Pavic Milorad is a writer who is considered one of the most prominent representatives of magical realism and postmodernism of the 20th century. In Spain and France, he is called "the author of the first book of the 21st century." Critics from Austria consider him "the chief of staff of European modernity", and from England - "a storyteller equal to Homer". Even in South America, Milorad Pavic is called the most significant writer of our time.
Pavic Milorad is known not only as a writer and poet, but also as a teacher, translator, literary critic, researcher of symbolism and Serbian baroque poetry. In 2004, he was even nominated for the Nobel Prize. Literature has always played a huge role in the life of Milorad Pavic. One day he noticed that he had no biography, only a bibliography. However, we will present in this article some biographical information that may be of interest to readers.
Originwriter
The future writer was born in 1929, October 15th. Milorad Pavic was born into the family of a philosophy teacher and sculptor. In 1949-53. he studied at the University of Belgrade (Serbia) at the Faculty of Philosophy. However, Milorad decided to devote himself to literature. He was not the only one in the family who made such a decision. For more than 300 years they have been writing in the Pavic family. Emerik Pavic was one of the first to engage in literature. As early as 1768 he published a collection of poetry. Since childhood, Milorad was equal to Nikola, his uncle. In the middle of the twentieth century, Nikola Pavic was a famous writer.
Introduction to Russian
Milorad spoke Russian well. He learned it during the German occupation. Some Russian emigrant gave Pavich to read the poems of Tyutchev and Fet in the original. This was enough for the future writer to fall in love with Russian literature and the Russian language. Later, Pavić Milorad translated many works of classical Russian literature into Serbian. As part of the school curriculum, Serbian students read Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin in his translation.
Besides Russian, he spoke French, German and some ancient ones. In addition to Pushkin, Pavić also translated Byron into Serbian. As for his personal life, we note that Milorad was married to literary critic and writer Yasmina Mikhailovich.
A new way to read books
Pavich Milorad studied the heritage of the classics all his life. He concluded that the classical way of reading books had already exhausted itself long ago. Therefore, in theirPavić tried to change it in his works, to give more freedom to the reader. He tried to give him the opportunity to decide for himself where the novel would begin and end, to independently choose the plot and denouement of the work, the fate of the characters. He compared his novels to a house, which can be entered from different directions: it has several exits and entrances. The writer for each work came up with a new structure that had not been used before. It is not surprising that all his creations have always fascinated both critics and readers. Milorad Pavić, whose novel reviews are the most positive, is one of the most interesting modern writers. He died in 2009, November 30.
Bibliography
Milorad Pavić, whose biography was presented above, is the author of many interesting works. He wrote novels, poems, stories. In 1967, his first collection of poetry ("Palimpsesti") was published. The next, "Moonstone", was born in 1971. However, it was his prose works that brought him worldwide fame. We will focus only on the most striking examples of his magical realism, on creations that were ahead of their time (as literary critics note) and influenced the development of literature in the 21st century.
Roman Dictionary
In 1984, Milorad Pavić, whose works were then not as popular as they are now, gained worldwide fame thanks to his novel "The Khazar Dictionary". Bookis a prime example of non-linear prose. It was translated almost immediately into more than twenty languages. And they began to talk about Milorad Pavic as the creator of a new type of literature. The uniqueness of the work lies in the fact that it is presented in the form of a dictionary-lexicon that unites different languages and cultures: Jewish, Muslim, Christian. The novel is a kind of pseudo-document, a hoax. Events and people are depicted in the work as real. The novel, thanks to the dictionary format, can be read in many ways, not necessarily linear - from beginning to end. It is also interesting that this book has a gender. You can read it in two versions, female and male. They differ by only one paragraph. The "Khazar Dictionary" was immediately called by readers as a manuscript in which the entire Universe is supposedly encrypted. Until now, he is considered one of the most unusual creations of modern world literature.
Roman Crossword
In 1988, a novel called "A Landscape Painted by Tea" was published. It is also one of the most famous creations of the Serbian writer. This work is in the form of a crossword puzzle. The crossword can be read both vertically and horizontally. Pavic in the novel writes about time, about the present, past and future, about the body and soul of a person, about hatred, love, jealousy, frailty and death. Moreover, these eternal philosophical themes in his work are conveyed in an unusual, bizarre form. This book can also be read from anywhere. The work is a maze novel. In it, the fate of the heroes is gradually drawn before the reader, a mosaic is formed.
Roman-clepsydra
In 1991, another novel appeared - "The Inner Side of the Wind". In it, Pavić continued to experiment with form. He created his work in the form of a clepsydra novel. The end of one part is the beginning of another. The book can be read to the middle, and then turned upside down and continue reading from the other end. "The Inner Side of the Wind", like other works of the Serbian writer, is not just a game with form. It is also an endless collection of symbols, vivid images, amazing metaphors.
Divination novel
Pavic in 1994 again surprised readers. He published the work "Last Love in Constantinople. Divination Handbook". This is a fortune-telling novel. It consists of 22 chapters bearing the names of Tarot cards. The fate of the heroes and the sequence of chapters depend on how these cards are de alt. The author said that with the help of his work, the reader can predict his own fate: the novel can be read without paying attention to the cards. Or, ignoring the book, just guessing.
A novel with two endings
The Serbian writer has always tried to keep up with the times. In his opinion, the literature of our day must adapt to the electronic era. In 1999, Pavić's new novel, The Stationery Box, was published. It offers the reader a combined reading. The book has 2 endings. With one you canmeet directly in it, while the other exists only on the Internet. The author indicated an e-mail address on the pages of the book. By clicking on it, you can get acquainted with an alternative version of the finale.
By the way, the writer has another work related to the computer. We are talking about "Novel for computer and carpenter's compasses", which was written by Milorad Pavić. "Damaskin" - this is the name of the work.
Roman-astrological guide
In the list of works by Milorad Pavic there is also a kind of astrological reference book. The author notes that this is a kind of guide to astrology for the uninitiated. The novel is called Star Mantle and was written in 2000. The book contains a detailed description of the signs of the zodiac. It intertwines various destinies, realities and eras. The work is a guide to the previous life.
A novel with blank pages
Milorad Pavic in his 2004 detective novel "A Unique Novel" invited the reader to literally become a co-author of the work. The book contains pages that Milorad deliberately left blank. Any reader can choose 1 of 100 possible denouements to their taste, or write their own version on the blank pages.
Innovation of Milorad Pavic
Serbian writer developed his own special language, his own form of narration and style. He was way ahead of his era. Milorad Pavić's texts are not always clear. The prose of this author can not be consideredliterature for general reading. The Serbian writer created hypertext, referring to extensive knowledge in the field of literature, folklore, theology, and history. What is its magic? Perhaps in the fact that he drew his inspiration from dreams, which are as unique, amazing and non-linear as his works.
Books for talented readers
It is also very important that Milorad Pavić, whose stories, short stories and novels are so popular today, did not want to write to the table. According to him, literature is led into the future not by writers, but by readers. Pavic argued that there are always many more talented readers in the world than talented writers. He tried to make everyone who picks up a book a co-author of his work. Pavić strove to diversify the ways in which books were read. His novels were supposed to be something more than works similar to "one-way streets." Of course, the writer Milorad Pavić achieved this in his works. He left a valuable legacy for authors and readers of the 21st century.
Milorad Pavic quotes
Pavic is the author of many famous and interesting quotes. Here are just a few.
- "In our life we go to paradise more than once, but we always remember only the expulsion from paradise."
- "Even a stopped clock sometimes shows the time correctly."
- "The color of your silence depends on what you are silent about."
