Diwan 11

| Diwan 11 - 12 |

EDITORIAL

Dear & respected reader!

The double issue of “Diwan” 11-12, which you are reading at the moment, is dedicated to the Cum grano salis literary meetings held from June 30 th to July 3 rd 2003 in Tuzla . And for the second time, the main attraction of the Meetings significant for the literature of the western Balkans was the “Meša Selimović” award for the best novel published in the territory of the štokavski (BHSC) language, i.e. in Bosnia-Herzegovina , Croatia , Serbia and Montenegro .

The jury made up of: Ivan Lovrenović (B-H, chairman), Branko Čegec (Croatia), Nedžad Ibrahimović (B-H), Svein Monnesland (Norway) and Marko Vešović (B-H), chose among the 17 novels suggested by the selectors: Enver Kazaz (B-H), Mihajlo Pantić (Serbia), Krešimir Bagić (Croatia) and Pavle Goranović (Montenegro), and included texts by 4 authors in the shortlist. The short listed texts were: "Topli zrak" /“Hot Air”/ by Davor Slamnig (Cro), "Ko je zgazio gospođu Mjesec" /“Who Trampled over Mrs. Moon”/ by Asmir Kujović (B-H), "Privatna galerija" /“Private Gallery”/ by Balša Brković (Montenegro) and "William Shakespeare u Dar es Salaamu" /“William Shakespeare in Dar es Salaam”/ by Irfan Horozović (B-H).

At the closing ceremony of Cum grano salis on Wednesday, July 2 nd 2003, in the “Crystal Hall” of Hotel “Tuzla”, the chairman of the jury, Ivan Lovrenović said that the jury, just as in 2002 they had to name Marinko Koščec laureate, this year awarded the “Meša Selimović” award to Irfan Horozović for his novel “William Shakespeare in Dar es Salaam”. On behalf of the editorial board of "Diwan", albeit belatedly, I would like to congratulate Mr. Horozović on this award, because I believe good manners are never late or inappropriate.

In our presentation of the Tuzla Meetings, the work of the jury and the Award ceremony, we employed independent critics who have composed a review for each of the nominated novels. For the parody “Hot Air” by Davor Slaming, the “sharp pen” was the Travnik-Sarajevo writer and journalist Muharem Bazdulj. For the “Private Gallery” of Balša Brković, the “producer of meanings” was the Zagreb doctor and hit maker Julijana Matanović. A member of the “Diwan” editorial board, the poetess Aleksandra Čvorović from Banja Luka critically debated the phantasms from “Who Tranpled over Mrs. Moon” by Aleksandar Kujević. While the editor of the magazine “Život” and anthologist Željko Grahovac, constantly traveling in the triangle Zenica-Kakanj-Sarajevo, had the honour to review the structural segments of the award winning novel “William Shakespeare in Dar es Salaam ” by Irfan Horozović.

The “Diwan” editorial board is humbly trying to draw the attention of the public to the post-war practice of unprincipled assessment of the value of B-H literary awards and the pseudo-polemical clashes of writers and critics on the pages of magazines and the yellow press. We believe that it is possible to avoid personal attitudes and non-argumented ad hominem writing only by hearing the voice of the jury and of the author along with the voice of an independent assessment remote from any territorial, national, gender, aesthetical or other criterion. It is up to you, dear reader, to judge the success of our intentions.

So, we begin issue 11-12 with the fragmented text “On Love” by Rusmir Mahmutćehajić. Professor Mahmutćehajić has 'composed' an aesthetic symphony to Love using erotic, philosophical and Sufi motifs, but on the premise that Love “means /quoting Thomas Merton/ to love life as it is /and/ to accept it /life/ in its full reality which includes death; not only to accept the idea of death but also those works which precede death in the offering and giving of ourselves.”

But - let us return to the primary virtuality - between the “Diwan” prose passages, the poetic vendettas such as: Amir Brka, Dubravka Đurić, Dragoslav Dedović, Melika Salihbeg Bosnawi and Aleksandar Bečanović, are a “counterweight” to some of the younger “lions”: Mehmed Begić, Tanja Stupar Trifunović, Danijela Kambasković-Sawers, Marko Tomaš, Tarik Zukić, Željko Đurđević and Mirko S. Božić. And the prose “wavers” along with Kader Abdulah and Ferid Muhić include Jasna Šamić, Josip Mlakić, Zilhad Ključanin, Radivoj Šajtinac, Goran Sarić, Harris Džajić and Miljenko Buhač.

Furthermore, our exclusives include: an interview with the Polish writer Olga Tokarczuk by Vid Jeraj, ballad & blues poetry by the song-writer Muhamed Zlatan Hernovica and your humble editor, reviews by Jasna Šamić, Atif Kujundžuć, Tanja Stupar Trifunović and Mlađen Trifunović as well as an essay on Giordano Bruno penned by Jovanka Uljarević.

In presenting Tuzla , we were particularly pleased to venture into the atelier of the artist Nesim Tahirović. This doyen of a very specific expression in graphics, sculpture and painting emanates unusual symbolism where the universal/local & and individual/collective are two faces of the Hessian Abrax, of dual uniqueness. Tahirović's reproductions (apart from the unfortunately black-and-white one in “Diwan”) are commented on by visitors of his exhibition: Krištof Dovjak and Saša Radojčić.

This visually rich double issue of “Diwan” was illustrated, as always, by Bojan Bahić and his Art Creation Service. However, with the participation of distinguished guests, Ozren Pavlović from Sarajevo and Sanctuary Mental Space: Aryan Kaganof, Dick Tuinder & Alexander VD Woel.

PS:

"Diwan" No. 11-12 was ready for publishing much earlier then we were able to hand in the CD with the texts and illustrations to the printer. In the general “cultural poverty” produced by the international-local but “reforming” B-H government, your favourite magazine could not avoid the “cut back wave”. That is why we are publishing this issue a few months late.

I hope, dear reader, that you will support us as always. I wish you both visual enjoyment and reading delight.

Tuzla , March 22, 2004

Your editor, Dinko Delić

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