The directory «Plots»

Selimović Mehmed "Meša"
(1910—1982)

Mehmed "Meša" Selimović was a Serbian, Bosnian and Yugoslavian writer, and one of the greatest 20th century novelists of Southeastern Europe. He wrote in the Serbo-Croatian language, and his written dialect greatly influenced today's Bosnian standard language. His novels deal with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Muslim culture in the province in the Ottoman era.

He was born on April 26, 1910 in Tuzla, Bosnia, Austria-Hungary, where he graduated from elementary school and high school. In 1930, he enrolled to study the Serbo-Croatian language and literature at the University of Belgrade. In 1936, he returned to Tuzla to teach in the gymnasium that today bears his name. In 1943, he was arrested for participation in the Partisan anti-fascist resistance movement. From 1947 to 1971 he lived in Sarajevo, then moved to Belgrade until his death in 1982.

Selimović wrote at least ten significant novels, most famously Death and the Dervish (Derviš i smrt), which opens with the traditional Muslim blessing: "In the name of God, the most compassionate, the most merciful." The novel reflected Selimović's own torment at the execution of his brother; the story speaks of the futility of one man's resistance against a repressive system, and the change that takes place within that man after he becomes a part of that very system. Some critics have likened this novel to Kafka's Prozess. It has been translated into numerous languages.

Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2011, Mesa Selimovic

Bosnia & Herzegovina (Serb administration), 1997, Meša Selimović

Serbia, 2010, Meša Selimović