the "September days", a cultural manifestation hosted by the city of Nikšić. In 2002, Montenegrin writer and journalist Đorđe Puśo Matović with whom Vito worked in Pobjeda, published a book of anecdotes from poet's life, titled "S Vitom na još po jednu" (''Another round f drinkswith Vito'').Another round with Vito
(in Montenegrin)

Published works

*''Drumovanja ''(1962) *''Sunce, hladno mi je'' (1968) *''Stihovi ''(1981) *''Stare i nove pjesme'' (1991) *''Posljednja pjesma'' (1994) *''Nedjelja u gradu N'' (1997), ''published posthumously'' *''Dobri duh Nikšića'' (2002), ''published posthumously''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nikolic, Vito 1934 births 1994 deaths Writers from Nikšić Montenegrin poets Montenegrin male writers Montenegrin children's writers Yugoslav poets 20th-century poets People from Mostar People from Nikšić