Born in 1977 in Belgrade. Received her PhD in 2015 at the Belgrade University, Faculty of Philology, with the thesis “Theoretical Aspects of the Translation of Children's Literature from a Cultural Studies Viewpoint”. Field of study: comparative literature and literary theory, translation studies, children’s literature, fantasy literature. Published two monographs, Motiv Arkadije u dečjoj književnosti [The Arcadian Motif in Children’s Literature] (Institute of Literature and Art, Belgrade, 2006), and Poetika prevođenja za decu [The Poetics of Translating for Children] (Institute of Literature and Art, Belgrade, 2022). Co-edited (with Stanislava Barać) Časopisi za decu: Jugoslovensko nasleđe (1918-1991) [Children’s Periodicals: Yugoslav Heritage (1918-1991)] (Institute of Literature and Art, Belgrade, 2019). Co-edited (with Bojan Jović) Marginal and Marginalized Genres in Literature (Institute of Literature and Art, Belgrade, 2022). Translations from German and English. Currently senior research associate at the Institute for Literature and Arts in Belgrade, Serbia. Address: Beograd, Serbia
An introduction to the selected poetry and prose of Dragan Lukić, with an overview and short anal... more An introduction to the selected poetry and prose of Dragan Lukić, with an overview and short analysis of his work
The Structure of children’s Fantasy Series.
The Example of Coin of Destiny (Novčić sudbine)
Fant... more The Structure of children’s Fantasy Series. The Example of Coin of Destiny (Novčić sudbine)
Fantasy series for children and youth are often organized as trilogies, either with a pre-planned development of the plot, or with the spontaneous evolution of protagonists and plotlines. By using the example of Ivana Nešić’s final addition to the series centering on the adventures of the boy Mika (Greengranny’s Gifts, The Secret of the Animal Language, Coin of Destiny), published over a lengthy period from 2013 to 2022, we will show how this format affects the structure of individual sequels, and how in recent decades it has created a new literary tradition with its own requirements. Breaking away from the clear-cut distinction Victor Watson established between progressive and successive literary series, Nešić’s latest novel shifts the focus onto Mika’s development and maturation while he approaches puberty. Simultaneously, the depicted secondary worlds also gain in complexity and meaning.
From its first appearance until today, Hedgehog’s Home has been published in hundreds of differen... more From its first appearance until today, Hedgehog’s Home has been published in hundreds of different editions with dozens of different illustrations. Whilst the changes in the book’s text have been written about many times, in differing contexts, those in the illustrations have been somewhat neglected even though they also reflect the turbulent development of this work of Ćopić. Here we will try to shed light on the illustrations in a little more detail.
Hidden Quotations in the Work of Slobodan Selenić
In his novels Očevi i oci (Fathers and Forefath... more Hidden Quotations in the Work of Slobodan Selenić In his novels Očevi i oci (Fathers and Forefathers) and Ubistvo sa predumišljajem (Premeditated Murder) Slobodan Selenić uses extensive, yet unaccredited quotations from the works of Rebecca West (Black Lamb and Grey Falcon) and Deana Leskovar (Slike žalosnih doživljaja). He also transfers his own passages from Očevi i oci into Ubistvo sa predumišljajem. His purpose in doing so remains unclear; it is most likely not a postmodern narrative stratagem, but a self-contained game in an otherwise traditionally written text.
Intertextuality as an element of poetics in the works of Radoslav Petković
Radoslav Petković use... more Intertextuality as an element of poetics in the works of Radoslav Petković
Radoslav Petković uses intertextuality in various ways: he alludes to other texts, quotes from them, borrows certain narrative and structural elements, or reuses already existing characters, either his own or those of other writers. His books, especially "Izveštaj o kugi" and "Sudbina and komentari", gain another level of meaning owing to Petković's frequent references to other literary and non-literary texts.
Anglophone fantasy literature in the “Plava ptica” imprint: history of a reception
This paper de... more Anglophone fantasy literature in the “Plava ptica” imprint: history of a reception This paper deals with a concrete example for the hypothesis that within Yugoslav publishing, although it was a cumbersome socialist system of publishing houses run according to the principles of self-management, the editorial policy was still determined by individuals. In the case of certain authors, genres, and sometimes even national literatures, their reception in our translated literature was directed and determined by the work and decisions of individual editors. An example that we analyze in this paper is the presence of Anglophone fiction in the “Plava ptica” (Blue Bird) edition. The choice of titles, the terms of their placement on the market and the cultural context in which they were published were largely determined by the editor Žika Bogdanović, known here for his work in the field of comics. Using recent works that combine publishing history with cultural analysis and contemporary versions of reception theory, we attempt to depict this phenomenon. Bogdanović used the framework of an imprint oriented towards young readers to recontextualise and succesfully publish adult fantasy authors such as Michael Moorcock, Terry Brooks and Walter Wangerin Jr. or classics such as Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker.
Časopis Žena danas (1936-1940): prosvećivanje za revoluciju, 2022
OLGA TIMOTIJEVIĆ’S LITERARY TRANSLATIONS IN ŽENA DANAS
Summary
This paper deals with Olga Timotij... more OLGA TIMOTIJEVIĆ’S LITERARY TRANSLATIONS IN ŽENA DANAS Summary This paper deals with Olga Timotijević’s literary translations published in Žena danas, where she was primarily active as an editor. The introduction outlines some of the problems we face in researching the history of female translation, as well as recent cultural trends dominating the field of translation studies, and is followed by the example of Timotijević’s translation work as a case study. By analyzing this relatively small corpus of texts translated from French, German and English, one can still develop an image of a particular translator’s profile: Olga Timotijević’s translations in Žena danas are marked by her professional and personal feminist and communist engagement. Located at a sensitive intersection between editorial and translation work, these translations are indicative of the feminist and leftist tendencies in Europe of the time. By reading them closely, one can identify the political and social problems that the readership of Žena danas struggled with, as well as gain valuable insight into the literature that was available to the editors of Žena danas, including communist and exile journals such as Commune and Das Wort. However, they are also important as a testimony to the formation of modern translation poetics. Unlike Olga Timotijević’s translations for children, the translations in this magazine are characterized by an emphasis on their content instead of form. The editorial liberties taken with certain texts can usually be explained by the specific requirements of periodical publishing (the target texts are abridged and condensed) and more rarely interpreted as political, feminist decisions of the translator.
Warped Variations. The Evolution of Constant Characters in the Novels of Vladimir Stojšin
Summary... more Warped Variations. The Evolution of Constant Characters in the Novels of Vladimir Stojšin Summary This paper will analyse the repetition of literary motifs in the works of Vladimir Stojšin, which will establish the less visible poetic connections between different phases of his literary oeuvre. Above all, this refers to the hidden kinship between his novels for adults and those intended for children. Employing the basic tenets of the theory of intertextuality, and pointing out the closeness of his work to the as of yet poorly defined genre of autofiction, we will show how recurring motifs are being changed and reshaped in Stojšin’s work. Special attention is devoted to the novel Kuglana (The Bowling Alley), which represents a point of important change in Stojšin’s opus: straddling the boundary between his previous lyrical texts and the subsequent children’s books, this short novel appears to be dealing with contemporary subjects. However, a close reading shows that even there Stojšin is reworking obsessive images of his war-torn childhood, and establishes important intertextual links with other Stojšin’s novels.
This paper will investigate the way in which Mina D. Todorović deals with important social and en... more This paper will investigate the way in which Mina D. Todorović deals with important social and environmental issues in her recent novels, and tries to place them in the context of our publishing scene for children and young people, as well as in the broader perspective of engaging literature for children and young people. After pointing out the discrepancies between the publisher’s framing of these books and their actual content, we analyse the subtle ways in which Todorović’s previous experience with fantasy literature influenced the shaping of this duology. Finally, we point out the ecocritical background which determines the underlying system of values in Todorović’s novels.
Jahrbuch der Gesellschaft für Kinder- und Jugendliteraturforschung, 2022
Slavic folklore contains a variety of beliefs concerning magical animals and other imaginary and ... more Slavic folklore contains a variety of beliefs concerning magical animals and other imaginary and liminal beings, their characteristics and properties. This heritage was adopted and used in the past by various children’s authors who integrated these folklore motifs into their own work. Some recent authors, on the other hand, show a marked tendency to implement animals of their own invention in order to convey an ecological message, often employing a quasi-encyclopaedic approach (e. g. Uroš Petrović and Zoran Penevski). Others create imaginary animals in order to explore moral dilemmas and psychological depths in a form appropriate for children (e. g. Mina Todorović). When folklore heritage makes a reappearance, it sometimes takes on a comical function in a contemporary urban context (e. g. Ivana Nešić). In this paper we provide an overview and an analysis of fantastic animals and their heterogeneous origins and functions in contemporary Serbian fantasy written for children, presenting a condensed outline of the most recent developments. Our aim is to combine a traditional analysis of the literary fantastic and folklore elements with ecocriticism.
Македонски и српски роман на прелазу у нови миленијум (упоредни аспекти): зборник радова са међународног пројекта одржаног у Институту за књижевност и уметност у Београду (23 – 24.10.2019. године), 2020
This paper offers a necessarily limited overview of parallels and contrasts in contemporary histo... more This paper offers a necessarily limited overview of parallels and contrasts in contemporary historiographic metafiction in the Serbian and Macedonian novel. We selected the novels of Radoslav Petković and Venko Andonovski as a starting point, as excellent examples of the postmodern historical novel, and included comparisons and intertextual connections with other writers and their texts in order to establish common tendencies, recurring motives or similar motivations in creators who opted for historical subjects. While Petković’s and Andonovski’s novels published at the close of the 20th century, Destiny, Annotated (1993) and The Navel of the World (2000) display all key traits of historiographic metafiction as described by Linda Hutcheon, their more recent work – Andonovski’s Witch (2006) and Petković’s The Perfect Remembrance of Death (2008) is characterized by a new poetics, developed naturally within their respective oeuvres. A tentative conclusion could be summarized as follows: namely, that Petković and Andonovski strive for and accomplish different potentials of historiographic metafiction and that the diverging directions of their creative development are more visible in their more recent novels. A similar heterogeneity is noticeable on the Serbian and Macedonian literary scene, among younger writers.
Plants in Children's and Young Adult Literature, 2021
In this chapter we provide an overview and an analysis of fantastic and magical plants (that is, ... more In this chapter we provide an overview and an analysis of fantastic and magical plants (that is, of their heterogeneous origins and functions) in contemporary Serbian fantasy fiction written for children, and to combine a traditional analysis of the literary fantastic and folklore elements with ecocriticism. Serbian folklore beliefs concerning magical plants and their properties were adopted and made use of by various children’s authors. Older authors rely heavily on the aforementioned folk heritage, using magical or fantastic plants as signals of the supernatural order and symbols of higher ethical or religious values. Recent authors, on the other hand, show a marked tendency to employ plants of their own invention in order to convey an ecological message. Thus, Uroš Petrović devises an entire herbal for his first novel while Mina Todorović develops a complex symbolism by using a variety of magical plants. When folk heritage reappears, it can take on a comical role in a contemporary urban context, as presented in Ivana Nešić’s opus, while Selina Lovren uses contemporary Serbian poetry and its vegetative motifs as an inspiration.
Transmedijalno pripovedanje i digitalno mapiranje : istorija, sećanje, identitet = Transmedia storytelling and digital mapping : history, memory, identity, 2021
HYBRID FANTASY AND TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING:
THE CASE OF TAMSYN MUIR’S NOVELS
Abstract
During the ... more HYBRID FANTASY AND TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING: THE CASE OF TAMSYN MUIR’S NOVELS Abstract During the last few years, we have witnessed the emergence of a new generation of authors who grew up in a transmedia environment and whose works spontaneously adapt to the state of ubiquitous networking and fluidity of narratives that are constantly being re-shaped in different forms. One of the most interesting phenomena in the field of fantasy literature is Tamsyn Muir, a young New Zealand author who has published only two novels so far, Gideon the Ninth (2019) and Harrow the Ninth (2020). Both works aroused great interest and varying reactions precisely because of the confident interplay of different genre identities, as well as the transmedia links between the fantastic narrative and the characteristic conventions of social networks. In her work, Muir uses the internet discourse as developed on Tumblr or Twitter – primarily viral content, i.e. internet memes, but also a rich legacy of fanfiction and video games. Within the limits of this paper, we will try to analyse whether Muir manages to create a harmonious, narrative and artistic unity.
TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER: THE INTERSECTIONS OF GENRES IN VLADA STOJILJKOVIĆ’S SHORT STORIES FOR CHI... more TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER: THE INTERSECTIONS OF GENRES IN VLADA STOJILJKOVIĆ’S SHORT STORIES FOR CHILDREN
This paper examines the science fiction stories of Vlada Stojiljković, collected in Ipsilon (Upsilon, 1998) and attempts to show how the author used various staple motifs of science fiction (primarily the first contact motif) and transformed them according to the poetics of children’s literature, creating an original intersection between various genres. The paper also traces the links between the stories and the radio plays that presented the basis for some of them and observes the influence of the radio format on Stojiljković’s texts. After a provisional genre categorisation, the paper concludes with a short overview of the literary context of Serbian SF for children.
This article investigates the time loop motif in Dejan Aleksić's novel, A Shoe at the End of the ... more This article investigates the time loop motif in Dejan Aleksić's novel, A Shoe at the End of the World. Following a brief overview of the most important uses of the time motif in children's literature, and positioning this paper within Nikolajeva's (i.e. Eliade's) dichotomy of linear and cyclical time, we analyse the time loop motif in Aleksić's short children's novel. Unlike e.g. science fiction authors, Aleksić does not use the time loop as a plot point but rather as an important factor creating a sense of wonder in his text. He also uses it as a narrative starting point for a string of comical paradoxes that posit a simultaneity of past and future events, which sets the overall tone of the novel. The time loop also establishes effectively the displacement of Aleksić's imaginary world, removing it from the linear time sequence, characteristic for adults, and yet setting it apart from the idyllic eternity of childhood, envisioned by older authors. Simultaneously, the time loop serves as a link to the metafictional characteristics of other Aleksić's texts.
A FOREST OF FORKING PATHS: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ARTHURIAN TRADITION AND SCIENCE FICTION IN D... more A FOREST OF FORKING PATHS: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ARTHURIAN TRADITION AND SCIENCE FICTION IN DIANA WYNNE JONES’S NOVEL "HEXWOOD" Abstract This paper analyses Diana Wynne Jones’s use of the Arthurian tradition in her novel Hexwood and the links she establishes with the contemporary traditions of the fantasy novel for children and science fiction. By employing a complex non-linear narration and a rich network of intertextual allusions ranging from Thomas Mallory and Edmund Spenser to T. H. White, Wynne Jones creates an unusual and successful genre amalgam. The central concept of the novel, a version of virtual reality where individuals adopt false identities and act accordingly, enables a highly uncommon self-aware use of motifs adopted from myth and literature.
Савремена српска фолклористика 8, Словенски фолклор и књижевна фантастика: зборник радовa, 2020
KRALJEVIĆ MARKO (PRINCE MARKO) AS A CHARACTER IN CONTEMPORARY FANTASY
This paper focuses on the ... more KRALJEVIĆ MARKO (PRINCE MARKO) AS A CHARACTER IN CONTEMPORARY FANTASY
This paper focuses on the transformations of the Prince Marko figure in contemporary Serbian fantasy. As our most famous and most popular epic hero, Marko represents a logical choice for authors who re-narrate folklore motifs and syuzhets, but modern treatments of this figure draw on various traditions and the Western fantasy genre as well. By analysing the most important examples of fantasy novels featuring Marko (written by Dragan R. Filipović, Boban Knežević, Aleksandar Tešić) and placing them within the context of the most celebrated mainstream modern interpretations from Domanović to the present, we shall attempt to establish the various tendencies of this figure’s development and their common elements. It is noticeable that all selected authors present intentional reconfigurations of that character and highlight certain traditional aspects while downplaying others. Some choose a satirical bent (Filipović), some stress the hero’s psychological and ethical issues (Knežević) or his role of protector and saviour (Tešić).
THE OLD AND THE NEW: THE REVIVAL OF CHILDREN’S COMPANIES’ NOVEL IN THE WORKS OF MOREA BANIĆEVIĆ
S... more THE OLD AND THE NEW: THE REVIVAL OF CHILDREN’S COMPANIES’ NOVEL IN THE WORKS OF MOREA BANIĆEVIĆ Summary: Morea Banićević started publishing relatively recently (her first novel was published in 2015). However, there are various reasons why her trilogy of children’s fantasy novels (The Demon of the School Library, Doubles in the Dark, In the Footsteps of Black Peter) represents an interesting phenomenon in the regional literary scene. These novels reinvigorate the subgenre of novels centred around children’s groups and successfully cross them with the fantasy genre and the serial format. Their publication history is also interesting as an example of post-Yugoslav literary connections. We shall discuss the appearance and characteristics of this trilogy in the context of other fantasy children’s novels that appeared in Serbia and Croatia over the last decade, and their success with the critics and the readers.
Časopisi za decu: jugoslovensko nasleđe (1918-1991), 2019
ROCKETS AND TENTACLES: THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE FICTION ILLUSTRATION IN SERBIAN PERIODICALS FOR... more ROCKETS AND TENTACLES: THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE FICTION ILLUSTRATION IN SERBIAN PERIODICALS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH OF THE YUGOSLAV PERIOD, ON THE EXAMPLE OF POLITIKIN ZABAVNIK
Summary: This paper attempts to trace the various manners in which the tradition of science fiction illustration in children’s and youth periodicals developed and improved over time. Considering the surfeit of material, this analysis deals with a four years’ worth of Politikin zabavnik issues, namely the issues published in 1961, 1971, 1981 and 1991, and focuses on the illustrations created for the short story column. 1961 was chosen as the starting point, since the Space Race and Gagarin’s first foray into outer space caused a massive increase in Zabavnik’s publication of futuristic and science fiction content. We attempt to register shifts in style and format, the positioning of illustration within the text, the personal mark of individual illustrators (Božidar Veselinović, Petar Radičević, Željko Pahek, Dobrosav Bob Živković) as well as the links between these illustrations and other art forms explored by the authors (primarily comics, but book illustration and classical art as well). The illustrators of Politikin zabavnik and their heterogeneous works formed the SF iconography for several generations of readers, and the illustrations created for this magazine have had the largest reading audience and instantaneous reception.
An introduction to the selected poetry and prose of Dragan Lukić, with an overview and short anal... more An introduction to the selected poetry and prose of Dragan Lukić, with an overview and short analysis of his work
The Structure of children’s Fantasy Series.
The Example of Coin of Destiny (Novčić sudbine)
Fant... more The Structure of children’s Fantasy Series. The Example of Coin of Destiny (Novčić sudbine)
Fantasy series for children and youth are often organized as trilogies, either with a pre-planned development of the plot, or with the spontaneous evolution of protagonists and plotlines. By using the example of Ivana Nešić’s final addition to the series centering on the adventures of the boy Mika (Greengranny’s Gifts, The Secret of the Animal Language, Coin of Destiny), published over a lengthy period from 2013 to 2022, we will show how this format affects the structure of individual sequels, and how in recent decades it has created a new literary tradition with its own requirements. Breaking away from the clear-cut distinction Victor Watson established between progressive and successive literary series, Nešić’s latest novel shifts the focus onto Mika’s development and maturation while he approaches puberty. Simultaneously, the depicted secondary worlds also gain in complexity and meaning.
From its first appearance until today, Hedgehog’s Home has been published in hundreds of differen... more From its first appearance until today, Hedgehog’s Home has been published in hundreds of different editions with dozens of different illustrations. Whilst the changes in the book’s text have been written about many times, in differing contexts, those in the illustrations have been somewhat neglected even though they also reflect the turbulent development of this work of Ćopić. Here we will try to shed light on the illustrations in a little more detail.
Hidden Quotations in the Work of Slobodan Selenić
In his novels Očevi i oci (Fathers and Forefath... more Hidden Quotations in the Work of Slobodan Selenić In his novels Očevi i oci (Fathers and Forefathers) and Ubistvo sa predumišljajem (Premeditated Murder) Slobodan Selenić uses extensive, yet unaccredited quotations from the works of Rebecca West (Black Lamb and Grey Falcon) and Deana Leskovar (Slike žalosnih doživljaja). He also transfers his own passages from Očevi i oci into Ubistvo sa predumišljajem. His purpose in doing so remains unclear; it is most likely not a postmodern narrative stratagem, but a self-contained game in an otherwise traditionally written text.
Intertextuality as an element of poetics in the works of Radoslav Petković
Radoslav Petković use... more Intertextuality as an element of poetics in the works of Radoslav Petković
Radoslav Petković uses intertextuality in various ways: he alludes to other texts, quotes from them, borrows certain narrative and structural elements, or reuses already existing characters, either his own or those of other writers. His books, especially "Izveštaj o kugi" and "Sudbina and komentari", gain another level of meaning owing to Petković's frequent references to other literary and non-literary texts.
Anglophone fantasy literature in the “Plava ptica” imprint: history of a reception
This paper de... more Anglophone fantasy literature in the “Plava ptica” imprint: history of a reception This paper deals with a concrete example for the hypothesis that within Yugoslav publishing, although it was a cumbersome socialist system of publishing houses run according to the principles of self-management, the editorial policy was still determined by individuals. In the case of certain authors, genres, and sometimes even national literatures, their reception in our translated literature was directed and determined by the work and decisions of individual editors. An example that we analyze in this paper is the presence of Anglophone fiction in the “Plava ptica” (Blue Bird) edition. The choice of titles, the terms of their placement on the market and the cultural context in which they were published were largely determined by the editor Žika Bogdanović, known here for his work in the field of comics. Using recent works that combine publishing history with cultural analysis and contemporary versions of reception theory, we attempt to depict this phenomenon. Bogdanović used the framework of an imprint oriented towards young readers to recontextualise and succesfully publish adult fantasy authors such as Michael Moorcock, Terry Brooks and Walter Wangerin Jr. or classics such as Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker.
Časopis Žena danas (1936-1940): prosvećivanje za revoluciju, 2022
OLGA TIMOTIJEVIĆ’S LITERARY TRANSLATIONS IN ŽENA DANAS
Summary
This paper deals with Olga Timotij... more OLGA TIMOTIJEVIĆ’S LITERARY TRANSLATIONS IN ŽENA DANAS Summary This paper deals with Olga Timotijević’s literary translations published in Žena danas, where she was primarily active as an editor. The introduction outlines some of the problems we face in researching the history of female translation, as well as recent cultural trends dominating the field of translation studies, and is followed by the example of Timotijević’s translation work as a case study. By analyzing this relatively small corpus of texts translated from French, German and English, one can still develop an image of a particular translator’s profile: Olga Timotijević’s translations in Žena danas are marked by her professional and personal feminist and communist engagement. Located at a sensitive intersection between editorial and translation work, these translations are indicative of the feminist and leftist tendencies in Europe of the time. By reading them closely, one can identify the political and social problems that the readership of Žena danas struggled with, as well as gain valuable insight into the literature that was available to the editors of Žena danas, including communist and exile journals such as Commune and Das Wort. However, they are also important as a testimony to the formation of modern translation poetics. Unlike Olga Timotijević’s translations for children, the translations in this magazine are characterized by an emphasis on their content instead of form. The editorial liberties taken with certain texts can usually be explained by the specific requirements of periodical publishing (the target texts are abridged and condensed) and more rarely interpreted as political, feminist decisions of the translator.
Warped Variations. The Evolution of Constant Characters in the Novels of Vladimir Stojšin
Summary... more Warped Variations. The Evolution of Constant Characters in the Novels of Vladimir Stojšin Summary This paper will analyse the repetition of literary motifs in the works of Vladimir Stojšin, which will establish the less visible poetic connections between different phases of his literary oeuvre. Above all, this refers to the hidden kinship between his novels for adults and those intended for children. Employing the basic tenets of the theory of intertextuality, and pointing out the closeness of his work to the as of yet poorly defined genre of autofiction, we will show how recurring motifs are being changed and reshaped in Stojšin’s work. Special attention is devoted to the novel Kuglana (The Bowling Alley), which represents a point of important change in Stojšin’s opus: straddling the boundary between his previous lyrical texts and the subsequent children’s books, this short novel appears to be dealing with contemporary subjects. However, a close reading shows that even there Stojšin is reworking obsessive images of his war-torn childhood, and establishes important intertextual links with other Stojšin’s novels.
This paper will investigate the way in which Mina D. Todorović deals with important social and en... more This paper will investigate the way in which Mina D. Todorović deals with important social and environmental issues in her recent novels, and tries to place them in the context of our publishing scene for children and young people, as well as in the broader perspective of engaging literature for children and young people. After pointing out the discrepancies between the publisher’s framing of these books and their actual content, we analyse the subtle ways in which Todorović’s previous experience with fantasy literature influenced the shaping of this duology. Finally, we point out the ecocritical background which determines the underlying system of values in Todorović’s novels.
Jahrbuch der Gesellschaft für Kinder- und Jugendliteraturforschung, 2022
Slavic folklore contains a variety of beliefs concerning magical animals and other imaginary and ... more Slavic folklore contains a variety of beliefs concerning magical animals and other imaginary and liminal beings, their characteristics and properties. This heritage was adopted and used in the past by various children’s authors who integrated these folklore motifs into their own work. Some recent authors, on the other hand, show a marked tendency to implement animals of their own invention in order to convey an ecological message, often employing a quasi-encyclopaedic approach (e. g. Uroš Petrović and Zoran Penevski). Others create imaginary animals in order to explore moral dilemmas and psychological depths in a form appropriate for children (e. g. Mina Todorović). When folklore heritage makes a reappearance, it sometimes takes on a comical function in a contemporary urban context (e. g. Ivana Nešić). In this paper we provide an overview and an analysis of fantastic animals and their heterogeneous origins and functions in contemporary Serbian fantasy written for children, presenting a condensed outline of the most recent developments. Our aim is to combine a traditional analysis of the literary fantastic and folklore elements with ecocriticism.
Македонски и српски роман на прелазу у нови миленијум (упоредни аспекти): зборник радова са међународног пројекта одржаног у Институту за књижевност и уметност у Београду (23 – 24.10.2019. године), 2020
This paper offers a necessarily limited overview of parallels and contrasts in contemporary histo... more This paper offers a necessarily limited overview of parallels and contrasts in contemporary historiographic metafiction in the Serbian and Macedonian novel. We selected the novels of Radoslav Petković and Venko Andonovski as a starting point, as excellent examples of the postmodern historical novel, and included comparisons and intertextual connections with other writers and their texts in order to establish common tendencies, recurring motives or similar motivations in creators who opted for historical subjects. While Petković’s and Andonovski’s novels published at the close of the 20th century, Destiny, Annotated (1993) and The Navel of the World (2000) display all key traits of historiographic metafiction as described by Linda Hutcheon, their more recent work – Andonovski’s Witch (2006) and Petković’s The Perfect Remembrance of Death (2008) is characterized by a new poetics, developed naturally within their respective oeuvres. A tentative conclusion could be summarized as follows: namely, that Petković and Andonovski strive for and accomplish different potentials of historiographic metafiction and that the diverging directions of their creative development are more visible in their more recent novels. A similar heterogeneity is noticeable on the Serbian and Macedonian literary scene, among younger writers.
Plants in Children's and Young Adult Literature, 2021
In this chapter we provide an overview and an analysis of fantastic and magical plants (that is, ... more In this chapter we provide an overview and an analysis of fantastic and magical plants (that is, of their heterogeneous origins and functions) in contemporary Serbian fantasy fiction written for children, and to combine a traditional analysis of the literary fantastic and folklore elements with ecocriticism. Serbian folklore beliefs concerning magical plants and their properties were adopted and made use of by various children’s authors. Older authors rely heavily on the aforementioned folk heritage, using magical or fantastic plants as signals of the supernatural order and symbols of higher ethical or religious values. Recent authors, on the other hand, show a marked tendency to employ plants of their own invention in order to convey an ecological message. Thus, Uroš Petrović devises an entire herbal for his first novel while Mina Todorović develops a complex symbolism by using a variety of magical plants. When folk heritage reappears, it can take on a comical role in a contemporary urban context, as presented in Ivana Nešić’s opus, while Selina Lovren uses contemporary Serbian poetry and its vegetative motifs as an inspiration.
Transmedijalno pripovedanje i digitalno mapiranje : istorija, sećanje, identitet = Transmedia storytelling and digital mapping : history, memory, identity, 2021
HYBRID FANTASY AND TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING:
THE CASE OF TAMSYN MUIR’S NOVELS
Abstract
During the ... more HYBRID FANTASY AND TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING: THE CASE OF TAMSYN MUIR’S NOVELS Abstract During the last few years, we have witnessed the emergence of a new generation of authors who grew up in a transmedia environment and whose works spontaneously adapt to the state of ubiquitous networking and fluidity of narratives that are constantly being re-shaped in different forms. One of the most interesting phenomena in the field of fantasy literature is Tamsyn Muir, a young New Zealand author who has published only two novels so far, Gideon the Ninth (2019) and Harrow the Ninth (2020). Both works aroused great interest and varying reactions precisely because of the confident interplay of different genre identities, as well as the transmedia links between the fantastic narrative and the characteristic conventions of social networks. In her work, Muir uses the internet discourse as developed on Tumblr or Twitter – primarily viral content, i.e. internet memes, but also a rich legacy of fanfiction and video games. Within the limits of this paper, we will try to analyse whether Muir manages to create a harmonious, narrative and artistic unity.
TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER: THE INTERSECTIONS OF GENRES IN VLADA STOJILJKOVIĆ’S SHORT STORIES FOR CHI... more TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER: THE INTERSECTIONS OF GENRES IN VLADA STOJILJKOVIĆ’S SHORT STORIES FOR CHILDREN
This paper examines the science fiction stories of Vlada Stojiljković, collected in Ipsilon (Upsilon, 1998) and attempts to show how the author used various staple motifs of science fiction (primarily the first contact motif) and transformed them according to the poetics of children’s literature, creating an original intersection between various genres. The paper also traces the links between the stories and the radio plays that presented the basis for some of them and observes the influence of the radio format on Stojiljković’s texts. After a provisional genre categorisation, the paper concludes with a short overview of the literary context of Serbian SF for children.
This article investigates the time loop motif in Dejan Aleksić's novel, A Shoe at the End of the ... more This article investigates the time loop motif in Dejan Aleksić's novel, A Shoe at the End of the World. Following a brief overview of the most important uses of the time motif in children's literature, and positioning this paper within Nikolajeva's (i.e. Eliade's) dichotomy of linear and cyclical time, we analyse the time loop motif in Aleksić's short children's novel. Unlike e.g. science fiction authors, Aleksić does not use the time loop as a plot point but rather as an important factor creating a sense of wonder in his text. He also uses it as a narrative starting point for a string of comical paradoxes that posit a simultaneity of past and future events, which sets the overall tone of the novel. The time loop also establishes effectively the displacement of Aleksić's imaginary world, removing it from the linear time sequence, characteristic for adults, and yet setting it apart from the idyllic eternity of childhood, envisioned by older authors. Simultaneously, the time loop serves as a link to the metafictional characteristics of other Aleksić's texts.
A FOREST OF FORKING PATHS: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ARTHURIAN TRADITION AND SCIENCE FICTION IN D... more A FOREST OF FORKING PATHS: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ARTHURIAN TRADITION AND SCIENCE FICTION IN DIANA WYNNE JONES’S NOVEL "HEXWOOD" Abstract This paper analyses Diana Wynne Jones’s use of the Arthurian tradition in her novel Hexwood and the links she establishes with the contemporary traditions of the fantasy novel for children and science fiction. By employing a complex non-linear narration and a rich network of intertextual allusions ranging from Thomas Mallory and Edmund Spenser to T. H. White, Wynne Jones creates an unusual and successful genre amalgam. The central concept of the novel, a version of virtual reality where individuals adopt false identities and act accordingly, enables a highly uncommon self-aware use of motifs adopted from myth and literature.
Савремена српска фолклористика 8, Словенски фолклор и књижевна фантастика: зборник радовa, 2020
KRALJEVIĆ MARKO (PRINCE MARKO) AS A CHARACTER IN CONTEMPORARY FANTASY
This paper focuses on the ... more KRALJEVIĆ MARKO (PRINCE MARKO) AS A CHARACTER IN CONTEMPORARY FANTASY
This paper focuses on the transformations of the Prince Marko figure in contemporary Serbian fantasy. As our most famous and most popular epic hero, Marko represents a logical choice for authors who re-narrate folklore motifs and syuzhets, but modern treatments of this figure draw on various traditions and the Western fantasy genre as well. By analysing the most important examples of fantasy novels featuring Marko (written by Dragan R. Filipović, Boban Knežević, Aleksandar Tešić) and placing them within the context of the most celebrated mainstream modern interpretations from Domanović to the present, we shall attempt to establish the various tendencies of this figure’s development and their common elements. It is noticeable that all selected authors present intentional reconfigurations of that character and highlight certain traditional aspects while downplaying others. Some choose a satirical bent (Filipović), some stress the hero’s psychological and ethical issues (Knežević) or his role of protector and saviour (Tešić).
THE OLD AND THE NEW: THE REVIVAL OF CHILDREN’S COMPANIES’ NOVEL IN THE WORKS OF MOREA BANIĆEVIĆ
S... more THE OLD AND THE NEW: THE REVIVAL OF CHILDREN’S COMPANIES’ NOVEL IN THE WORKS OF MOREA BANIĆEVIĆ Summary: Morea Banićević started publishing relatively recently (her first novel was published in 2015). However, there are various reasons why her trilogy of children’s fantasy novels (The Demon of the School Library, Doubles in the Dark, In the Footsteps of Black Peter) represents an interesting phenomenon in the regional literary scene. These novels reinvigorate the subgenre of novels centred around children’s groups and successfully cross them with the fantasy genre and the serial format. Their publication history is also interesting as an example of post-Yugoslav literary connections. We shall discuss the appearance and characteristics of this trilogy in the context of other fantasy children’s novels that appeared in Serbia and Croatia over the last decade, and their success with the critics and the readers.
Časopisi za decu: jugoslovensko nasleđe (1918-1991), 2019
ROCKETS AND TENTACLES: THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE FICTION ILLUSTRATION IN SERBIAN PERIODICALS FOR... more ROCKETS AND TENTACLES: THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE FICTION ILLUSTRATION IN SERBIAN PERIODICALS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH OF THE YUGOSLAV PERIOD, ON THE EXAMPLE OF POLITIKIN ZABAVNIK
Summary: This paper attempts to trace the various manners in which the tradition of science fiction illustration in children’s and youth periodicals developed and improved over time. Considering the surfeit of material, this analysis deals with a four years’ worth of Politikin zabavnik issues, namely the issues published in 1961, 1971, 1981 and 1991, and focuses on the illustrations created for the short story column. 1961 was chosen as the starting point, since the Space Race and Gagarin’s first foray into outer space caused a massive increase in Zabavnik’s publication of futuristic and science fiction content. We attempt to register shifts in style and format, the positioning of illustration within the text, the personal mark of individual illustrators (Božidar Veselinović, Petar Radičević, Željko Pahek, Dobrosav Bob Živković) as well as the links between these illustrations and other art forms explored by the authors (primarily comics, but book illustration and classical art as well). The illustrators of Politikin zabavnik and their heterogeneous works formed the SF iconography for several generations of readers, and the illustrations created for this magazine have had the largest reading audience and instantaneous reception.
Prikaz knjige "Uzvišenost", Darko Tuševljaković, Laguna, Beograd, 2021.
https://www.biblioso.org... more Prikaz knjige "Uzvišenost", Darko Tuševljaković, Laguna, Beograd, 2021.
Prikaz knjige "Zašto se dete kuva u palenti" (Aglaja Veteranji), prevela s nemačkog Bojana Denić,... more Prikaz knjige "Zašto se dete kuva u palenti" (Aglaja Veteranji), prevela s nemačkog Bojana Denić, Partizanska knjiga, Kikinda, 2020.
Prikaz knjige "Daleka obala" (Karil Filips), preveli s engleskog Arijana Luburić Cvijanović i Igo... more Prikaz knjige "Daleka obala" (Karil Filips), preveli s engleskog Arijana Luburić Cvijanović i Igor Cvijanović, Kulturni centar Novog Sada i Partizanska knjiga, Novi Sad-Kikinda, 2020)
Prikaz romana "Tajno znanje", Endru Krumi, Partizanska knjiga, Kikinda, 2020.
https://polja.rs/2... more Prikaz romana "Tajno znanje", Endru Krumi, Partizanska knjiga, Kikinda, 2020.
Prikaz romana Elfride Jelinek, "Požuda" (prevela s nemačkog Sanja Karanović, Lom, Beograd, 2019)
... more Prikaz romana Elfride Jelinek, "Požuda" (prevela s nemačkog Sanja Karanović, Lom, Beograd, 2019)
Prikaz zbirke priča "Mlad si da se proslaviš", Miloš Petrik, Gradska biblioteka „Karlo Bijelicki“... more Prikaz zbirke priča "Mlad si da se proslaviš", Miloš Petrik, Gradska biblioteka „Karlo Bijelicki“, Sombor, 2019.
This monograph outlines the poetics of translation for children and its historical development in... more This monograph outlines the poetics of translation for children and its historical development in Serbian culture, focusing on the period 1945-1991. We trace the various shifts in the construct of childhood in Serbian culture and, accordingly, in the conventions of translating for children, across a number of case studes including translations and retranslations of children’s classics (the works of De Amicis, Carroll, Kipling, Spyri, Wilde).
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Papers by Tijana D Tropin
The Example of Coin of Destiny (Novčić sudbine)
Fantasy series for children and youth are often organized as trilogies, either with a pre-planned development of the plot, or with the spontaneous evolution of protagonists and plotlines. By using the example of Ivana Nešić’s final addition to the series centering on the adventures of the boy Mika (Greengranny’s Gifts, The Secret of the Animal Language, Coin of
Destiny), published over a lengthy period from 2013 to 2022, we will show how this format affects the structure of individual sequels, and how in recent decades it has created a new literary tradition with its own requirements. Breaking away from the clear-cut distinction Victor Watson
established between progressive and successive literary series, Nešić’s latest novel shifts the focus onto Mika’s development and maturation while he approaches puberty. Simultaneously, the depicted secondary worlds also gain in complexity and meaning.
many times, in differing contexts, those in the illustrations have been somewhat neglected even though they also reflect the turbulent development of this work of Ćopić. Here we will try to shed light on the illustrations in a little more detail.
In his novels Očevi i oci (Fathers and Forefathers) and Ubistvo sa predumišljajem (Premeditated Murder) Slobodan Selenić uses extensive, yet unaccredited quotations from the works of Rebecca West (Black Lamb and Grey Falcon) and Deana Leskovar (Slike žalosnih doživljaja). He also transfers his own passages from Očevi i oci into Ubistvo sa predumišljajem. His purpose in doing so remains unclear; it is most likely not a postmodern narrative stratagem, but a self-contained game in an otherwise traditionally written text.
Radoslav Petković uses intertextuality in various ways: he alludes to other texts, quotes from them, borrows certain narrative and structural elements, or reuses already existing characters, either his own or those of other writers. His books, especially "Izveštaj o kugi" and "Sudbina and komentari", gain another level of meaning owing to Petković's frequent references to other literary and non-literary texts.
This paper deals with a concrete example for the hypothesis that within Yugoslav publishing, although it was a cumbersome socialist system of publishing houses run according to the principles of self-management, the editorial policy was still determined by individuals. In the case of certain authors, genres, and sometimes even national literatures, their reception in our translated literature was directed and determined by the work and decisions of individual editors. An example that we analyze in this paper is the presence of Anglophone fiction in the “Plava ptica” (Blue Bird) edition. The choice of titles, the terms of their placement on the market and the cultural context in which they were published were largely determined by the editor Žika Bogdanović, known here for his work in the field of comics. Using recent works that combine publishing history with cultural analysis and contemporary versions of reception theory, we attempt to depict this phenomenon. Bogdanović used the framework of an imprint oriented towards young readers to recontextualise and succesfully publish adult fantasy authors such as Michael Moorcock, Terry Brooks and Walter Wangerin Jr. or classics such as Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker.
Summary
This paper deals with Olga Timotijević’s literary translations published in Žena danas, where she was primarily active as an editor. The introduction outlines some of the problems we face in researching the history of female translation, as well as recent cultural trends dominating the field of translation studies, and is followed by the example of Timotijević’s translation work as a case study. By analyzing this relatively small corpus of texts translated from French, German and English, one can still develop an image of a particular translator’s profile: Olga Timotijević’s translations in Žena danas are marked by her professional and personal feminist and communist engagement. Located at a sensitive intersection between editorial and translation work, these translations are indicative of the feminist and leftist tendencies in Europe of the time. By reading them closely, one can identify the political and social problems that the readership of Žena danas struggled with, as well as gain valuable insight into the literature that was available to the editors of Žena danas, including communist and exile journals such as Commune and Das Wort. However, they are also important as a testimony to the formation of modern translation poetics. Unlike Olga Timotijević’s translations for children, the translations in this magazine are characterized by an emphasis on their content instead of form. The editorial liberties taken with certain texts can usually be explained by the specific requirements of periodical publishing
(the target texts are abridged and condensed) and more rarely interpreted as political, feminist decisions of the translator.
Summary
This paper will analyse the repetition of literary motifs in the works of Vladimir Stojšin, which will establish the less visible poetic connections between different phases of his literary oeuvre. Above all, this refers to the hidden kinship between his novels for adults and those intended for children. Employing the basic tenets of the theory of intertextuality, and pointing out the closeness of his work to the as of yet poorly defined genre of autofiction, we will show how recurring motifs are being changed and reshaped in Stojšin’s work. Special attention is devoted to the novel Kuglana (The Bowling Alley), which represents a point of important change in Stojšin’s opus: straddling the boundary between his previous lyrical texts and the subsequent children’s books, this short novel appears to be dealing with contemporary subjects. However, a close reading shows that even there Stojšin is reworking obsessive images of his war-torn childhood, and establishes important intertextual links with other Stojšin’s novels.
THE CASE OF TAMSYN MUIR’S NOVELS
Abstract
During the last few years, we have witnessed the emergence of a new generation of authors who grew up in a transmedia environment and whose works spontaneously adapt to the state of ubiquitous networking and fluidity of narratives that are constantly being re-shaped in different forms. One of the most interesting phenomena in the field of fantasy literature is Tamsyn Muir, a young New Zealand author who has published only two novels so far, Gideon the Ninth (2019) and Harrow the Ninth (2020). Both works aroused great interest and varying reactions precisely because of the confident interplay of different genre identities, as well as the transmedia links between the fantastic narrative and the characteristic conventions of social networks. In her work, Muir uses the internet discourse as developed on Tumblr or Twitter – primarily viral content, i.e. internet memes, but also a rich legacy of fanfiction and video games. Within the limits of this paper, we will try to analyse whether Muir manages to create a harmonious, narrative and artistic unity.
This paper examines the science fiction stories of Vlada Stojiljković, collected in Ipsilon (Upsilon, 1998) and attempts to show how the author used various staple motifs of science fiction (primarily the first contact motif) and transformed them according to the poetics of children’s literature, creating an original intersection between various genres. The paper also traces the links between the stories and the radio plays that presented the basis for some of them and observes the influence of the radio format on Stojiljković’s texts. After a provisional genre categorisation, the paper concludes with a short overview of the literary context of Serbian SF for children.
Abstract
This paper analyses Diana Wynne Jones’s use of the Arthurian
tradition in her novel Hexwood and the links she establishes with the
contemporary traditions of the fantasy novel for children and science
fiction. By employing a complex non-linear narration and a rich network
of intertextual allusions ranging from Thomas Mallory and Edmund
Spenser to T. H. White, Wynne Jones creates an unusual and successful
genre amalgam. The central concept of the novel, a version of virtual
reality where individuals adopt false identities and act accordingly,
enables a highly uncommon self-aware use of motifs adopted from
myth and literature.
This paper focuses on the transformations of the Prince Marko figure in contemporary Serbian fantasy. As our most famous and most popular epic hero, Marko represents a logical choice for authors who re-narrate folklore motifs and syuzhets, but modern treatments of this figure draw on various traditions and the Western fantasy genre as well.
By analysing the most important examples of fantasy novels featuring Marko (written by Dragan R. Filipović, Boban Knežević, Aleksandar Tešić) and placing them within the context of the most celebrated mainstream modern interpretations from Domanović to the present, we shall attempt to establish the various tendencies of this figure’s development and their common elements. It is noticeable that all selected authors present intentional reconfigurations of that character and highlight certain traditional aspects while downplaying others. Some choose a satirical bent (Filipović), some stress the hero’s psychological and ethical issues (Knežević) or his role of protector and saviour (Tešić).
Summary:
Morea Banićević started publishing relatively recently (her first novel was published in 2015). However, there are various reasons why her trilogy of children’s fantasy novels (The Demon of the School Library, Doubles in the Dark, In the Footsteps of Black Peter) represents an interesting phenomenon in the regional literary scene. These novels reinvigorate the subgenre of novels centred around children’s groups and successfully cross them with the fantasy genre and the serial format. Their publication history is also interesting as an example of post-Yugoslav literary connections. We shall discuss the appearance and characteristics of this trilogy in the context of other fantasy children’s novels that appeared in Serbia and Croatia over the last decade, and their success with the critics and the readers.
OF THE YUGOSLAV PERIOD, ON THE EXAMPLE OF POLITIKIN ZABAVNIK
Summary: This paper attempts to trace the various manners in which the tradition of science fiction illustration in children’s and youth periodicals developed and improved over time. Considering the surfeit of material, this analysis deals with a four years’ worth of Politikin zabavnik issues, namely the issues published in 1961, 1971, 1981 and 1991, and focuses on the illustrations created for the short story column.
1961 was chosen as the starting point, since the Space Race and Gagarin’s first foray into outer space caused a massive increase in Zabavnik’s publication of futuristic and science fiction content. We attempt to register shifts in style and format, the positioning of illustration within the text, the personal mark of individual illustrators (Božidar Veselinović, Petar Radičević, Željko Pahek, Dobrosav Bob Živković) as well as the links between these illustrations and other art forms explored by the authors (primarily comics, but book illustration and classical art as well). The illustrators of Politikin zabavnik and their heterogeneous works formed the SF iconography for several generations of readers, and the illustrations created for this magazine have had the largest reading audience and instantaneous reception.
The Example of Coin of Destiny (Novčić sudbine)
Fantasy series for children and youth are often organized as trilogies, either with a pre-planned development of the plot, or with the spontaneous evolution of protagonists and plotlines. By using the example of Ivana Nešić’s final addition to the series centering on the adventures of the boy Mika (Greengranny’s Gifts, The Secret of the Animal Language, Coin of
Destiny), published over a lengthy period from 2013 to 2022, we will show how this format affects the structure of individual sequels, and how in recent decades it has created a new literary tradition with its own requirements. Breaking away from the clear-cut distinction Victor Watson
established between progressive and successive literary series, Nešić’s latest novel shifts the focus onto Mika’s development and maturation while he approaches puberty. Simultaneously, the depicted secondary worlds also gain in complexity and meaning.
many times, in differing contexts, those in the illustrations have been somewhat neglected even though they also reflect the turbulent development of this work of Ćopić. Here we will try to shed light on the illustrations in a little more detail.
In his novels Očevi i oci (Fathers and Forefathers) and Ubistvo sa predumišljajem (Premeditated Murder) Slobodan Selenić uses extensive, yet unaccredited quotations from the works of Rebecca West (Black Lamb and Grey Falcon) and Deana Leskovar (Slike žalosnih doživljaja). He also transfers his own passages from Očevi i oci into Ubistvo sa predumišljajem. His purpose in doing so remains unclear; it is most likely not a postmodern narrative stratagem, but a self-contained game in an otherwise traditionally written text.
Radoslav Petković uses intertextuality in various ways: he alludes to other texts, quotes from them, borrows certain narrative and structural elements, or reuses already existing characters, either his own or those of other writers. His books, especially "Izveštaj o kugi" and "Sudbina and komentari", gain another level of meaning owing to Petković's frequent references to other literary and non-literary texts.
This paper deals with a concrete example for the hypothesis that within Yugoslav publishing, although it was a cumbersome socialist system of publishing houses run according to the principles of self-management, the editorial policy was still determined by individuals. In the case of certain authors, genres, and sometimes even national literatures, their reception in our translated literature was directed and determined by the work and decisions of individual editors. An example that we analyze in this paper is the presence of Anglophone fiction in the “Plava ptica” (Blue Bird) edition. The choice of titles, the terms of their placement on the market and the cultural context in which they were published were largely determined by the editor Žika Bogdanović, known here for his work in the field of comics. Using recent works that combine publishing history with cultural analysis and contemporary versions of reception theory, we attempt to depict this phenomenon. Bogdanović used the framework of an imprint oriented towards young readers to recontextualise and succesfully publish adult fantasy authors such as Michael Moorcock, Terry Brooks and Walter Wangerin Jr. or classics such as Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker.
Summary
This paper deals with Olga Timotijević’s literary translations published in Žena danas, where she was primarily active as an editor. The introduction outlines some of the problems we face in researching the history of female translation, as well as recent cultural trends dominating the field of translation studies, and is followed by the example of Timotijević’s translation work as a case study. By analyzing this relatively small corpus of texts translated from French, German and English, one can still develop an image of a particular translator’s profile: Olga Timotijević’s translations in Žena danas are marked by her professional and personal feminist and communist engagement. Located at a sensitive intersection between editorial and translation work, these translations are indicative of the feminist and leftist tendencies in Europe of the time. By reading them closely, one can identify the political and social problems that the readership of Žena danas struggled with, as well as gain valuable insight into the literature that was available to the editors of Žena danas, including communist and exile journals such as Commune and Das Wort. However, they are also important as a testimony to the formation of modern translation poetics. Unlike Olga Timotijević’s translations for children, the translations in this magazine are characterized by an emphasis on their content instead of form. The editorial liberties taken with certain texts can usually be explained by the specific requirements of periodical publishing
(the target texts are abridged and condensed) and more rarely interpreted as political, feminist decisions of the translator.
Summary
This paper will analyse the repetition of literary motifs in the works of Vladimir Stojšin, which will establish the less visible poetic connections between different phases of his literary oeuvre. Above all, this refers to the hidden kinship between his novels for adults and those intended for children. Employing the basic tenets of the theory of intertextuality, and pointing out the closeness of his work to the as of yet poorly defined genre of autofiction, we will show how recurring motifs are being changed and reshaped in Stojšin’s work. Special attention is devoted to the novel Kuglana (The Bowling Alley), which represents a point of important change in Stojšin’s opus: straddling the boundary between his previous lyrical texts and the subsequent children’s books, this short novel appears to be dealing with contemporary subjects. However, a close reading shows that even there Stojšin is reworking obsessive images of his war-torn childhood, and establishes important intertextual links with other Stojšin’s novels.
THE CASE OF TAMSYN MUIR’S NOVELS
Abstract
During the last few years, we have witnessed the emergence of a new generation of authors who grew up in a transmedia environment and whose works spontaneously adapt to the state of ubiquitous networking and fluidity of narratives that are constantly being re-shaped in different forms. One of the most interesting phenomena in the field of fantasy literature is Tamsyn Muir, a young New Zealand author who has published only two novels so far, Gideon the Ninth (2019) and Harrow the Ninth (2020). Both works aroused great interest and varying reactions precisely because of the confident interplay of different genre identities, as well as the transmedia links between the fantastic narrative and the characteristic conventions of social networks. In her work, Muir uses the internet discourse as developed on Tumblr or Twitter – primarily viral content, i.e. internet memes, but also a rich legacy of fanfiction and video games. Within the limits of this paper, we will try to analyse whether Muir manages to create a harmonious, narrative and artistic unity.
This paper examines the science fiction stories of Vlada Stojiljković, collected in Ipsilon (Upsilon, 1998) and attempts to show how the author used various staple motifs of science fiction (primarily the first contact motif) and transformed them according to the poetics of children’s literature, creating an original intersection between various genres. The paper also traces the links between the stories and the radio plays that presented the basis for some of them and observes the influence of the radio format on Stojiljković’s texts. After a provisional genre categorisation, the paper concludes with a short overview of the literary context of Serbian SF for children.
Abstract
This paper analyses Diana Wynne Jones’s use of the Arthurian
tradition in her novel Hexwood and the links she establishes with the
contemporary traditions of the fantasy novel for children and science
fiction. By employing a complex non-linear narration and a rich network
of intertextual allusions ranging from Thomas Mallory and Edmund
Spenser to T. H. White, Wynne Jones creates an unusual and successful
genre amalgam. The central concept of the novel, a version of virtual
reality where individuals adopt false identities and act accordingly,
enables a highly uncommon self-aware use of motifs adopted from
myth and literature.
This paper focuses on the transformations of the Prince Marko figure in contemporary Serbian fantasy. As our most famous and most popular epic hero, Marko represents a logical choice for authors who re-narrate folklore motifs and syuzhets, but modern treatments of this figure draw on various traditions and the Western fantasy genre as well.
By analysing the most important examples of fantasy novels featuring Marko (written by Dragan R. Filipović, Boban Knežević, Aleksandar Tešić) and placing them within the context of the most celebrated mainstream modern interpretations from Domanović to the present, we shall attempt to establish the various tendencies of this figure’s development and their common elements. It is noticeable that all selected authors present intentional reconfigurations of that character and highlight certain traditional aspects while downplaying others. Some choose a satirical bent (Filipović), some stress the hero’s psychological and ethical issues (Knežević) or his role of protector and saviour (Tešić).
Summary:
Morea Banićević started publishing relatively recently (her first novel was published in 2015). However, there are various reasons why her trilogy of children’s fantasy novels (The Demon of the School Library, Doubles in the Dark, In the Footsteps of Black Peter) represents an interesting phenomenon in the regional literary scene. These novels reinvigorate the subgenre of novels centred around children’s groups and successfully cross them with the fantasy genre and the serial format. Their publication history is also interesting as an example of post-Yugoslav literary connections. We shall discuss the appearance and characteristics of this trilogy in the context of other fantasy children’s novels that appeared in Serbia and Croatia over the last decade, and their success with the critics and the readers.
OF THE YUGOSLAV PERIOD, ON THE EXAMPLE OF POLITIKIN ZABAVNIK
Summary: This paper attempts to trace the various manners in which the tradition of science fiction illustration in children’s and youth periodicals developed and improved over time. Considering the surfeit of material, this analysis deals with a four years’ worth of Politikin zabavnik issues, namely the issues published in 1961, 1971, 1981 and 1991, and focuses on the illustrations created for the short story column.
1961 was chosen as the starting point, since the Space Race and Gagarin’s first foray into outer space caused a massive increase in Zabavnik’s publication of futuristic and science fiction content. We attempt to register shifts in style and format, the positioning of illustration within the text, the personal mark of individual illustrators (Božidar Veselinović, Petar Radičević, Željko Pahek, Dobrosav Bob Živković) as well as the links between these illustrations and other art forms explored by the authors (primarily comics, but book illustration and classical art as well). The illustrators of Politikin zabavnik and their heterogeneous works formed the SF iconography for several generations of readers, and the illustrations created for this magazine have had the largest reading audience and instantaneous reception.
https://www.biblioso.org.rs/public/uploads/dometi/dometi%20188-189.pdf
https://polja.rs/2021/529/
https://polja.rs/2021/527/
https://polja.rs/2020/526/
https://polja.rs/2020/524/