Jakša Fiamengo (26 November 1946 – 27 December 2018), was a prominent Croatian poet of Čakavian dialect, translator, theatre critic and member of

Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (; , HAZU) is the national academy of Croatia. HAZU was founded under the patronage of the Croatian bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer under the name Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (, JAZU) since its ...

. As an author and lyricist of many Dalmatian

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

s, sung by

klapa Klapa music is a form of traditional a cappella singing with origins in Dalmatia, Croatia. The word ''klapa'' translates as "a group of friends" and traces its roots to littoral church singing. The motifs in general celebrate love, wine (grapes) ...

and famous

Oliver Dragojević Oliver Dragojević (; 7 December 1947 – 29 July 2018) was a Croatian singer and composer, who was considered one of the most enduring musical stars and cultural icons in Croatia with a discography that spanned nearly five decades. His style b ...

and aesthetic Čakavian poet he is considered among greatest Croatian Čakavian and Mediterranean-oriented literati, together with

Drago Gervais Drago Gervais (April 18, 1904 – July 3, 1957) was a Croatian Istrian poet and playwright, and one of the most prominent poets writing in the Chakavian dialect of Croatian. Drago Gervais was born in 1904 in Opatija. His father Artur, a descend ...

Mate Balota Mijo Mirković (; 28 September 1898 – 17 February 1963), also known by his pen names Miho and Mate Balota, was a prominent Croatian poet, novelist and economist. Considered one of the most prominent Croatian poets of the 20th century and of ...

and

Vladimir Nazor Vladimir Nazor (30 May 1876 – 19 June 1949) was a Croatian poet and politician. During and after World War II in Yugoslavia, he served as the first President of the Presidency of the Croatian Parliament (Croatian head of state), and first ...

. Born in

Komiža Komiža () is a Croatian coastal town lying on the western coast of the Vis (island), island of Vis in the central part of the Adriatic Sea. Komiža is located at the foot of the Hum hill (587 m). Town has a Mediterranean climate. The economy i ...

at the island of Vis, he graduated at Classical Gymnasium in

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

, where he also edited poet magazine ''Vidik'' (''Seesight''). His main lyrical preoccupation is

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

, together with its islands, harbours,

strait A strait is a water body connecting two seas or water basins. The surface water is, for the most part, at the same elevation on both sides and flows through the strait in both directions, even though the topography generally constricts the ...

s and

laridae Laridae is a family of seabirds in the order Charadriiformes that includes the gulls, terns (including white terns), noddies, and skimmers. It includes around 100 species arranged into 22 genera. They are an adaptable group of mostly aerial bird ...

s, as well as picturesque Dalmatian towns in which he describes simplicity and poverty (''mižerija'') of its inhabitants, from fishermen and workmen (''težaci'') to young lovers and old people, tradition-guardians. Fiamengo published sixteen collections of poems, among which some of the gathered

status being performed by

(for whom he wrote 60 songs), Meri Cetinić and other noted Dalmatian-music singers (esp. klapas): ''Piva klapa ispo' volta'' ("

Klapa Klapa music is a form of traditional a cappella singing with origins in Dalmatia, Croatia. The word ''klapa'' translates as "a group of friends" and traces its roots to littoral church singing. The motifs in general celebrate love, wine (grapes) ...

sings under the bridge"), ''Nadalina'', ''Karoca gre'', ''Nocturno'', ''U prolazu'' ("Passingly"), ''Promenade'' ("The Walkways"). He promoted and conducted development of plenty amateur theatrical ensembles. Furthermore, his theatre critics weren't unnoticed. Fiamengo translated from

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Macedonia * Mac ...

, mostly poetry of Konstantin Miladinov."Makedoniju i Hrvatsku povezuju kuće od riječi". ("Macedonia and Croatia are connected by houses of words"). ''

Vjesnik ''Vjesnik'' () was a Croatian state-owned daily newspaper published in Zagreb. Originally established in 1940 as a wartime illegal publication of the Communist Party of Croatia, it later built and maintained a reputation as Croatia's newspaper ...

''. Published 1 July 2001. He died in

in December 2018 at the age of 73. His death strongly echoed in Croatian public:

Croatian Radiotelevision ''Hrvatska radiotelevizija'' ( HRT), or Croatian Radiotelevision, is a Croatian public broadcasting company. It operates several radio and television channels, over a domestic transmitter network as well as satellite. HRT is divided into three ...

, The Town of Split and

HAZU The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (; , HAZU) is the national academy of Croatia. HAZU was founded under the patronage of the Croatian bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer under the name Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (, JAZU) since its ...

organised ceremonies honoring his memory. Jakša Fiamengo received a Tin Ujević Award, ''poeta oliveatus'' of Croatia rediviva (1993) and Porin for lyrics.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fiamengo, Jakša 1944 births 2018 deaths Croatian male poets Members of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts 20th-century Croatian translators