Marko Ristić (surrealist)
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Marko Ristić (
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 ...
: Марко Ристић; 20 June 1902 – 20 July 1984) 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 ...
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 ...
poet, writer, publicist and ambassador.


Early life

Marko Ristić was born on 20 June 1902 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 ...
. He studied in Belgrade,
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 ...
and
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 ...
before graduating in
Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
from the
University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade () is a public university, public research university in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it me ...
Faculty of Philosophy A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In North America, academic divisions are sometimes titled colleges, sc ...
. In 1922, he started the literary magazine ''Putevi'' (Ways) with
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 ...
and Dušan Timotijević. His first literary text ''Praštanje'' (Forgiveness) was printed in the second issue. In the summer of 1924, Ristić collaborated with
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 ...
to publish three new issues of ''Putevi''. The magazine featured
Dušan Matić Dušan Matić (Serbian Cyrillic: Душан Матић; 31 August 1898 – 12 September 1980) was a Serbian poet who was active as part of the Belgrade surrealist group. Biography Early life Dušan Matić was born on 31 August 1898 in Ćuprija ...
's articles on
psychoanalysis PsychoanalysisFrom Greek language, Greek: and is a set of theories and techniques of research to discover unconscious mind, unconscious processes and their influence on conscious mind, conscious thought, emotion and behaviour. Based on The Inte ...
,
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 proto-Surrealist essays and experimental poetry.


Interwar period and Surrealism

In the early 1920s
Dušan Matić Dušan Matić (Serbian Cyrillic: Душан Матић; 31 August 1898 – 12 September 1980) was a Serbian poet who was active as part of the Belgrade surrealist group. Biography Early life Dušan Matić was born on 31 August 1898 in Ćuprija ...
was studying 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 monitored
Dada Dada () or Dadaism was an anti-establishment art movement that developed in 1915 in the context of the Great War and the earlier anti-art movement. Early centers for dadaism included Zürich and Berlin. Within a few years, the movement had s ...
ist events. From there, he sent Ristić copies of the magazine ''
Littérature ''Littérature'' was a literary and surrealistic magazine edited by André Breton, Philippe Soupault, and Louis Aragon. Its first issue was published on March 19, 1919. Dwindling circulation would prompt Breton to terminate publication after the A ...
'' published by Breton. Ristić started corresponding with Breton in 1923, leading to the publication Breton's first ''
Surrealist Manifesto The Surrealist Manifesto refers to several publications by Yvan Goll and André Breton, leaders of rival Surrealism, surrealist groups. Goll and Breton both published manifestos in October 1924 titled ''Manifeste du surréalisme''. Breton wrote ...
'' in ''
Svedočanstva The cover of the final issue of ''Svedočanstva'' from March 1925. ''Svedočanstva'' (Testimonies) was a Yugoslav literary periodical published every ten days from 21 November 1924 to 1 March 1925. It was the first periodical based in Belgrade es ...
'' (Testimonies), a new literary magazine Ristić had started in late November 1924 with Dušan Matić,
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 ...
, Aleksandar Vučo and Mladen Dimitrijević following his falling out with ''Putevi''. In addition to a translation of the ''Surrealist Manifesto'', the first issue of ''Svedočanstva'' included news about the founding of the
Bureau of Surrealist Research The Bureau of Surrealist Research, also known as the Centrale Surréaliste or Bureau of Surrealist Enquiries, was a Paris-based office in which a loosely affiliated group of Surrealism, Surrealist writers and artists gathered to meet, hold discussi ...
, published in Belgrade ten days before being officially announced in the publication ''
La Révolution surréaliste ''La Révolution surréaliste'' (English: ''The Surrealist Revolution'') was a publication by the Surrealists in Paris. Twelve issues were published between 1924 and 1929. Shortly after releasing the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'', André Bret ...
''. He visited Paris in 1926-1927 where he spent time with Breton and the Surrealist circle and got to see their works in Breton's flat. After spending several months in Paris, Ristić wrote ''Bez mere'' (Without a Measure). Written in Paris and Belgrade and published contemporaneously with Breton's ''
Nadja Nadja may refer to: * Nadja (given name) * Nadja, pen-name of Louisa Nadia Green (1896—1934), British poet * ''Nadja'' (novel), 1928 surrealist novel by André Breton * ''Nadja'' (film), 1994 vampire film by Michael Almereyda * Nadja (band), ...
'', Ristić's novel was probably the product of an exchange of influences. However, Ristić dwells more thoroughly on the manifesto-like message of the novel, contemplating the ethics of "Surrealist revolution". From 1928 to 1929, Ristić published literary criticism in ''
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 ...
''. In early 1930, he was a founder of the Belgrade Surrealist group and edited the Surrealist almanach ''Nemoguće- L'Impossible''. He wrote the declaration ''Pozicija nadrealizma'' (The Position of Surrealism) with Dušan Matić, which was signed by eleven local Surrealists (
Vane Bor Stevan Živadinović (20 November 1908 – 6 May 1993), known by his pen name Vane Bor, was a Serbian artist active in the Surrealist movement. He produced various collages, photograms and photographs, as well as theoretical texts and poems. He is ...
, Aleksandar Vučo,
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 ...
, Milan Dedinac,
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
Risto Ratković Risto Ratković (3 September 1903 – 18 June 1954) was a Serbian avant-garde (surrealist) writer and diplomat. Biography He was born in an impoverished trading family in Bijelo Polje in Montenegro. He finished Gymnasium in Novi Pazar, and in ...
, Mladen Dimitrijević, Đorđe Jovanović, Petar Popović) and was banned. In the magazine ''Danas'' (Today), started by
Miroslav Krleža Miroslav Krleža (; 7 July 1893 – 29 December 1981) was a Croatian writer who is widely considered to be the greatest Croatian writer of the 20th century. He wrote notable works in all the literary genres, including poetry ('' The Ballads o ...
and Milan Bogdanović in 1934, Ristić published several articles, including his essay ''Moralni i socijalni smisao Poezije'' (The Moral and Social Meaning of Poetry) where he outlines his view on the revolutionary and moral nature of true poetry. In 1938, he published the confiscated ''Turpituda'', illustrated by
Krsto Hegedušić Krsto Hegedušić (26 November 1901 – 7 April 1975) was a Croatian painter, illustrator and theater designer. His most famous paintings depict the harsh life of the Croatian peasantry in the manner of naive art. He was one of the founders of ...
. He started the literary magazine ''Pečat'' (Seal) in 1939 with Miroslav Krleža, Krsto Hegedušić, Vaso Bogdanov and Zvonimir Richtmann. In 1939, Ristić was denounced 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 ...
as "intimate friend of the Paris
Trotskyist Trotskyism (, ) is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Russian revolutionary and intellectual Leon Trotsky along with some other members of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International. Trotsky described himself as an ...
and bourgeois degenerate person
Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally **Breton people **Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Gale ...
" and for his goal of wanting to "enrich and complement"
Marxism Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflict, ...
with Surrealism.


World War II and aftermath

From the beginning of World War II, Ristić lived in
Vrnjačka Banja Vrnjačka Banja ( sr-cyr, Врњачка Бања) is a town and municipality located in the Raška District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 9,252 inhabitants, while the population of the municipality is 25,065 inhabitants (2022 ce ...
. He was arrested by the
Special Police Special police usually describes a law enforcement agency or unit within a such an agency whose duties and responsibilities are significantly different from other forces in the same nation, jurisdiction, or from other personnel within the same agen ...
in November 1942 and taken to
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 ...
. During WWII, Ristić kept a diary which was later the basis for his memoir "at the margin of war", ''Hacer Tiempo'', in 1964. Immediately after the Belgrade Offensive, Ristić wrote several political articles, the first of which was ''Smrt fašizmu – sloboda narodu!'' (
Death to fascism, freedom to the people "Death to fascism, freedom to the people!", , , was a motto of the Yugoslav Partisans, first introduced by the Communists and afterward accepted as the official slogan of the entire resistance movement. During World War II and for a few subse ...
) published on 3 November 1944 in ''
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 ...
''.


Post-war period

In August 1945, Ristić became the Yugoslav ambassador to
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 ...
, where he served for five and a half years. After returning to Yugoslavia, Ristić was a major figure in the cultural scene. He participated in the reformed magazine ''
Svedočanstva The cover of the final issue of ''Svedočanstva'' from March 1925. ''Svedočanstva'' (Testimonies) was a Yugoslav literary periodical published every ten days from 21 November 1924 to 1 March 1925. It was the first periodical based in Belgrade es ...
'', as well as the Belgrade-based ''Delo'' (Labour). He became president of the Foreign Cultural Relations Commission, and later the Yugoslav National Commission to
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
. From April 1962, Ristić was a regular contributor to the Zagreb-based magazine ''Forum'', where he published fragments of his WWII-era diary titled ''Na rubu rata'' (At the Margin of War) and the collection of essays ''Naknadni dnevnik 12C'' (Late Diary 12C), written 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 ...
.


Death

Ristić died on 20 July 1984 in Belgrade.


Works

*''Od sreće i od sna'', 1925. (Of Happiness and of Dream) *''Bez mere'', 1928. (Without a Measure) *''Nacrt za jednu fenomenologiju iracionalnog'', co-author with
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 ...
, 1931. (Outline for a Phenomenology of the Irrational) *''Pozicija nadrealizma'', co-author with Aleksandar Vučo ''et al'', 1931. (The Position of Surrealism) *''Anti-zid'', co-author with
Vane Bor Stevan Živadinović (20 November 1908 – 6 May 1993), known by his pen name Vane Bor, was a Serbian artist active in the Surrealist movement. He produced various collages, photograms and photographs, as well as theoretical texts and poems. He is ...
, 1932. (Anti-Wall) *''Predgovor za nekoliko nenapisanih romana'', 1936. (Foreword to Several Unwritten Novels) *''Turpituda'', illustrated by
Krsto Hegedušić Krsto Hegedušić (26 November 1901 – 7 April 1975) was a Croatian painter, illustrator and theater designer. His most famous paintings depict the harsh life of the Croatian peasantry in the manner of naive art. He was one of the founders of ...
, 1938. (Turpitude) *''Smrt fašizmu sloboda narodu'', 1946. (Death to Fascism, Freedom to the People) *''Književna politika'', 1952. (Literary Politics) *''Prostor-vreme'', 1952. (Space-Time) *''Tri mrtva pjesnika'', 1955. (Three Dead Poets) *''Istorija i poezija'', 1962. (History and Poetry) *''Nox microcosmica'', 1956. *''Ljudi u nevremenu'', 1956. (People in Inconvenience) *''Od istog pisca'', 1957. (From the Same Author) *''Politička književnost'', 1958. (Political Literature) *''Na dnevnom redu'', 1961. (On the Agenda) *''Objava poezije'', 1964. (The Declaration of Poetry) *''Hacer tiempo, zapisi na marginama rata. Knj. 1 Nemir'', 1964. (Hacer Tiempo, Writings at the Margin of War. Book 1 Unrest) *''Prisustva'', 1966. (Presences) *''Svedok ili saučesnik'', 1970. (A Witness or an Accomplice) *''Za svest'', 1977. (For the Consciousness) *''Svedočanstva pod zvezdama'', 1981. (Testimonies Under the Stars) *''Knjiga poezije'', 1984. (A Book of Poetry) *''Uoči nadrealizma'', 1985. (On the Eve of Surrealism) *''12C, naknadni dnevnik'', 1989. (Late Diary 12C) *''Diplomatski spisi'', 1996. (Diplomatic Writings) *''Oko nadrealizma 1'', 2003. (On Surrealism 1) *''Oko nadrealizma 2'', 2007. (On Surrealism 2)


See also

*
Vane Bor Stevan Živadinović (20 November 1908 – 6 May 1993), known by his pen name Vane Bor, was a Serbian artist active in the Surrealist movement. He produced various collages, photograms and photographs, as well as theoretical texts and poems. He is ...
*
Dušan Matić Dušan Matić (Serbian Cyrillic: Душан Матић; 31 August 1898 – 12 September 1980) was a Serbian poet who was active as part of the Belgrade surrealist group. Biography Early life Dušan Matić was born on 31 August 1898 in Ćuprija ...
* Aleksandar Vučo *
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 ...
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
*
Rastko Petrović Rastko Petrović (1898–1949) was a Serbian poet and writer. After serving in the Serbian Army in World War I, he studied law in Paris and became a diplomat. Based at the Yugoslav embassy in Washington, D.C. during World War II, he remained in ...
*
Đorđe Jovanović (writer) Đorđe Jovanović (Serbian Cyrillic alphabet, Serbian Cyrillic: Ђорђе Јовановић; 27 October 1909 – 23 July 1943) was a Serbian literary critic and Surrealist poet and writer during the interwar period. Along with his two high schoo ...


References


Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ristic, Marko 1902 births 1984 deaths 20th-century Serbian poets Ambassadors of Yugoslavia to France Burials at Belgrade New Cemetery Communist poets Serbian male poets Serbian surrealist writers