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Aleksandar Tišma ( sr-cyr, Александар Тишма; 16 January 1924 – 16 February 2003). was a Serbian novelist.


Biography

Tišma was born in Horgoš,
Kanjiža Kanjiža ( sr-Cyrl, Кањижа, pronounced ) formerly Stara Kanjiža ( sr-cyrl, Стара Кањижа; ; , formerly ''Kanizsa'') is a town and municipality located in the North Banat District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Kan ...
on the present-day border of
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
and
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, to a Serbian father and a Hungarian-speaking
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
mother. He completed his elementary and middle school education in
Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...
before going on to study economy and
French language French ( or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. French evolved from Northern Old Gallo-R ...
and literature in
Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, finally graduating in Germanistics from the
University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade () is a public university, public research university in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it me ...
Faculty of Philology. From 1945 to 1949 he worked as a journalist for '' Slobodna Vojvodina'' and '' Borba'' newspapers, and then as editor and redactor at
Matica srpska The Matica srpska ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Матица српска, Matica srpska, ) is the oldest Serbian language independent, non-profit, non-governmental and cultural-scientific Serbian national institution. It was founded on June 1, 1826, in Pest, ...
until his retirement in 1982. He became a corresponding member of the Vojvodina Academy of Sciences and Arts (VANU) in 1979 and was promoted into a regular member in 1984, and subsequently became a regular member of the
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (; , SANU) is a national academy and the most prominent academic institution in Serbia, founded in 1841 as Society of Serbian Letters (, DSS). The Academy's membership has included Nobel Prize, Nobel la ...
(SANU) upon their fusion 1992. From 2002, he was also a member of the
Academy of Arts, Berlin The Academy of Arts () is a state arts institution in Berlin, Germany. The task of the Academy is to promote art, as well as to advise and support the states of Germany. The academy's predecessor organization was founded in 1696 by Elector F ...
. Tišma's works were concerned with themes of humanity's search for freedom, and suffering, violence, horror and guilt people encounter along the way. Along with
Czesław Miłosz Czesław Miłosz ( , , ; 30 June 1911 – 14 August 2004) was a Polish Americans, Polish-American poet, prose writer, translator, and diplomat. He primarily wrote his poetry in Polish language, Polish. Regarded as one of the great poets of the ...
, Danilo Kiš and György Konrád, his works are sometimes classified as part of "Mitteleuropa" literature—dark and contemplative, yet humanistic and thought-provoking. In political affairs, Tišma often publicly supported and acted in favor of pro-democratic movements in Serbia, although he was reluctant to openly join any political organization. In 1993, as a sign of disagreement with
Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević ( sr-Cyrl, Слободан Милошевић, ; 20 August 1941 – 11 March 2006) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician who was the President of Serbia between 1989 and 1997 and President of the Federal Republic of Yugos ...
's regime and increasing nationalist hysteria in the country, he left Serbia and lived in self-imposed exile in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
until 1996. He died in 2003, aged 79, in
Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...
. His works have been translated into 17 languages. Among other awards, he received the Novi Sad October Award, the ''NIN'' Award for best novel of the year (for ''The Use of Man'', 1976), the
Andrić Prize The Andrić Prize () is a Serbian and formerly Yugoslav annual literary award for short stories and short story collections written in Serbian, granted by the ''Zadužbina Ive Andrića'' ("Ivo Andrić Foundation") since 1975. History The prize ...
and the Austrian State Prize for European Literature (1995). He also translated works of other authors from
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
and Hungarian into Serbian, notably
Imre Kertész Imre Kertész (; 9 November 192931 March 2016) was a Hungarian author and recipient of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Literature, "for writing that upholds the fragile experience of the individual against the barbaric arbitrariness of history". He was ...
's novel ''Fatelessness''.


Bibliography


Novels

* ''Za crnom devojkom'' (1969). ''After a Black-Haired Girl'' * ''Knjiga o Blamu'' (1972). '' The Book of Blam'', trans. Michael Henry Heim (Harcourt, 1998; New York Review Books, 2016). * ''Upotreba čoveka'' (1976). ''The Use of Man'', trans. Ian Johnson (Harcourt, 1988) and Bernard Johnson (Faber and Faber, 1990; New York Review Books, 2014). * ''Begunci'' (1981). ''Fugitives'' * ''Vere i zavere'' (1983). ''Faith and Treason'' *''Kapo'' (1987). '' Kapo'', trans. Richard Williams (Harcourt, 1993; New York Review Books, 2020). * ''Široka vrata'' (1989). ''The Wide Door'' * ''Koje volimo'' (1990). ''Those We Love''


Collections of short stories

* ''Krivice'' (1965). ''Guilts'' * ''Nasilje'' (1965). ''Violence'' * ''Mrtvi ugao'' (1973). ''The Dead Angle'' * ''Povratak miru'' (1977). ''Return to the Peace'' * ''Škola bezbožništva'' (1978). ''School of Atheism'' * ''Hiljadu i druga noć'' (1987). ''A Thousand and Second Night''


Poetry

* ''Naseljeni svet'' (1956). ''Inhabited World'' * ''Krčma'' (1961). ''Pub''


Other

* ''Drugde'' (1963). ''Elsewhere'', travels * ''Šta sam govorio'' (1996). ''What I Spoke'', interviews * ''Dnevnik 1942-2001'' (2001). ''Diary'', interviews


References


External links


Odlazak mudrog skeptika
Vasa Pavković, NIN, 2003-02-20 (Obituary)
Pisac na barikadama
Mihal Ramač, Danas, 2003-03-01
Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tisma, Aleksandar 1924 births 2003 deaths People from Kanjiža University of Belgrade Faculty of Philology alumni Members of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts Serbian Jews Jewish writers Matica srpska 20th-century Serbian people Yugoslav writers 20th-century Serbian male writers Yugoslav Jews Hungarians in Vojvodina Serbia and Montenegro expatriates in France Serbian short story writers