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Srđan Srdić (; born 3 November 1977) is a
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 ...
n novelist, short-story writer, essayist, editor, publisher and creative reading/writing teacher. He has published four novels, two short story collections and a book of essays, and has contributed as a writer and/or editor to several short story collections and literary magazines.


Early life

Srdić was born on 3 November 1977 in
Kikinda Kikinda ( sr-Cyrl, Кикинда, ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the North Banat District in Serbia. The city's urban area has 32,084 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 49,326 inhabit ...
. After completing his secondary education in a music school, Srdić acquired a degree in world literature and literary theory from the
University of Belgrade Faculty of Philology The Faculty of Philology is one of the constituent schools of the University of Belgrade. The school's purpose is to train and educate its students in the academic study or practice in linguistics and philology] History The study of philology ...
, where he also defended his PhD thesis entitled ''Relationship between Reality and Fiction in
Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish writer, essayist, satirist, and Anglican cleric. In 1713, he became the Dean (Christianity), dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, and was given the sobriquet "Dean Swi ...
's Prose''.Partizanska knjiga – O nama
''Partizanska knjiga''
/ref>


Career


Beginnings

In 2007, while still working as a high school literature teacher, Srdić won the first prize at the '' Ulaznica'' short story competition, and in 2009 he received the Laza Lazarević story award. The following year, he was awarded the Borislav Pekić grant (Pekić coincidentally being an important literary influence) for a short story collection project. From 2008 to 2011, he served as the editor/program manager of the international short story festival Kikinda Short. He returned to this position in September 2015.International Short Story Festival Kikinda Short
''Kikinda Short''
/ref> In 2010, Srdić published his first novel, the road horror ''Mrtvo polje'' (''Dead Field''), receiving several positive reviews, and ending up short-listed for several national literary prizes in Serbia ('' NIN'', Vital, Borisav Stanković) and for the international Meša Selimović prize. The novel was praised particularly for its language, i.e. for finding the stylistic and formal devices needed to deal with the subject matter, the use of both
modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...
(along with the comparisons to '' Ulysses'') and
postmodernist Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, Culture, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of depicting ...
techniques, and the frequent shifts of perspective and register. Set in 1993 wartime Serbia, it follows several converging story lines, Pablo and Paolo traveling from Belgrade to Kikinda dodging the military draft, one due to his idiosyncratic appropriation of the violent ideologies around, the other following him aimlessly, Stela making the same trip in the opposite direction, and a quasi-psychopathic military captain showing
Cormac McCarthy Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr.; July 20, 1933 – June 13, 2023) was an American author who wrote twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays, and three short stories, spanning the Western, post-apocalyptic, and Southern Got ...
's influence. According to the author, the novel is a
tragedy A tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a tragic hero, main character or cast of characters. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsi ...
, something which is evident in the plot's denouement of inevitable death and incest, the tragedy being "in the context, not the characters." Like much of Srdić's work, it relies heavily on intertextuality, featuring connections to, besides those already mentioned,
Jerzy Kosiński Jerzy Kosiński (; born Józef Lewinkopf; 14 June 19333 May 1991) was a Jewish-Polish-American writer and two-time president of the American chapter of P.E.N., who wrote primarily in English. Born in Poland, he survived World War II there, ...
,
William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer. He is best known for William Faulkner bibliography, his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a stand-in fo ...
,
Georges Bataille Georges Albert Maurice Victor Bataille (; ; 10 September 1897 – 8 July 1962) was a French philosopher and intellectual working in philosophy, literature, sociology, anthropology, and history of art. His writing, which included essays, novels, ...
,
Godflesh Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham. The group formed in 1982 under the original title O.P.D. (later Fall of Because) but did not release any complete music until 1988 when Justin Broadrick (guitar, vocals, programmi ...
,
Khanate A khanate ( ) or khaganate refers to historic polity, polities ruled by a Khan (title), khan, khagan, khatun, or khanum. Khanates were typically nomadic Mongol and Turkic peoples, Turkic or Tatars, Tatar societies located on the Eurasian Steppe, ...
, etc. It also comprises a discography and videography section. '' Espirando: Songs Unto Death'' (''Pesme na smrt'') consists of nine short stories, all dealing in some way with death (the lead-up to, process and/or aftermath of death). Published in 2011, it received the Biljana Jovanović award and the international Edo Budiša award, as well as several highly positive reviews noting its elliptical and formally diverse approach to language, with the narrative voices ranging from the conventional first-person to the wildly polyphonic, and the linguistic representation of the characters' limit-states of mourning, violence, illness, sexual longing, suicide, "frightening banality". The collection features numerous intertextual relations, the prominent influence 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 ...
in the characters "completely in conflict with the world", the pastiche of Faulkner's ''
A Rose for Emily "A Rose for Emily" is a short story by American author William Faulkner, first published on April 30, 1930 in an issue of '' The Forum''. The story takes place in Faulkner's fictional Jefferson, Mississippi, in the equally fictional county of ...
'',
Perry Farrell Perry Farrell (born Peretz Bernstein; March 29, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician referred to as the " Godfather of Alternative Music". Farrell began his career with Psi Com in the early 1980s, before becoming the frontman ...
quotes, the story ''Zozobra'' taking its name from the
Old Man Gloom Old Man Gloom is an American post-metal band originally formed in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but now based in Massachusetts. The group, formed by Aaron Turner of Isis and Santos Montano, expanded to become a sort of supergroup in the Boston hardcore ...
song, ''Medicine'' from the Jesu song, the references to
Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novell ...
,
Henri Michaux Henri Michaux (; 24 May 1899 – 19 October 1984) was a Belgian-born French poet, writer and painter. Michaux is renowned for his strange, highly original poetry and prose, and also for his art: the Paris Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenhei ...
,
Michel Houellebecq Michel Houellebecq (; born Michel Thomas on 26 February 1956) is a French author of novels, poems, and essays, as well as an occasional actor, filmmaker, and singer. His first book was a biographical essay on the horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. H ...
. All the stories had previously been published in literary magazines in Serbia and Croatia. The Ukrainian translation of the collection was published in 2013.Ukrainian edition of the book ''Espirando''
''Espirando''
Litopys, 2013
The story ''Grey, Gloomy Something'' was published in English in The Ofi Press Magazine, and ''Mosquitoes'' was translated into Albanian and published in the short story anthology ''From Belgrade, with love'' (''Nga Beogradi, me dashuri'' ). Srdić's stories have also been translated into Romanian, Hungarian and Polish.


2013–2016

Srdić's second novel, ''Satori'', was published in 2013 by the KrR (Rašić Literary Workshop) publishing house. The sole narrator, referring to himself as the Driver, walks out of the city and his social roles, reminiscing and encountering people on the fringes of society, offering thus a digressive, disjointed narrative, with a sense of solipsistic horror exposed through the characters' language. "Not a novel that isn't about anything, but one that is about nothing", it also deals with banality and anxiety of/and freedom, with a focus on the narrator's contacts with the military, even obliquely addressing the repercussions of war crimes ("the existence of
PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster, traffic collision, ...
even in those who weren't directly involved in the war"). The novel contains page long quotations of '' Oblomov'', ''
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 ...
'' and an interview with
Kayo Dot Kayo Dot is an American avant-garde metal band. Formed in 2003 by Toby Driver after the break-up of Maudlin of the Well, they released their debut album ''Choirs of the Eye'' on John Zorn's Tzadik Records that same year. Since then, Kayo Dot' ...
's Toby Driver.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor Godspeed You! Black Emperor (sometimes abbreviated to GY!BE or Godspeed) is a Canadian post-rock collective that originated in Montreal, Quebec in 1994. The group releases recordings through Constellation Records (Canada), Constellation, an in ...
's '' The Dead Flag Blues'' and the cartoon series ''Stripy'' also feature prominently within the text. Though it uses devices common to the
bildungsroman In literary criticism, a bildungsroman () is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth and change of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood (coming of age). The term comes from the German words ('formation' or 'edu ...
and the road novel, it was referred to by the author as an anti-bildungsroman, with the protagonist learning nothing and getting nowhere. ''Satori'' was praised for showing a further improvement in Srdić's work, particularly present in an ironic distance previously somewhat missing, and for offering, through the quoted texts, new ways of reading ''Satori'' and those texts themselves. The same reviewer places it in a post-world, invoking the opening quotations of the post-structuralists
Roland Barthes Roland Gérard Barthes (; ; 12 November 1915 – 25 March 1980) was a French literary theorist, essayist, philosopher, critic, and semiotician. His work engaged in the analysis of a variety of sign systems, mainly derived from Western popu ...
and
Jean-François Lyotard Jean-François Lyotard (; ; 10 August 1924 – 21 April 1998) was a French philosopher, sociologist, and literary theorist. His interdisciplinary discourse spans such topics as epistemology and communication, the human body, modern art and p ...
, and of the
post-rock Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...
band
Mogwai Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mogwa ...
. A more ambiguous review, while noting Srdić's writerly virtues and significance, showed some reservations about the purposeful randomness and lack of meaning. The novel ''Satori'' was published in Ukraine in 2015 in Alla Tatarenko's translation.Ukrainian edition of the novel ''Satori''
''Сатори''
UMKA, 2015
It was published in Macedonia in 2016.Macedonian edition of the novel ''Satori''
''Сатори''
Goten, 2016
''Combustions'', Srdić's second short story collection, was published in May 2014. This book was also published by the KrR publishing house (Rašić Literary Workshop). It contains nine stories which treat the problem of identity in various narrative ways. For the synopsis of ''Combustions'' Srdić was awarded the
Borislav Pekić Borislav Pekić ( sr-Cyrl, Борислав Пекић, ; 4 February 1930 – 2 July 1992) was a Serbian writer and political activist. He was born in 1930, to a prominent family in Montenegro, at that time part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. From ...
grant.Agencija Tanjug
''Aleksić i Srdić dobili stipendije Borislav Pekić''
Glas javnosti, 02. 07. 2010.
The literary critic Vladimir Arsenić, including Srdić among the most important post-Yugoslav writers, emphasises his linguistic meticulousness, as well as new reaches of Srdić's procedure, evident in the story ''About the Door'', which he considers a masterpiece. Mirnes Sokolović has a critical stance towards the book, not questioning Srdić's relevance. In his opinion certain stories are unconvincing, whereas the story ''Summertime'' is his favourite.Mirnes Sokolović
''Visoke peći neutralnosti''
elektrobeton, July 2014.
Srđan Vidrić describes ''Combustions'' as a radical and uncompromising book intended for more competent readers, which "contributes significantly to the Serbian art of story-telling".Srđan Vidrić
''Na zgarištu priče''
Letopis Matice srpske, November 2015
Five stories from ''Combustions'' have been published in American and ScottishSrđan Srdić
''About a Door''
Gutter, 2015
literary magazines in Nataša Miljković's translation. Srdić's first collection of essays entitled ''Zapisi iz čitanja'' (''Notes from Reading'') was published in 2014.Srđan Srdić
''Zapisi iz čitanja''
Kulturni centar Novog Sada, 2014
In the afterword to this book, Srdić's editor Ivan Radosavljević states that the seven collected essays "will, on one hand, attract those readers who are interested in the topics Srdić deals with here and, on the other hand, it will attract those readers who are interested in this author as a story-teller and novelist, given that this book offers particular insights into his intellectual and artistic habitus."Ivan Radosavljević
''Odškrinuta vrata ateljea''
Kulturni centar Novog Sada, 2014
''Notes from Reading'' has had excellent reception.Branko Ćurčić
''Pozdravi iz podzemlja''
Avangrad, broj 19, 2014
In an extremely positive review of the book, Dragan Babić states that Srdić is "more than an admirer" of the authors he writes about, and that he is their "excellent interpreter". In December 2015, Srdić established a publishing house named ''Partizanska knjiga''.Partizanska knjiga
knjiga''
/ref> In 2017, he signed 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 ...
.


2017–2020

In 2017, Srdić published his third novel titled ''Srebrna magla pada'' (Silver fog is falling). This was his first book released through his own publishing house, Partizanska knjiga from
Kikinda Kikinda ( sr-Cyrl, Кикинда, ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the North Banat District in Serbia. The city's urban area has 32,084 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 49,326 inhabit ...
. In January 2018, the novel was selected among the five finalists for the NIN award for the novel of the year 2017, but did not win.


Bibliography


Novels

* ''Mrtvo polje''. Beograd: Stubovi kulture. 2010. * ''Satori''. Beograd: Književna radionica Rašić. 2013. * ''Srebrna magla pada''. Kikinda: Partizanska knjiga. 2017. * ''Ljubavna pesma''. Kikinda: Partizanska knjiga. 2020. * ''Autosekcija'',. Kikinda: Partizanska knjiga. 2023.


Short stories

* ''Espirando''. Beograd: Stubovi kulture. 2011. * ''Sagorevanja''. Beograd: Književna radionica Rašić. 2014.


Essays

* ''Zapisi iz čitanja''. Novi Sad: Kulturni centar Novog Sada. 2014..


Short story anthologies

* ''Da sam Šejn''. Zagreb: Konzor. 2007. p. 229-234. * ''Kikinda Short 3.0''. Kikinda: Narodna biblioteka "Jovan Popović". 2009.- as editor * ''Kikinda Short 04''. Kikinda: Narodna biblioteka "Jovan Popović". 2010. – as editor * ''Kikinda Short 05'' Kikinda: Narodna biblioteka "Jovan Popović".2011. – as editor * ''Nga Beogradi, me dashuri''. Priština: MM. 2011. p. 155-172. * ''Izvan koridora''. Zagreb: V.B.Z. d.o.o. 2011. p. 151-159. * ''U znaku vampira: muške priče o krvopijama''. Beograd: Paladin. 2012. p. 96-105. * ''Pucanja: izbor iz mlade srpske proze''. Beograd: Službeni glasnik. 2012. * ''Putnik sa dalekog neba: Miloš Crnjanski u priči''. Beograd: Laguna. 2013. p. 339-348. * ''Nova srpska pripovetka''. Beograd: Paladin. 2013. p. 462-470. * ''Gavrilov princip: priče o sarajevskom atentatu''. Beograd: Laguna. 2014. p. 115-129.


References


External links


Srđan Srdić Goodreads

''The Tale of How I.I. Settled the Quarrel with I.N.''

''Summertime'' by Srđan Srdić


* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20131029201748/http://theofipress.webs.com/srdicsrdjan.htm/ "Sivo, sumorno nešto" in English
''A Grey, Gloomy Something'', Fiction by Srdjan Srdic (Serbia), Translation from Serbian by Natasa Miljkovic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Srdic, Srdan 1977 births Living people Writers from Kikinda Serbian novelists Signatories of the Declaration on the Common Language University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy alumni Serbian male short story writers Serbian short story writers Postmodern writers