Vitomir "Vito" Nikolić ( cnr-Cyrl, Витомир "Вито" Николић; 27 April 1934 – 10 September 1994) was a Montenegrin

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 ...

and

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

from

Nikšić Nikšić (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Никшић, ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 32,046 (2023 census) located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot of Trebjesa ...

. His work is often compared to that of Sergey Yesenin, as he is often dubbed as "Montenegrin Yesenin", as well "The Good Spirit of Nikšić".

Background

Originally from

, he was born in

Mostar Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina. Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...

(now

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

), where his father served in the army. In 1941, he returned to Nikšić with his family. After his father and brother had been killed in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he lived in an orphanage until he turned 18. He spent most of his life in Nikšić, living in poverty, and was well known for his

bohemian lifestyle Bohemianism is a social and cultural movement that has, at its core, a way of life away from society's conventional norms and expectations. The term originates from the French ''bohème'' and spread to the English-speaking world. It was used to ...

Works

Vito published his first two books of poetry, "Drumovanja" (''Journeys'') and "Sunce, hladno mi je" (''Sun, I'm feeling cold'') without a publisher, hence paying for the costs of their production. Although he had some conflicts with socialist Yugoslav government, the government gave him a flat in Nikšić. Afterwards, he moved from Nikšić to

Titograd Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...

, where he worked as a journalist for

Pobjeda Pobjeda ( cyrl, Пoбjeдa, , lit. "The Victory") ( MNSENIPO is a Montenegrin daily newspaper. Having been published for 75 years, it is the oldest Montenegrin newspaper still in circulation; in the media, it is also the oldest Montenegrin ac ...

, writing short stories under the title "Crnom Gorom, putem i bespućem". Some of his poems for children became notable, and are included in the literature books for elementary and high school students. In 2002, some of Nikolić's prose writings were collected and published in a book "Dobri duh Nikšića" (''The Good Spirit of Nikšić'').

Legacy

Following his death, a "Vito Nikolić Award" for poetry has been established in Montenegro. The award is presented annually, during the "September days", a cultural manifestation hosted by the city of Nikšić. In 2002, Montenegrin writer and journalist Đorđe Matović with whom Vito worked in Pobjeda, published a book of anecdotes from poet's life, titled "S Vitom na još po jednu" (''Another round f drinkswith Vito'').Another round with Vito
(in Montenegrin)

Published works

*''Drumovanja ''(1962) *''Sunce, hladno mi je'' (1968) *''Stihovi ''(1981) *''Stare i nove pjesme'' (1991) *''Posljednja pjesma'' (1994) *''Nedjelja u gradu N'' (1997), ''published posthumously'' *''Dobri duh Nikšića'' (2002), ''published posthumously''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nikolic, Vito 1934 births 1994 deaths Writers from Nikšić Montenegrin poets Montenegrin male writers Montenegrin children's writers Yugoslav poets People from Mostar People from Nikšić