Dušan Matić (

Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet (, ), also known as the Serbian script, (, ), is a standardized variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language. It originated in medieval Serbia and was significantly reformed in the 19th cen ...

: Душан Матић; 31 August 1898 – 12 September 1980) was a

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

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 (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

who was active as part of the

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 ...

surrealist Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

group.

Biography

Early life

Dušan Matić was born on 31 August 1898 in

Ćuprija Ćuprija (Serbian Cyrillic: Ћуприја, ) is a town and municipality located in the Pomoravlje District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 16,522, while the municipality has 25,325 inhabitants (2022 census). History The Romans ...

. His father was a civil servant from

Jagodina Jagodina ( sr-cyrl, Јагодина, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Pomoravlje District in central Serbia. It is situated on the banks of the Belica (river), Belica River, in the geographical region of � ...

, and his mother was from

Kruševac Kruševac ( sr-Cyrl, Крушевац, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina (river), Rasina river. According to the 202 ...

. Due to his father's occupation, the Matić family moved frequently, spending time in

Pirot Pirot ( sr-Cyrl, Пирот) is a city and the administrative center of the Pirot District in southeastern Serbia. According to 2022 census, the urban area of the city has a population of 34,942, while the population of the city administrative are ...

Čačak Čačak ( sr-Cyrl, Чачак, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Moravica District in central Serbia. It is located in the West Morava Valley. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population ...

Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...

and

Šabac Šabac ( sr-Cyrl, Шабац, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, 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 ...

. Just as he had started attending school in Šabac in 1912, the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...

erupted. His family home was destroyed in the early days of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, after which the Matić family moved to Kruševac to stay with the family of Dušan's mother. At the age of 16, Matić published his first poetry in the Serbian Social Democratic Party aligned ''Radničke novine'' (The Workers' Journal) under the ''

nom de plume A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

'' Uroš Jovanović. In 1915, Matić followed his father in the

Great Retreat The Great Retreat (), also known as the retreat from Mons, was the long withdrawal to the River Marne in August and September 1914 by the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the French Fifth Army. The Franco-British forces on the Western F ...

, eventually departing from

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the List of cities and towns in Albania#List, second most populous city of the Albania, Republic of Albania and county seat, seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is one of Albania's oldest ...

. Moving from

Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

, followed by

Grenoble Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...

, Matić eventually continued his education in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionSorbonne in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where he studied philosophy. There, he met and befriended Rastko Petrović, with whom he would attend meetings hosted by French ''

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

'' writers of the era. In 1919, Matić befriended

Miloš Crnjanski Miloš Crnjanski ( sr-Cyrl, Милош Црњански, ; 26 October 1893 – 30 November 1977) was a Serbian writer and poet of the expressionist wing of Serbian modernism, author, journalist and a diplomat. Biography Crnjanski was born in Cso ...

, who was in Paris as an exchange student. From 1919 to 1921, Matić attended early psychology lectures by professor Georges Dumas. Matić was the first of the

group to read

André Breton André Robert Breton (; ; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') ...

's ''

Les Champs magnétiques LES or Les may refer to: People * Les (given name) * Les (surname) * L.E.S. (producer), hip hop producer Space flight * Launch Entry Suit, worn by Space Shuttle crews * Launch escape system, for spacecraft emergencies * Lincoln Experimental ...

'', which he brought to Belgrade during summer break in 1920. At this time, he collaborated with

Ljubomir Micić Ljubomir Micić ( sr-cyr, Љубомир Мицић; 15 November 1895 – 14 June 1971) was a Serbs, Serbian poet, writer, critic, editor and actor. He was the founder of the avant-garde movement Zenitism and its magazine ''Zenit''. Both he and hi ...

, who published Matić's essay ''Bergson o predviđanju i novom'' (

Bergson Henri-Louis Bergson (; ; 18 October 1859 – 4 January 1941) was a French philosopher who was influential in the traditions of analytic philosophy and continental philosophy, especially during the first half of the 20th century until the S ...

on Prediction and the New) in the May issue of '' Zenit'' (Zenith). Matić discontinued his studies in March 1921 due to illness. In 1922, he moved from Paris to Belgrade, where he graduated with a degree in philosophy on 6 March 1922. In August 1922, Matić arrived in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

where he studied German

Romanticist Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

philosophy. During this time, he was critical toward the Belgrade-based avant-garde magazine ''Putevi'' (Roads). He elaborated on his criticism in a letter to Marko Ristić, which caused a rift between the two.

Surrealism

Matić started publishing his poetry in ''Putevi'' in October 1923. He also wrote on

Freud Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating pathologies seen as originating from conflicts in t ...

's psychoanalysis. Matić's most influential essay published in ''Putevi'' was ''Bitka oko zida'' (A Struggle over the Wall). After the disestablishment of ''Putevi'' in 1924, Marko Ristić started a new magazine titled '' Svedočanstva'' (Testimonies). In it, Matić published his essay ''Ujević'' detailing the group's view of

Tin Ujević Augustin Josip "Tin" Ujević (; 5 July 1891 – 12 November 1955) was a Croatian poet, considered by many to be the greatest poet in 20th century Croatian literature. From 1921, he ceased to sign his name as Augustin, thereafter using the sig ...

, as well as a segment on the creation of madness in the sixth issue and a large portion of the seventh issue titled ''Pakao'' (Hell) detailing the inner lives of the mentally ill, the blind, prisoners, sex workers and beggars. During this time, Matić was a substitute teacher at the Belgrade

Realschule Real school (, ) is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), F ...

(Realka). In 1925, Matić travelled to Paris where he associated with Breton's group Clarté, often visiting Café Cyrano where he signed the group's petition against the

Rif War The Rif War (, , ) was an armed conflict fought from 1921 to 1926 between Spain (joined by France in 1924) and the Berber tribes of the mountainous Rif region of northern Morocco. Led by Abd el-Krim, the Riffians at first inflicted several ...

. Between October 1925 and June 1926, Matić left his position at the Realka to work in journalism. In June 1926, he became a substitute teacher at the Fourth Belgrade Gymnasium, where he taught the Serbian and French languages. In 1927, Matić published his essay ''Buđenje materije'' (The Awakening of Matter) in Zvezdan Vujadinović's magazine ''50 u Evropi''. On 30 November 1929, in the apartment of Aleksandar Vučo, the Belgrade surrealist group was officially formed. Matić co-signed a letter on the formation sent to ''

Politika ( sr-Cyrl, Политика, lit=Politics) is a Serbian daily newspaper, published in Belgrade. Founded in 1904 by Vladislav F. Ribnikar, it is the oldest daily newspaper still in circulation in the Balkans. Publishing and ownership is publ ...

'' and published on 14 April. In May, the first surrealist

almanac An almanac (also spelled almanack and almanach) is a regularly published listing of a set of current information about one or multiple subjects. It includes information like weather forecasting, weather forecasts, farmers' sowing, planting dates ...

the group authored was published under the name ''Nemoguće'' (The Impossible), with an introduction written by Ristić and Matić. Controversially, Matić got into a physical confrontation with Zvezdan Vujadinović in Hotel Moskva in May, while in October the group got into several physical confrontations with Rade Drainac after the publishing of his openly disdainful and derogatory article on the group in the magazine ''Pravda''. According to Drainac, he was beaten by the entire group. However, according to

Đorđe Kostić Đorđe Kostić ( sr-cyr, Ђорђе Костић; 1909–1995) was a Serbian writer, poet and linguist. As a young man, Đorđe was part of the Yugoslav Surrealist group. However, later in his life he took up a career in linguistics and was the Re ...

, Drainac got into a short scuffle with Đorđe Jovanović and himself, during which Jovanović grabbed Drainac by the coat and Kostić blocked his arm when he swung at them with a walking stick. Kostić claimed that

Radojica Živanović Noe Radojica Živanović Noe (Belgrade, 1903 – Belgrade, 1944) was a painter and graphic artist of the period of Surrealism and a writer. He left a small number of compositions, still lifes, landscapes and drawings. The most significant period of Ž ...

beat Drainac only later that night in a one-on-one fight near Hotel Moskva. Several members of the group signed an announcement outlining a similar story in late October. In 1931, Matić and Ristić positioned themselves as the main theoreticians of the surrealist movement in Belgrade. They published a declaration titled ''Pozicija nadrealizma'' (The Position of Surrealism) in January. The declaration was later banned by the authorities because of the group's

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

sympathies, and was critiqued severely by

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, ...

. After several members left the group because of their disagreements with the declaration, the group published a new review titled '' Nadrealizam danas i ovde'' (Surrealism Here and Now) which would continue until June 1932. In late 1932, Matić published the book ''Položaj nadrealizma u društvenom procesu'' (The Position of Surrealism in the Social Process) in collaboration with

Oskar Davičo Oskar Davičo ( sr-cyr, Оскар Давичо; 18 January 1909 – 30 September 1989) was a Serbian novelist and poet. A leading literary figure of his generation, he was one of the most acclaimed Serbian surrealist writers, but also a revoluti ...

and Đorđe Kostić. The book was openly critical of the limits of surrealism and caused a falling out between Ristić and Matić which would continue for several years. During this period, Matić married Lela Ristić, the daughter of his superior, the principal of the Fourth Belgrade Gymnasium Miodrag Ristić. Lela was 12 years his junior, and her father disapproved of Matić continuing to work at the school following their marriage.

Socialist realism

In 1932, Matić was under investigation over his ties to Davičo, who was sentenced to 5 years in prison by the National Court for the Defense of the State. In 1934, Matić held two lectures at the People's University of the Academicians' Club, "Psychoanalysis and Freudianism" and "Fascism and Culture". In April 1935, Matić resided in

Kragujevac Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the List of cities in Serbia, fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Se ...

with a group of writers including Aleksandar Vučo, Velibor Gligorić and Radovan Zogović. There, he presented his essay "Contemporary Criticism and

Svetozar Marković Svetozar Marković ( sr-Cyrl, Светозар Марковић, ; 9 September 1846 – 26 February 1875) was a Serbian political activist, literary critic and socialist philosopher. He developed an activistic anthropological philosophy ...

". That same year, Matić published the poem "Marija Ručara" in collaboration with Aleksandar Vučo, which was later banned. He translated

Ivan Pavlov Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (, ; 27 February 1936) was a Russian and Soviet experimental neurologist and physiologist known for his discovery of classical conditioning through his experiments with dogs. Pavlov also conducted significant research on ...

's book on conditional reflexes and co-signed a protest letter with Marko Ristić and

Milan Dedinac Milan Dedinac (Kragujevac, Kingdom of Serbia, 27 September 1902 – Opatija, Yugoslavia, 26 September 1966) was a Serbian poet, the most expressive lyricist among the Surrealists. Similar to Crnjanski, although in a different way, he was a fol ...

against Crnjanski's ''Antologija Ideja'' (Anthology of ''Ideje''), which they published in '' NIN''. In April 1935, Matić transferred from the First Realschule to the Fourth Realschule. He was sent into early retirement on 9 May. In 1936, Matić and Vučo published an excerpt from the novel they were working on, at that time titled ''Beograd'' (Belgrade), in the first double issue of ''Naša stvarnost'' (Our Reality). Marko Ristić was highly critical of the publication. Matić's friend, the architect Milan Minić, also collaborated on the magazine, designing the visual elements. In sharp contrast to the sentiments of most of his surrealist collaborators, Matić also invited

Desanka Maksimović Desanka Maksimović ( sr-Cyrl, Десанка Максимовић; 16 May 1898 – 11 February 1993) was a Serbian poet, writer and translator. Her first works were published in the literary journal ''Misao'' in 1920, while she was studying at t ...

to work on the magazine. Despite Ristić's objections,

Koča Popović Konstantin "Koča" Popović ( sr-cyrl, Константин "Коча" Поповић; 14 March 1908 – 20 October 1992) was a Serbia, Serbian and Yugoslavs, Yugoslav politician and communist volunteer in the Spanish Civil War, 1937–1939 and D ...

would collaborate with Matić and Vučo on the next double issue. In the 9-10 double issue of ''Naša stvarnost'' in 1937, dedicated to the defense of culture in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, Milan Dedinac published the poem ''Jedan čovek na prozoru'' (A Man on the Window), with an introduction by Matić and Koča. In 1938, Matić was one of the leading members of the Association of Scientists, Writers and Artists headed by

Branislav Nušić Branislav Nušić ( sr-Cyrl, Бранислав Нушић, ; – 19 January 1938) was a Serbian playwright, satirist, essayist, novelist and founder of Modern Rhetoric, modern rhetoric in Serbia. He also worked as a journalist and a civil ...

and law professor Đorđe Tasić. Matić held a speech at Nušić's funeral in early 1938 in front of the writers' section. That same year, he was again dismissed from his new position of professor at the newly formed Girls' Gymnasium in Belgrade. He was again sent into early retirement, being found guilty of spreading communist propaganda. In 1939, Matić translated

Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, ; ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of Naturalism (literature), naturalism, and an important contributor to ...

's novels '' Germinal'' and '' Son Excellence Eugène Rougon''. In 1940,

Geca Kon Geca Kon also spelled Gaetz Kohn (; 2 August 1873 – 1941) was a Hungarian-Serbian bookstore owner and publisher. He established a bookstore in Belgrade, Serbia in 1901, and in 1905 he started his publishing business there under the name "Geca K ...

published Matić and Vučo's finished novel, now titled ''Gluho doba'' (The Deaf Times). Its visual elements were provided by Matić's friend and later architect and owner of Belgrade's Hotel Majestic, Oliver Minić. The novel tried to portray everyday Serbian life during the 1903 May Coup. That same year, Matić and Eli Finci translated

Roger Martin du Gard Roger Martin du Gard (; 23 March 1881 – 22 August 1958) was a French novelist, winner of the 1937 Nobel Prize in Literature. Biography Trained as a paleographer and archivist, he brought to his works a spirit of objectivity and a scrupulous ...

's first novel in his multi-volume '' The Thibaults'', ''Le cahier gris'' (The Grey Notebook).

World War II

Matić fled from Belgrade following the April War to stay with his friends, the Minić family, in

Prijepolje Prijepolje ( sr-Cyrl, Пријепоље, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of southwestern Serbia. As of 2022, the town has 11,928 inhabitants, while the municipality has 32,214 inhabitants. Etymology One possible mean ...

. He barely escaped the

Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionar ...

attack on Prijepolje and made it to Belgrade before September 1941. He was arrested in December along with Aleksandar Vučo and interred at the

Banjica concentration camp The Banjica concentration camp (, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Бањички логор, Banjički logor) was a Nazi German concentration camp in the Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia, the military administration of the Third Reich established af ...

. Matić was released in February 1942, but remained under police surveillance until the 1944 Allied bombing of Belgrade when travel became easier. He left for

Užice Užice ( sr-cyr, Ужице, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the Zlatibor District in western Serbia. It is located on the banks of the river Đetinja. According to the 2022 census, the city proper has a popu ...

in April 1944, where he stayed at Zabučje, a nearby hill. He returned to Belgrade in August 1944, and was staying at Oliver Minić's Hotel Majestic during the Belgrade Offensive. During the war, Matić tried to make contact with the

Yugoslav Partisans The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...

in 1942, but was intercepted by

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 ...

forces en route to the Lipovica forest.

Post-war career

Soon after the end of the war, Matić started working in

Radio Belgrade Radio Belgrade (, ) is a state-owned and operated radio station in Belgrade, Serbia. It has four different programs (Radio Belgrade 1, Radio Belgrade 2, Radio Belgrade 3, and Radio Belgrade 202), a precious archive of several hundreds of thousa ...

in 1946. There, he edited the news about new plays, books and exhibitions. During that time, he translated

Gustave Flaubert Gustave Flaubert ( , ; ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. He has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country and abroad. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flaubert, realis ...

's ''

Sentimental Education ''Sentimental Education'' (French: ''L'éducation sentimentale'') is an 1869 novel by Gustave Flaubert. The story focuses on the romantic life of a young man named Frédéric Moreau at the time of the French Revolution of 1848 and the founding o ...

''. On 1 January 1949, Matić became dean of the newly formed Academy of Performing Arts. There, he taught contemporary literature during the following decade. He mentored young writers such as

Vasko Popa Vasile "Vasko" Popa ( sr-Cyrl, Васко Попа; 29 June 1922 – 5 January 1991) was a Yugoslav and Serbian poet of Romanian ethnicity. Biography Popa was born in the village of Grebenac (), Yugoslavia (present-day Serbia) into a Banat ...

and

Miodrag Pavlović Miodrag Pavlović (Serbian Cyrillic: Миодраг Павловић; ; 28 November 1928 – 17 August 2014) was a Serbian poet, physician writer, critic and academic. Pavlović was twice nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Biography H ...

, who he held in especially high regard. In 1950, he started publishing his essays in ''Književnost'' (Literature) and ''Književne novine'' (Literary News). In 1951, Matić became an editor in ''Književnost'' and a member of the Council for Culture and Art of the city of Belgrade. In March of the following year, he participated in the publishing of a reformed ''Svedočanstva'' with most of his former surrealist collaborators. He was elected president of the

Association of Writers of Serbia The Association of Writers of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: Удружење књижевника Србије, ''Udruženje književnika Srbije'') is Serbia's official writing association. Its current president is Miloš Janković. History T ...

in 1952, after which he joined the

League of Communists of Yugoslavia The League of Communists of Yugoslavia, known until 1952 as the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, was the founding and ruling party of SFR Yugoslavia. It was formed in 1919 as the main communist opposition party in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats ...

in late December. His application was supported by Aleksandar Vučo and Roksanda Njeguš. In 1953, Matić traveled to

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

to attend a meeting of European intellectuals. There, he watched an early staging of

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...

's ''

Waiting for Godot ''Waiting for Godot'' ( or ) is a 1953 play by Irish writer and playwright Samuel Beckett, in which the two main characters, Vladimir (Waiting for Godot), Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), engage in a variety of discussions and encounters w ...

'', which he brought back to Yugoslavia to be translated into

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 ...

. It was staged the following year 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 ...

, directed by

Pavle Ugrinov Pavle Ugrinov (real name Vasilije Popović; 15 April 1926 – 23 June 2007) was a Serbian writer, playwright, director and academic. Biography He attended primary school in various places in Vojvodina and finished high school in Petrograd, t ...

. Matić attended the meeting in Geneva more than five times during the following years. In 1956, Matić became co-editor of ''Književnost'' alongside Eli Finci, also contributing to Oskar Davičo's newly created modernist periodical ''Delo'' (Labor). The following year, he became president of the commission at the first

Sterijino pozorje Sterijino pozorje ( sr-Cyrl, Стеријино позорје) is an annual theater festival held since 1956 in the Serbian National Theater in Novi Sad, featuring the national theaters of Serbia and previously Yugoslavia. It is the most prestigi ...

theater festival. That year, he published his collection of essays titled ''Anina balska haljina'' (Ana's Ball Gown) for which he received an award from the Association of Writers of Serbia in 1957. Also in 1957, he published his novel ''Kocka je bačena'' (The Die is Cast), a sequel of sorts to ''Gluho doba''.

Borislav Mihajlović Mihiz Borislav "Mihiz" Mihajlović ( sr-cyr, Борислав Михајловић Михиз; 17 October 1922 – 15 December 1997) was a Serbian writer and literary critic. He was one of the leaders of the Committee for the Protection of Artistic Fr ...

was highly critical of Matić's novel, publishing a scathing critique in ''Politika''. In 1958, Matić became co-editor of ''Književne novine'' (Literary News) alongside Čedomir Minderović. The following year, he published his book of poetry ''Buđenje materije'' (The Awakening of Matter) for which he was awarded the 7th of July Award. During this time, Matić began assembling a group of young poets who became his protégés. The group included Jovan Hristić and Draško Ređep. In 1962, Matić published his novel ''Laža i paralaža noći'' (The Lie and Paralysis of Night). His book, written largely as a monologue, was adapted into a play and was put on in Atelje 212, directed by Boda Marković. The following year, Matić traveled to Paris where he stayed as a guest of

André Malraux Georges André Malraux ( ; ; 3 November 1901 – 23 November 1976) was a French novelist, art theorist, and minister of cultural affairs. Malraux's novel ''La Condition Humaine'' (''Man's Fate'') (1933) won the Prix Goncourt. He was appointed ...

, at the time Minister of Cultural Affairs. He visited the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

that same year.

Final years

During the following decade, Matić was awarded several honors for his accomplishments. He became a corresponding 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) in 1965, and a full member in 1970. He was awarded the Zmaj Award by

in 1966 and the Order of People's Merit by

Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslavia, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 unti ...

in 1968. In 1967, a documentary about Matić's life was produced by Vladimir Andrić. During this period, a collection of his essays, articles and interviews was published titled ''Proplanak i um'' (The Meadow and the Mind) in 1969, as well as a selection of his essays titled ''Bitka oko zida'' (A Struggle over the Wall) in 1971, selected by Jovan Hristić. Matić traveled to Paris in 1975, where he fell ill. His sight was weak during his final years, and he continued to maintain correspondence primarily with Draško Ređep who was residing 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 ...

. During this time,

Bernard Noël Bernard Noël (19 November 1930 – 13 April 2021) was a French writer and poet. He received the ''Grand Prix national de la poésie'' (National Grand Prize of Poetry) in 1992, the ''Prix Robert Ganzo'' (Robert Ganzo Prize) in 2010, as well as t ...

published a study on Matić titled ''Treize cases du je'' (Thirteen Boxes of the Self) in 1975, while Gérard de Cortanze published a long form interview with Matić in ''

Les Nouvelles littéraires ''Les Nouvelles littéraires'' was a French literary and artistic newspaper created in October 1922 by the Éditions Larousse. It disappeared in 1985 after having taken the title '. History ''Les Nouvelles littéraires'' were headed by from 192 ...

'' recorded in Paris. In 1976, Matić published his memories about

in Paris titled ''André Breton oblique'' (A Skewed André Breton). That same year, BIGZ published a selection of Matić's poems titled ''Tajni plamen'' (The Secret Flame), with a foreword by Ređep. Matić's book on Breton was translated and published in Yugoslavia in 1978.

Death

Matić died on 12 September 1980 at the

Clinical Centre of Serbia The University Clinical Centre of Serbia (; abbr. УKЦС / UKCS) is an academic medical centre located in Belgrade, Serbia. It serves as the main medical centre for both Belgrade and the rest of Serbia. Organization It contains 41 organisational ...

in Belgrade. His remains were cremated on 15 September at the

Belgrade New Cemetery The New Cemetery ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Ново гробље, Novo groblje) is a cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, ...

. At his funeral service, speeches were given by Ivan V. Lalić and Peđa Milosavljević representing SANU, and

Živorad Kovačević Živorad Kovačević (Serbian Cyrillic Живорад Ковачевић; 30 May 1930 – 23 March 2011) was a Yugoslav and Serbian diplomat, politician, NGO activist, academic and writer. Biography Early life and education Živorad Kovačević ...

representing the City of Belgrade.

Legacy

In 1980, the Belgian musical group TC Matic was named after Dušan Matić. Starting in 1981, the Dušan Matić National Library in his hometown of

organizes the Matić's Days festival in September. The festival presents the annual Matić's Scarf award to young poets and visual artists. On 13 September 2010, a memorial plaque commemorating the writer was placed on his home in Vojvode Dobrnjca street in Belgrade. The event was attended by Draško Ređep and the president of Ćuprija municipality, Borivoje Kalaba.

Works

* ''Položaj nadrealizma u društvenom procesu'' (1932), with

and

* ''Gluho doba'' (1940), with Aleksandar Vučo * ''Jedan vid francuske književnosti'' (1952) * ''Bagdala'' (1954) * ''Anina balska haljina'' (1957) * ''Buđenje materije'' (1959) * ''Laža i paralaža noći'' (1962) * ''Proplanak i um'' (1969) * ''Bitka oko zida'' (1971) * ''André Breton oblique'' (1976) * ''Tajni plamen'' (1976) * A number of essays, articles on philosophy, critiques and screenplays for radio shows

References

Sources

* * * * *

External links

Brief BiographySerbian Surrealism
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matić, Dušan 1898 births 1980 deaths 20th-century Serbian male writers 20th-century Serbian novelists 20th-century Serbian poets Burials at Belgrade New Cemetery Communist poets Members of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts People from Ćuprija Serbian male poets Serbian surrealist writers University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy alumni Yugoslav expatriates in France