Biljana Srbljanović
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Biljana Srbljanović ( sr-cyr, Биљана Србљановић, ; born 15 October 1970) is a Serbian
playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...
and university professor. She has written eleven
theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...
plays and screenplay for ''
Otvorena vrata Otvorena vrata ( sr-Cyrl, Отворена врата, ), is a Serbian comedy television series filmed in 1994-1995. Broadcast on state television RTS, it ran for 2 seasons (34 episodes in total) featuring a regular family living in Belgrade durin ...
'' television series that aired on
Radio Television of Serbia The Serbian Broadcasting Corporation, more commonly referred to as Radio Television of Serbia (), or RTS (), is the state-owned public radio and television broadcaster of Serbia. RTS has four organizational units – radio, television, music pro ...
during the mid-1990s. Her plays have been staged in some 50 countries. Srbljanović is also a part-time
lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...
at the University of Arts'
Faculty of Dramatic Arts The Faculty of Dramatic Arts (; abbreviated FDU) is a constituent institution of the University of Arts in Belgrade which focuses on education and research in the fields of film, theatre, dramaturgy, culture, radio, acting and medias. It was esta ...
(FDU) in
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
. On 1 December 1999, she became the first non-German writer to receive the . She is the recipient of various theatre awards in Serbia, including the , , , Joakim Vujić Statuette, and . Furthermore, she received the 2003 , an annual accolade given out by the Serbian Civic Alliance (GSS) political party to women for "contributions in promotion of human rights, democracy, and tolerance in political communication". In 2007, she was awarded the IX Europe Prize Theatrical Realities, in
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
.


Early life

Srbljanović was born on 15 October 1970 in
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
whereto her father Danilo Srbljanović had arrived a few years earlier during late 1960s as a ''
gastarbeiter ; ; both singular and plural) are foreign or migrant workers, particularly those who had moved to West Germany between 1955 and 1973, seeking work as part of a formal guest worker program (). As a result, guestworkers are generally considered t ...
'' from
SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
in search of better employment opportunities. He would soon be joined by his girlfriend Miroslava Simić who came over from Yugoslavia. The couple wed in the Yugoslav embassy in Stockholm—a
civil ceremony A civil, or registrar, ceremony is a non-religious legal marriage ceremony performed by a government official or functionary. In the United Kingdom, this person is typically called a registrar. In the United States, civil ceremonies may be performe ...
presided over by ambassador Vladimir Rolović—and had their daughter Biljana. In April 1971, months after her parents' wedding, the embassy was attacked by a group of Croatian Ustashe-affiliated terrorists led by Miro Barešić who assassinated ambassador Rolović.


Writing career

Srbljanović obtained her
dramaturgy Dramaturgy is the study of dramatic composition and the representation of the main elements of drama on the stage. The role of a dramaturg in the field of modern dramaturgy is to help realize the multifaceted world of the play for a production u ...
degree in 1995 at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. The first play she wrote, ''Beogradska trilogija'' (''The Belgrade Trilogy''), was premiered in 1997 in Belgrade,
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 ...
at the
Yugoslav Drama Theater Yugoslav Drama Theatre ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенско драмско позориште, Jugoslovensko dramsko pozorište; abbr. JDP or ''Jugodrp'') is a theatre located in Belgrade, Serbia. It was founded in 1947 as the representati ...
. After its huge success, the play was staged in many other countries, including
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
,
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
,
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
,
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, and the
Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
n countries. In April 1998 her second play, ''Porodične priče'' (''Family Stories''), was written in Belgrade and staged 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'' dir ...
. It won the Best New Play Award at the theatre festival 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 ...
, Serbia and was later staged in Germany,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
,
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
,
Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
,
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, Switzerland, the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
,
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 ...
and elsewhere. In December 1999, Srbljanović completed ''The Fall'', which premiered in July 2000 at the City Theater Festival in
Budva Budva (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Будва, or ) is a town in the Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro. It had 27,445 inhabitants as of 2023, and is the centre of Budva Municipality. The coastal area around Budva, called the Budv ...
,
Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...
. Due to lack of public interest, the play was quickly erased from the program of
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
's theaters. The young artist can also be seen in the Serbian movie ''Land of Truth, Love and Freedom'' (Zemlja istine ljubavi i slobode) as an actress in a leading role. The premiere of ''Supermarket'', her fourth play, took place in May 2001 at the Festival of
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
,
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
. It is still staged in many European countries. In late 2003, Srbljanović completed her fifth play, ''America, Part Two''. This became Serbia's most popular play in 2003 and 2004. Srbljanović's next play, ''Skakavci'' (Locusts), won the New Theatrical Realities Award, one of Europe's most prominent theatre awards. In the 2005-06 season, German theater magazine
Theater Heute ''Theater heute'' (German: ''Theatre Today'') is a German language monthly magazine with a special focus on theatre. The magazine is based in Berlin, Germany, and has been in circulation since 1960. History and profile ''Theater heute'' was foun ...
proclaimed Srbljanović the best foreign playwright of the season. Her latest play '' This Grave Is Too Small For Me'' has attracted international press attention as well as acclaim from various audiences in Europe.


Europe Theatre Prize

In 2007, she received the IX Europe Prize Theatrical Realities, in
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
, with the following motivation:
For her and for the people of her country which has suffered so much, it is undoubtedly the epithet “European prize” that imports more as a confirmation of the fact that the Serbs are present and will be always present on this continent. Living in Serbia and in Europe at the same time, Biljana Srbljanović is not kind at all towards her compatriots: in the ''“Belgrad Trilogy”'', she revealed their dissimulated, two-faced morality; then, with anger, she draws a caricature of them in the ''“Family Stories”''. This author belongs to the current of the new European drama - courageous, open, brutal and it is not only in her own place that she’s offensive: in ''“The Supermarket”'', she left for the superficial Occident, than she had the courage to attack and criticise ''“L’Amerika”''- it is in this part, that came to maturity her ability to realise character’s deep, psychological characterization. ''“The Fall”'' analyzes people living in countries with totalitarian regimes, and in ''“The Locusts”'', she goes back in her own country in the aim to draw a historical picture of four generations which worked out the corroded country’s actual face. Biljana Srbljanović is not the only one politically committed playwright who criticizes with ferocity her own country’s regime and the people supporting this regime: last year, Harold Pinter’s name has proved us that she‘s not alone in her case. At all monochromic, Biljana Srbljanović’s Balkans, have an outstanding environment; - rough, frank, quarrelsome and mystical. More than any of her predecessors, this playwright brought Balkans closer to the Europe and made us think about how much Balkan spirit is present in our souls as well. Her voice strongly echoed over the whole continent.


Political career


Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)

In April 2007, Srbljanović officially joined the
Liberal Democratic Party Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party, Democratic Liberal Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties have usually followed liberalism as ideology, although they can vary widely from very progr ...
(LDP), with an additional role as a member of the party's newly-established political council. Alongside Srbljanović, other individuals appointed to the LDP political council were:
Vesna Pešić Vesna Pešić ( sr-Cyrl, Весна Пешић, ; born May 6, 1940) is a Serbian politician and sociologist. In February 2012, Vesna Pešić announced she would leave politics after parliamentary elections on 6 May 2012. Biography In the early ...
(council president), Biljana Kovačević-Vučo, Bojan Đurić, Branko Dimitrijević, ,
Filip David Filip David ( sr-cyr, Филип Давид; 4 July 1940 – 14 April 2025) was a Serbian writer and screenwriter, best known for penning essays, dramas, short stories and novels. In 1987, he was awarded the Andrić Prize for his short story coll ...
, Ivan Andrić, Ivan Torov, Jadranka Jelinčić, Jasna Šakota,
Latinka Perović Latinka Perović ( sr-Cyrl, Латинка Перовић; 4 October 1933 – 12 December 2022) was a Yugoslav communist leader, historian and politician. During the existence of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Perović was a secr ...
, , Miša Šahović, Nenad Prokić, , ,
Petar Luković Petar Luković (21 January 1951 – 12 February 2024), nicknamed Pero s onog sveta ''()'', was a Serbian journalist, newspaper editor and onetime rock critic. He attended the Sixth Belgrade Gymnasium, and graduated from the Faculty of Mechanica ...
, Rajko Danilović, Saška Stanojlović,
Sonja Biserko Sonja Biserko ( sr-cyr, Соња Бисерко; born 14 February 1948) is a Serbian campaigner for human rights. She is the founder and president of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia.City of Weimar Human Rights Prize award addres ...
, Srbijanka Turajlić, Veljko Đurović, Vera Marković,
Vladimir Gligorov Vladimir Gligorov (Macedonian and ; 24 September 1945 – 27 October 2022) was a Macedonian and Yugoslav economist, political analyst and liberal public intellectual. He was a founder of the Democratic Party in Serbia in December 1989. He was t ...
, Vladimir Todorić, Zoran Ostojić, and Zoran Purešević. In late March 2008, Srbljanović was announced as LDP's candidate for mayor of
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
at the upcoming May 2008 local elections. Six months after the party's poor electoral showing in various Belgrade municipalities, she publicly complained on her personal blog of being marginalized by the LDP, specifically that "everyone within the party, except for Vesna Pešić and
Žarko Korać Žarko Korać ( sr-Cyrl, Жарко Кораћ; born 9 March 1947) is a Serbian psychologist and politician. He taught psychology at the University of Belgrade University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy, Faculty of Philosophy and is one of th ...
, distanced themselves rom Srbljanović and that she has since learned that "everyone n the partyhas a price, whether it's commercial real estate in municipalities where LDP is part of the ruling coalition or salaried positions at the state-owned enterprises or an opportunity for future inancial and politicaldeals". Though quickly deleted, the blog post caused a lot of reaction from her party colleagues. Days later, reportedly following a talk with the party president
Čedomir Jovanović Čedomir "Čeda" Jovanović ( sr-cyr, Чедомир Чеда Јовановић, ; born 13 April 1971) is a Serbian politician and businessman. During the presidency of Slobodan Milošević in Yugoslavia, Jovanović became one of the student ...
who had in the meantime publicly expressed his support for the playwright's future in the party, Srbljanović came out with a statement that interpersonal relations within the party are good while relaying a personal opinion that LDP is "the best political party in Serbia". She has quietly left the party at some point over the years since.


Other activities


Ana Brnabić's Council for Creative Industries

In March 2018, Srbljanović's appointment to the newly-established
Government of Serbia The government of Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Влада Србије, Vlada Srbije), formally the Government of the Republic of Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Влада Републике Србије, Vlada Republike Srbije), commonly abbreviated to Serbian Governme ...
Council for Creative Industries was announced. Formed and launched by Serbia's Prime Minister
Ana Brnabić Ana Brnabić ( sr-cyr, Ана Брнабић, ; born 28 September 1975) is a Serbian politician serving as president of the National Assembly of Serbia since 2024. A member of the Serbian Progressive Party, she previously served as prime ministe ...
, the council is envisioned as a "gathering of individuals and organizations possessing a wealth of experience in
creative industries The creative industries refers to a range of economic activities which are concerned with the generation or exploitation of knowledge and information. They may variously also be referred to as the cultural industries (especially in Europe) or the ...
who will help the Prime Minister fully understand the needs of that sector and make informed decisions for its future development".Lazar Džamić i Biljana Srbljanović članovi Saveta za kreativne industrije koji je osnovala premijerka Brnabić
Blic, 23 March 2018
In addition to Srbljanović, other council members include marketing expert Lazar Džamić, Tijana Palkovljević Bugarski, Vuk Veličković, art historian Aleksandra Lazar,
Youth Initiative for Human Rights Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. Youth ...
NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...
founder Andrej Nosov, Igor Todorović, Milan Marković, Jasna Dimitrijević, visual artist Slavimir Stojanović as well as representatives of Exit Foundation, Mokrin House, Serbia Film Commission, , and Nova iskra. Immediately after the announcement of her appointment to the governmental agency, Srbljanović faced criticism of selling out to the government from various individuals including political activist . Six month after the council was formed, in an October 2018 ''
Nedeljnik ''Nedeljnik'' (Serbian Cyrillic: Недељник) is a weekly news magazine published in Belgrade, Serbia. Since October 2012 ''Nedeljnik'' has been published by an independent group of journalists, who are also the magazine's founders. Profile ...
'' interview, Serbia PM Brnabić praised Srbljanović as "an intellectual she especially admires, someone who criticizes the government but is also willing to help" while adding that Serbia would be a better place if it had more brave people like her".


Heartefact fund

Srbljanović is the program director of the Heartefact fund, a Belgrade-based
non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...
active since 2009 in the
Western Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
politically-defined region, that among its mission lists "rethinking of contemporary artistic, social and political issues and phenomena at national
erbia Erbium(III) oxide is the inorganic compound with the formula . It is a pink paramagnetic solid. It finds uses in various optical materials. Structure Erbium(III) oxide has a cubic structure resembling the bixbyite motif. The Er3+ centers are o ...
regional estern Balkansand European levels" and "advocating new models of production, regional estern Balkanscooperation and alternative forms of education" through "developing policies that support
Erinnerungskultur (from German), or Culture of Remembrance, is the interaction of an individual or a society with their past and history. Definition In the strictest sense, Remembrance Culture consists of all the behavioral configurations and socially appro ...
(culture of remembrance), democratic values, human rights, freedom of speech and public sphere accountability".Heartefact, About Us
/ref> Hertefact's organizational structure also includes Andrej Nosov, Živana Janković, Mirjana Milivojević, Aleksandra Lozanović, and Vana Filipovski while its governing board consists of FDU vice-dean Ana Martinoli, PR manager and piano professor Jelena Milašinović, political scientist, advisor, and NGO administrator , public advocate and lobbyist Goran Miletić, and actor Branko Cvejić. The organization is financed by the
National Endowment for Democracy The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a quasi-autonomous non-governmental organization in the United States founded in 1983 with the stated aim of advancing democracy worldwide and counter communism, communist influence abroad, by prom ...
(NED),
Open Society Foundations Open Society Foundations (OSF), formerly the Open Society Institute, is an American grantmaking network founded by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with the s ...
' Serbian branch, U.S. embassy in Serbia,
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
's
Creative Europe Creative Europe is a European Union programme for the cultural and creative sectors. In its first phase, going from 2014 to 2020, it had a budget of € 1.47 billion, which were expanded to € 2.44 billion in its second phase (2021-2027). His ...
programme,
Serbian government The government of Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Влада Србије, Vlada Srbije), formally the Government of the Republic of Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Влада Републике Србије, Vlada Republike Srbije), commonly abbreviated to Serbian Governme ...
's
Ministry of Culture and Information The Ministry of Media () is one of the governmental bodies of Saudi Arabia and part of the cabinet. The main function of the ministry is to regulate the media of Saudi Arabia and the communications between Saudi Arabia and other countries. It ...
, Swiss embassy in Serbia,
Kingdom of the Netherlands The Kingdom of the Netherlands (, ;, , ), commonly known simply as the Netherlands, is a sovereign state consisting of a collection of constituent territories united under the monarch of the Netherlands, who functions as head of state. The re ...
,
Heinrich Böll Foundation The Heinrich Böll Foundation (German language, German: ''Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Eingetragener Verein, e.V.''; Abbreviation: HBS) is a German legally independent political foundation. Affiliated with Alliance '90/The Greens, Alliance 90/The Gr ...
, etc.


Views and opinions

Srbljanović has for decades been an outspoken figure in the Serbian public sphere. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, during her university days, Srbljanović was a close friend of Isidora Bjelica and wrote for the
right-wing Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...
''
Pogledi ''Pogledi'' (Serbian Cyrillic: ''Погледи'', meaning Viewpoints in English) was a Serbia-based magazine devoted to politics and history, published biweekly.''Pogledi'', issue number 70, November 9–23, 1990. YU ISSN 0353-3832 ''Pogledi'' wa ...
'' magazine. By mid-1990s, Srbljanović's political views swung to the
left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * ''Left'' (Helmet album), 2023 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relativ ...
as she began fiercely opposing the policies of
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 ...
as well as views held by individuals and parties in the Serbian political opposition on the right side of the political spectrum. In 1997, as one of the guests on
Olja Bećković Olja Bećković ( sr-cyr, Оља Бећковић; born 1 May 1964) is a Serbian journalist, actress and television presenter. She hosted political talk show '' Utisak nedelje'' (English: ''Impression of the Week'') from 1991 until 2014 and agai ...
's ''
Utisak nedelje ''Utisak nedelje'' ( sr-Cyrl, Утисак недеље; Impression of the Week) is a long-running Serbian political talk show hosted by Olja Bećković that airs live on TV channel Nova S. Airing live Sundays at 9pm and conceptualized as recap ...
'' talk programme on Studio B, Srbljanović squared off against her former ''Pogledi'' editor-in-chief
Miloslav Samardžić Miloslav Samardžić ( sr-Cyrl, Милослав Самарџић; born 22 November 1963) is a Serbian writer who writes about contemporary Serbian and Balkan history. He is the owner of the publishing house and former magazine '' Pogledi''. Biog ...
over the issue of American magnate
George Soros George Soros (born György Schwartz; August 12, 1930) is an American investor and philanthropist. , he has a net worth of US$7.2 billion, Note that this site is updated daily. having donated more than $32 billion to the Open Society Foundat ...
injecting funds into the pro-
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
Serbian media outlets, primarily
B92 RTV B92, or simply B92 (stylized as b92, formerly BΞ92 and B 92), is a Serbian news station and broadcaster with national coverage headquartered in Belgrade. Founded in 1989 as radio station, it was a rare outlet for Western news and informati ...
. Even after the 5 October 2000 Overthrow in Serbia, she continued railing against what she viewed to be "the irresponsibility of the political elite in Serbia", "Serbian violent nationalism" and "the culture of violence and exclusion in Serbian daily life". From May 2006 until February 2009, she maintained her own blog on the B92.net site where among other things she frequently criticized various individuals, mostly Serbian politicians and other public figures who displayed political opinions she opposes such as
Nebojša Krstić Nebojša Krstić ( sr-cyrl, Небојша Крстић; born 9 July 1957) is a Serbian media personality, political commentator, former musician ( VIS Idoli) and physician. He is also a former public relations advisor to the office of the Pres ...
, adviser to the Serbian president
Boris Tadić Boris Tadić, (born 15 January 1958) is a Serbian politician who served as the president of Serbia from 2004 to 2012. Born in Sarajevo, he graduated from the University of Belgrade with a degree in psychology. He later worked as a journalist ...
. In 2010 Srbljanović opened a
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
account where she continued commenting on Serbian politics. During late summer 2011, she got into several heated exchanges with the Democratic Party (DS) spokeswoman Jelena Trivan. The artist is signatory of the
Declaration on the Common Language The Declaration on the Common Language ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Deklaracija o zajedničkom jeziku, Декларација о заједничком језику, separator=" / ") was issued in 2017 by a group of intellectuals and NGOs from Bosnia and He ...
of the
Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...
,
Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...
,
Bosniaks The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...
and
Montenegrins Montenegrins (, or ) are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common ancestry, culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro. Montenegrins are mostly Orthodox Christians; however, the population also includes ...
within the project ''Languages and Nationalisms'' (Jezici i nacionalzmi). The declaration is against political separation of four
Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian ( / ), also known as Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS), is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. It is a pluricentric language with four mutually i ...
standard variants that leads to a series of negative social, cultural and political phenomena in which linguistic expression is enforced as a criterion of ethno-national affiliation and as a means of political loyalty in successor states of Yugoslavia.


Controversy


Libel suit

In March 2001, Srbljanović was sued for
libel Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...
by film director
Emir Kusturica Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица, ; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, film producer and musician. Kusturica has been an active filmmaker since the 1980s. He has competed at the Cannes ...
as a result of her ''
Vreme is a weekly news magazine based in Belgrade, Serbia. History In 1990, dissatisfied with the media climate in SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia's largest constituent unit, a group of liberal Serbian intellectuals, including prominent lawyer Srđa Popovi ...
'' magazine op-ed in which she passingly refers to the director as " Milošević's immoral profiteer", accusing him of "direct collaboration with the iloševićregime through
Milorad Vučelić Milorad Vučelić ( sr-Cyrl, Милорад Вучелић; born 17 June 1948) is a Serbian journalist and businessman. He is the editor-in-chief of '' Večernje novosti'' and owner of Serbian weekly magazine '' Pečat''. Early life Vučelić w ...
Serbian state-owned TV (RTS) general-director">Radio Television of Serbia">Serbian state-owned TV (RTS) general-director. Srbljanović based the accusation on her earlier claim within the same piece that Kusturica's 1995 film '' Underground'' was "mostly financed by the Milošević-controlled RTS". Six months later, in September 2001 right before the first
court date A docket in the United States is the official summary of proceedings in a court of law. In the United Kingdom in modern times it is an official document relating to delivery of something, with similar meanings to these two elsewhere. In the late ...
, ''Vreme'' magazine organized a mediation attempt between the two parties, with Kusturica and Srbljanović meeting face to face in the magazine's offices. At the meeting, Kusturica reportedly expressed willingness to drop the lawsuit if Srbljanović issues a public apology, which Srbljanović refused. The next day, at the first court date, Srbljanović once again rejected the offer of a public apology. In December 2003, two and a half years after the initial filing, a municipal court (''opštinski sud'') in Belgrade ruled in Kusturica's favour as Srbljanović's claims couldn't stand up to closer scrutiny after Kusturica's attorney Branislav Tapušković provided a complete documentation of ''Underground'' producers and financiers, proving that funding mostly came from several France-based production companies while parts of the movie were only shot on RTS
sound stage A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a large, soundproof structure, building or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or te ...
s in Belgrade.


Other

In July 2007 Srbljanović criticized basketball player Milan Gurović on her blog, referring to him as "that tattooed idiot", for having a tattoo of
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 ...
Chetnik The Chetniks,, ; formally the Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army, and also the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland; and informally colloquially the Ravna Gora Movement, was a Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav royalist and Serbian nationalist m ...
leader
Draža Mihailović Dragoljub "Draža" Mihailović ( sr-Cyrl, Драгољуб "Дража" Михаиловић; 27 April 1893 – 17 July 1946) was a Yugoslavs, Yugoslav Serb general during World War II. He was the leader of the Chetniks, Chetnik Detachments ...
on his arm. Additionally, Srbljanović aroused controversy with her 18 February 2012 tweet referring to the news item about former Serbian interior minister
Dragan Jočić Dragan Jočić ( sr-Cyrl, Драган Јочић, born 7 September 1960) is a Serbian lawyer and politician. He served as the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Serbia), Minister of Internal Affairs of Serbia from 2004 until 2008 in the cabinet of Pri ...
getting extra police security following the arrest of the organized crime figure . Srbljanović's tweet — "'Jočić getting extra security detail' why? he ain't gonna run" — mocked the fact Jočić is
physically disabled A physical disability is a limitation on a person's physical functioning, mobility, dexterity or stamina. Other physical disabilities include impairments which limit other facets of daily living, such as respiratory disorders, blindness, epilepsy ...
ever since his 2008 car accident. Srbljanović set off a torrent of negative sentiment from the general public in Serbia after making an awkward joke on Twitter during the catastrophic May 2014 floods. The tweet in Serbian read "Excuse me for not being compassionate, but you have 10 more minutes to swim to the gallery for the promotion of the book ''Tomato''". A flurry of tweets, Facebook posts and news updates were quick to condemn the post, and her Twitter account @leyakeller became unavailable shortly afterwards. In January 2019, Srbljanović posted a vicious Facebook reaction to a tweet by the actor and newly-appointed Movement of Free Citizens (PSG) leader
Sergej Trifunović Sergej Trifunović ( sr-cyr, Сергеј Трифуновић, ; born 2 September 1972) is a Serbian actor, comedian, singer, politician and citizen activist.
whom she had previously collaborated with professionally in addition to a temporal overlap in their early 1990s respective studies at the University of Arts'
Faculty of Dramatic Arts The Faculty of Dramatic Arts (; abbreviated FDU) is a constituent institution of the University of Arts in Belgrade which focuses on education and research in the fields of film, theatre, dramaturgy, culture, radio, acting and medias. It was esta ...
(FDU). Prompted by Trifunović tweeting about her early 1990s right-wing views and political activism—specifically a tweet in which the actor-turned-politician recalls witnessing "the
leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...
-
overcoat An overcoat is a type of long coat intended to be worn as the outermost garment, which usually extends below the knee. Overcoats are most often used in winter when warmth is more important. They are sometimes confused with or referred to as #T ...
-and- Doc Martens-clad first year dramaturgy student and
White Eagles White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wavelen ...
member Srbljanović barge into the FDU
commissary A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop. In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often c ...
by kicking the door in anger and, in a manner of a political commissar, admonish the gathered crowd for 'eating and drinking while our brothers are
dying Dying is the final stage of life which will eventually lead to death. Diagnosing dying is a complex process of clinical decision-making, and most practice checklists facilitating this diagnosis are based on cancer diagnoses. Signs of dying ...
in
Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...
and Baranya'"—Srbljanović launched into an obscenity-laced, insult-laden tirade on her Facebook account, denouncing Trifunović's
morality Morality () is the categorization of intentions, Decision-making, decisions and Social actions, actions into those that are ''proper'', or ''right'', and those that are ''improper'', or ''wrong''. Morality can be a body of standards or principle ...
,
professionalism Professionalism is a set of standards that an individual is expected to adhere to in a workplace, usually in order to appear serious, uniform, or respectful. What constitutes professionalism is hotly debated and varies from workplace to workplac ...
,
personal hygiene Hygiene is a set of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...
, and accusing him of "responsibility in the
assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...
of
Zoran Đinđić Zoran Đinđić ( sr-Cyrl, Зоран Ђинђић, ; 1 August 1952 – 12 March 2003) was a Serbian politician and philosopher who served as the Prime Minister of Serbia, prime minister of Serbia from 2001 until Assassination of Zoran Đinđić, ...
". Serbian actress, film producer, and former FDU student , who has also had a prior professional history with Srbljanović, supported the veracity of the event Trifunović mentioned in his original tweet.


Personal

Srbljanović is related to
Radovan Karadžić Radovan Karadžić ( sr-Cyrl, Радован Караџић, ; born 19 June 1945) is a Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian Serb politician who was convicted of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes by the International Criminal ...
, wartime political leader of Bosnian Serbs, sentenced to 40 years in prison by the international tribunal at
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
. In 2006, following several years of dating, Srbljanović married the French diplomat Gabriel Keller, having met him during his 2000-2003 term as French ambassador to
FR Yugoslavia The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...
. The couple divorced in 2014.


Drug possession arrest

Srbljanović was detained by police on 1 December 2011 while buying
cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
in Belgrade from twenty-seven-year-old street dealer Miloš "Šone" Stanojčić and had a criminal investigation request (''krivična prijava'') filed against her for possession of illegal substances. According to the information she provided during police hearing, in addition to the drug purchase she was caught for, Srbljanović had also bought drugs from the same dealer four days earlier, each time paying
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...
60. Despite providing a detailed account of her drug purchases at the police hearing, two months later—on 7 February 2012 during a hearing before the
investigative judge An examining magistrate is a judge in an inquisitorial system of law who carries out pre-trial investigations into allegations of crime and in some cases makes a recommendation for prosecution. Also known as an investigating magistrate, inquisito ...
(''istražni sudija'')—Srbljanović used the
right to silence The right to silence is a legal principle which guarantees any individual the right to refuse to answer questions from law enforcement officers or court officials. It is a legal right recognized, explicitly or by convention, in many of the worl ...
as her defence. The forty-one-year-old at the time playwright eventually ended up avoiding being legally charged by taking a
plea deal A plea bargain, also known as a plea agreement or plea deal, is a legal arrangement in criminal law where the defendant agrees to plead guilty or no contest to a charge in exchange for concessions from the prosecutor. These concessions can include ...
from the prosecutor's office in late March 2012—agreeing to donate RSD200,000 to charity as well as to testify against the dealer who sold her the drugs.Dileru Biljane Srbljanović 3,5 godine zatvora
Večernje novosti


Works

* ''Beogradska trilogija'' (1997) * ''Porodične priče'' (1998) * "Belgrade Trilogy" in ''Eastern Promise: Seven Plays from Central and Eastern Europe'' (1999) * ''Pad'' (2000) * ''Supermarket'' (2001) * ''Amerika drugi deo'' (2003) * ''Skakavci'' (2005) * ''Barbelo, o psima i deci'' (2007) * ''Nije smrt biciklo (da ti ga ukradu)'' (2011) * '' Mali mi je ovaj grob'' (2013) * ''Tuđe srce ili pozorišni traktat o granici'' (2016) * ''Vrat od stakla'' (2018) * ''Intimnost'' (2020)


See also

*
Culture of Serbia Serbian culture is a term that encompasses the Serbian art, artistic, Serbian cuisine, culinary, Serbian literature, literary, Music of Serbia, musical, Politics of Serbia, political and Serb traditions, social elements that are representati ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Srbljanovic, Biljana 1970 births Living people Writers from Stockholm Liberal Democratic Party (Serbia 2005) politicians Serbian women dramatists and playwrights Serbian women non-fiction writers Swedish people of Serbian descent University of Belgrade Faculty of Dramatic Arts alumni Serbian LGBTQ rights activists Serbian human rights activists Signatories of the Declaration on the Common Language