Ljubiša Rajić (4 April 1947 – 4 June 2012) was a Serbian university professor of

North Germanic languages The North Germanic languages make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages—a sub-family of the Indo-European languages—along with the West Germanic languages and the extinct East Germanic languages. The language group is also r ...

, prolific translator and academic.

Biography

He graduated North Germanic languages in 1975 in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

, and went on the get a master's degrees and a PhD at Faculty of Philology in Belgrade. Rajić is the founder of North Germanic languages department at the University of Belgrade. He died at the age of 65 in Belgrade after a long illness.

Scientific work

As one of the most prolific authors and scholars in the area of North Germanic languages, Rajić authored more than 200 scientific papers and peer reviews as well as around 500 articles. The current system of transcription from North Germanic languages to

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 ...

was written by Rajić and published under

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, ...

in 2010.

Awards and legacy

''Ljubiša Rajić Award'' was established in his honour. It is given every two years on the International student day and Rajićs birthday (4 April). The award is given for the first translation of prose or poetry from a foreign language. Rajić was a foreign member of

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick University in Christiania was establis ...

. His decorations include: * Order of the White Rose Ribbon

– Knight (Chevalier) of the White Rose of Finland * – Commander 1st Class of the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...

, Sweden * – St. Olav's Medal, Norway *

Den kongelige norske fortjenstorden ridder 1 klasse stripe

–

Royal Norwegian Order of Merit The Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (Norwegian: ''Den Kongelige Norske Fortjenstorden'' (Bokmål) or ''Den Kongelege Norske Fortenesteordenen'' (Nynorsk)) was instituted by King Olav V in 1985. It is awarded to foreigners, Norwegian citizens livin ...

Selected works

*''Švedska gramatika = Svensk grammatik pa serbokroatiska'', 1985 *''Objašnjenje u istorijskoj lingvistici'', 1991 *''Skandinavske književnosti u prevodu na srpskohrvatski jezik: građa za bibliografiju'', 1997 *''Tekst u vremenu'', 2008. *''Umeće čitanja: ogledi o (književnom) tekstu'', 2009 *''Dnevnik iz Beograda'', autobiographical prose dealing with the events during

NATO bombing of Yugoslavia The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Serbia and Montenegro, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombing ...

Translations

*''Generacija'' by

Georg Johannesen Georg Johannesen (22 February 1931 – 24 December 2005) was a Norwegian author and professor at the University of Bergen. Background He was born in Bergen, Norway. He was the son of Knut Johan Johannesen (1900–1979) and Ingeborg Malene Olsd ...

, 1971 *''Savremena norveška lirika'', with

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 ...

, 1978 *''Kada se jedan mali narod bori za život : srpske vojničke priče'' by Obrest H. Angel, 1995 *'' Pan'' by

Knut Hamsun Knut Hamsun (4 August 1859 – 19 February 1952) was a Norwegian writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920 Nobel Prize in Literature, 1920. Hamsun's work spans more than 70 years and shows variation with regard to conscio ...

, 1995 *'' Karius and Bactus'' by

Thorbjørn Egner Thorbjørn Egner (12 December 1912 – 24 December 1990) was a Norwegian playwright, songwriter and illustrator known principally for his books, plays and musicals for children. He is principally associated with his narratives for children includ ...

, 1995 *''

Sophie's World ''Sophie's World'' () is a 1991 novel by Norwegian writer Jostein Gaarder. It follows Sophie Amundsen, a Norwegian teenager, who is introduced to the history of philosophy as she is asked "Who are you?" "Where does this world come from?" in a l ...

'' by

Jostein Gaarder Jostein Gaarder (; born 8 August 1952) is a Norwegian intellectual and author of several novels, short stories, and children's books. Gaarder often writes from the perspective of children, exploring their sense of wonder about the world. He often ...

, 1998 *''The Solitaire Mystery'' by Jostein Gaarder, 1998 *'' Through a Glass, Darkly'' by Jostein Gaarder, 2001 *''Maya'' by Jostein Gaarder, 2002 *''The Ringmaster's Daughter'' by Jostein Gaarder, 2002 *''The Castle in the Pyrenees'' by Jostein Gaarder, 2009 *''A Philosophy of Fear'' by Lars Svendsen, 2008 *''Dramas'' I-II by

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

, 2014

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajic, Ljubisa Serbian translators Serbian philologists 20th-century Serbian translators 20th-century philologists 21st-century translators 21st-century philologists University of Oslo alumni Serbian expatriates in Norway University of Belgrade Faculty of Philology alumni Academic staff of the University of Belgrade Commanders of the Order of the Polar Star 1947 births 2012 deaths Deaths from liver cancer in Serbia Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters