Novi Heder 2021 001 1

For several decades Milorad Pavić translated literature from Russian, French and English. He translated poetry, long poems, dramatic texts and a novel in verse. Among the authors he translated were Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov, George Gordon Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, François Villon, Pierre de Ronsard, Molière, Frédéric Mistral and Charles Simic. He also translated troubadours and trouvères, Scottish folk ballads, as well as Burmese and Francophone poetry. [official biography]

A special part of Pavić’s early work as a translator was connected with Radio Belgrade. From the mid-1950s he worked in its Literary Department, translating poetry and preparing literary broadcasts; one of his major radio projects was the series “A Thousand Years of Lyric Poetry” (Hiljadu godina lirike). [radio bibliography]

Because of the nature of radio work, it is no longer possible to establish the individual title, date of translation and place of first publication for every Pavić translation. Some translations were made for broadcasts and were not necessarily printed as separate bibliographic items. This survey therefore distinguishes bibliographically identified translations from authors and poetic corpora for which there is reliable evidence that Pavić translated them, although the individual texts have not yet been identified.

ALEXANDER SERGEYEVICH PUSHKIN

Pushkin occupies a central place in Pavić’s work as a translator. Pavić translated him over several decades, from the early verse translation of Poltava to Eugene Onegin, lyric poetry and long poems; at the same time he served as editor, commentator, author of forewords and general editor of major Pushkin editions.

Poltava

1949 — Poltava, Mladost, Belgrade — Pavić’s verse translation of the first canto of the poem. [bibliographic source]

1952 — Poltava, Novo pokoljenje, Belgrade — verse translation by Milorad Pavić, 80 pp. [bibliographic source]

Selo i druge pesme [The Village and Other Poems]

1963 — Selo i druge pesme, Prosveta, Belgrade, Biblioteka Prosveta, no. 97, 119 + [4] pp. — selection, foreword and translation by Milorad Pavić. [bibliographic source]

Reissued in 1965, 1966 and 1971.

Drame. Poeme. Pesme [Dramas. Long Poems. Poems]

1963 — Drame. Poeme. Pesme, Prosveta, Belgrade, “Svetski klasici”, no. 12, 582 pp. — selection, foreword, editing and translation by Milorad Pavić. [bibliographic source]

Second edition: 1966. Third, expanded edition: 1975.

The following long poems are explicitly identified as Pavić’s translations:

  • “Poltava”
  • “The Gypsies”
  • “The Little House in Kolomna”

Sabrana dela Aleksandra Puškina [Collected Works of Alexander Pushkin]

1972 — Sabrana dela Aleksandra Puškina u osam knjiga [Collected Works of Alexander Pushkin in Eight Volumes], Rad, Belgrade. [bibliographic source]

In volume two, Bronzani konjanik i druge poeme [The Bronze Horseman and Other Poems], Pavić is one of the translators; his translations are “Poltava”, “The Gypsies” and “The Little House in Kolomna”. The edition was reissued in 1979.

Volume three is Eugene Onegin, translated in its entirety by Milorad Pavić.

In volume four, Boris Godunov. Male tragedije. Bajke [Boris Godunov. Little Tragedies. Fairy Tales], Pavić is one of the translators, together with Božidar Kovačević and Lav Zaharov.

Pesme zapadnih Slovena i druge pesme [Songs of the Western Slavs and Other Poems]

In the accompanying essay “Puškinove Pesme zapadnih Slovena” [Pushkin’s Songs of the Western Slavs], published with Prosveta’s 1968 edition of Eugene Onegin, the following verse translations by Pavić appeared:

  • “Karađorđevoj kćeri” [To Karađorđe’s Daughter]
  • “Amaliji Riznić” [To Amalija Riznić]
  • “Na smrt gospođe Riznić” [On the Death of Mrs Riznić]
  • “Bonaparta i Crnogorci” [Bonaparte and the Montenegrins]
  • “Pesma o Crnom Đorđu” [Song of Black George]
  • “Vojvoda Miloš” [Voivode Miloš]
  • “Zbog obala svog zavičaja” [For the Shores of His Homeland]

“Pesma o Crnom Đorđu” was republished in Pavić’s translation from Russian in Književne novine on 15 November 1991, and in 1995 in the book Srbi u ruskoj imperiji [Serbs in the Russian Empire]. [bibliographic source]

Evgenije Onjegin [Eugene Onegin]

Pavić’s verse translation of Eugene Onegin is the most enduring part of his translation oeuvre. The first edition appeared in 1957, and new editions of his translation continued to be published after his death.

1957 — Narodna knjiga, Belgrade, Biblioteka “Vrhovi”, series I, no. 3 — verse translation and foreword by Milorad Pavić, 286 + [2] pp. [bibliographic source]

1962 — Savremena škola, Belgrade, Školska biblioteka, no. 55 — translated by Milorad Pavić, 265 + [3] pp. [bibliographic source]

1964 — Rad, Belgrade, Biblioteka “Reč i misao”, no. 109 — translated by Milorad Pavić, 199 + [1] pp.; 2nd ed. 1968, 3rd ed. 1979. [bibliographic source]

1968 — Prosveta, Belgrade, Biblioteka Prosveta, no. 152 — verse translation, foreword and chronology by Milorad Pavić, 248 + [4] pp.; 2nd ed. 1975. [bibliographic source]

1972 — Rad, Belgrade, Sabrana dela Aleksandra Puškina u osam knjiga, vol. 3 — translated by Milorad Pavić, 255 pp.; 2nd ed. 1979. [bibliographic source]

1973 — Veselin Masleša, Sarajevo, Biblioteka “Ars. Lektira” — translation by Milorad Pavić, 256 + [8] pp.; new editions in 1974, 1978, 1980 and 1982. [bibliographic source]

1981 — Prosveta / Nolit / Zavod za udžbenike, Belgrade — translation, foreword and editing by Milorad Pavić; 2nd ed. 1983. [bibliographic source]

1995 — Gutenbergova galaksija, Belgrade, “Đačka biblioteka”, no. 13 — verse translation and afterword by Milorad Pavić, 244 pp. [bibliographic source]

Later and posthumous editions of Pavić’s translation appeared with a number of publishers, including Zavod za udžbenike, Pčelica, LOM, Gutenbergova galaksija, Izdavačka knjižarnica Zorana Stojanovića, Laguna, Kosmos/Nova knjiga and Kontrast.

Special mention should be made of Pushkin’s Izabrana dela [Selected Works] in two volumes, edited by Tanja Popović and published by Izdavačka knjižarnica Zorana Stojanovića, Sremski Karlovci–Novi Sad, 2019, which again includes Pavić’s Pushkin translations.

Pavić’s Eugene Onegin was published from 1957 through at least 2024 — a span of at least 67 years.

GEORGE GORDON BYRON

1968 — George Gordon Byron, Izabrana dela. Dramske poeme – spevovi – pesme [Selected Works. Dramatic Poems – Long Poems – Poems], Prosveta, Belgrade, Biblioteka Prosveta, no. 144, 245 + [3] pp. [bibliographic source]

The selection was made by Milorad Pavić. The translators include Milorad Pavić, Dušan Puvačić, Ranka Kuić, Isidora Sekulić and others. The second edition appeared in 1976.

A reliably identified individual translation by Pavić:

“Manfred” — excerpt from the poem, translated by Milorad Pavić; published in Zoran Đerić’s book Odušak, Writers’ Association of Vojvodina, Novi Sad, 1994. [bibliographic source]

FRANÇOIS VILLON

Pavić translated Villon’s poetry from French. Individual titles and their place of publication or broadcast have not yet been identified.

PIERRE DE RONSARD

Pavić translated Ronsard’s poetry from French. Individual translations have not yet been bibliographically identified.

MOLIÈRE

Pavić translated Molière from French. No separate book translation of a Molière play has yet been identified, nor can the individual texts he translated be reliably established without additional archival evidence.

FRÉDÉRIC MISTRAL

Pavić translated Mistral’s poetry. Individual titles have not yet been bibliographically identified.

TROUBADOURS AND TROUVÈRES

Pavić translated medieval Provençal and French lyric poetry — troubadours and trouvères. This part of his translation work was connected with his broader interest in the history of European lyric poetry. Because of the nature of his work at Radio Belgrade, the individual translations cannot in every case be bibliographically identified. [radio bibliography]

PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY

Pavić translated Shelley’s poetry from English. Individual titles and their place of publication or broadcast have not yet been identified.

SCOTTISH FOLK BALLADS

Pavić translated Scottish folk ballads from English. Individual ballads have not yet been identified in the printed bibliography.

MIKHAIL YURYEVICH LERMONTOV

Pavić translated Lermontov’s poetry from Russian. Individual titles and their place of publication or broadcast have not yet been identified.

TRANSLATIONS PUBLISHED IN NIN IN 1955

Pavić’s bibliography preserves precise information on a group of early translations published in NIN during 1955.

Burmese literature

U Sanang, “Čičkovi pupoljci” [Burdock Buds] — translated by Milorad Pavić, NIN, 9 January 1955. [bibliographic source]

Zegi, “Pesme delte” [Songs of the Delta] — translated by Milorad Pavić, NIN, 9 January 1955. [bibliographic source]

Mun Bim, “Mesečina na Mendelejskom dvorcu” [Moonlight at the Mandalay Palace] — translated by Milorad Pavić, NIN, 12 June 1955. [bibliographic source]

Francophone poetry

Léon Damas, “Ivice”, “Sećanja” [Edges; Memories] — translated from French by Milorad Pavić, NIN, 2 October 1955. [bibliographic source]

Jean Brière, “Kada smo se rastali” [When We Parted] — translated by Milorad Pavić, NIN, 30 October 1955, year V, no. 252. [bibliographic source]

Paul Niger, “Mesec” [The Moon] — translated by Milorad Pavić, NIN, 30 October 1955, year V, no. 252. [bibliographic source]

CHARLES SIMIC

1976 — Charles Simic, “Pile bez glave” [Headless Chicken] — translated by Milorad Pavić, Gradina, Niš, year XL, nos. 7–8, pp. 40–46. [bibliographic source]

NOTE ON RADIO TRANSLATIONS

Pavić’s translation work cannot be reconstructed solely from the printed bibliography. A significant part of his early translations was produced within his work for Radio Belgrade, especially in connection with broadcasts devoted to the history of European lyric poetry and the series “A Thousand Years of Lyric Poetry” (Hiljadu godina lirike). [radio bibliography]

For this reason, in the case of authors such as Villon, Ronsard, Molière, Mistral, Shelley and Lermontov, as well as troubadours, trouvères and Scottish folk ballads, it is not always possible to give individual titles, dates and bibliographic data. Their presence in Pavić’s translation oeuvre is confirmed, but part of this work remained tied to radio programming and archival material.

SOURCES

Milorad Pavić — bibliography of translations, Project Rastko: 09. Translation Work LINK

Milorad Pavić — television and radio records, Project Rastko: Radio and Television Bibliography LINK

Official biography of Milorad Pavić: khazars.com LINK

PAVIĆ AS AN EDITOR

For several decades Milorad Pavić prepared major editions of Serbian and Russian writers, collected and selected works, anthologies and large literary-historical collections. His editorial work included selection and editing of texts, forewords, afterwords, commentaries, notes, chronologies and other forms of critical and literary-historical apparatus. This survey includes only major editorial projects, not every individual foreword, afterword or text published with another author’s work. [official biography]

Pavić’s own literary-historical books and monographs are not included, since they belong to his separate bibliography. Major publishing series that he edited or initiated are listed separately at the end, but they should not be equated with his personal preparation of every individual volume.

VOJISLAV ILIĆ

Sabrana dela, I–II [Collected Works, I–II]

1961 — Vojislav Ilić, Sabrana dela, I–II, Prosveta, Belgrade, series “Srpski pisci” — foreword and commentaries by Milorad Pavić. [bibliographic source]

This major two-volume edition was published for the centenary of the poet’s birth. Pavić’s official biography singles out this project among his early literary-historical and editorial undertakings. [official biography]

Vojislav Ilić

1966 — Vojislav Ilić, Zavod za izdavanje udžbenika SRS, Belgrade, series “O književnosti – studije, eseji, kritike, članci”, vol. 6 — extensive selection and editing by Milorad Pavić; Pavić also wrote the foreword and substantial studies included in the volume. [bibliographic source]

Smaller and derivative editions of Ilić’s poetry containing Pavić’s forewords are not listed here as separate major editorial units.

GAVRIL STEFANOVIĆ VENCLOVIĆ

Crni bivo u srcu. Legende, besede, pesme [The Black Buffalo in the Heart. Legends, Sermons, Poems]

1966 — Gavril Stefanović Venclović, Crni bivo u srcu. Legende, besede, pesme, Prosveta, Belgrade, Biblioteka “Brazde”, special series, vol. 6 — selection, foreword and editing by Milorad Pavić. Pavić’s foreword: pp. 7–80. [bibliographic source]

This is one of Pavić’s key editorial projects: the selection grew out of his years of research into Venclović’s manuscript legacy and played an important role in restoring this Baroque writer to contemporary Serbian literary culture. [official biography]

A new edition of Pavić’s selection and editorial work was published by Prosveta in 1996.

DOSITEJ OBRADOVIĆ

Pismo Haralampiju. Život i priključenija [Letter to Haralampije. Life and Adventures]

1968 — Dositej Obradović, Pismo Haralampiju. Život i priključenija, Prosveta, Belgrade, Biblioteka Prosveta, vol. 116 — edited by Milorad Pavić. [official biography]

Pavić’s foreword “Život i priključenija ili roman u pismima”, pp. 5–36; “Dositej Obradović – hronologija života”, pp. 259–272. Second edition: 1975. [bibliographic source]

VUK STEFANOVIĆ KARADŽIĆ

Danica: 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829, 1834

1969 — Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, Danica: 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829, 1834, Sabrana dela Vuka Karadžića, vol. 8, Prosveta, Belgrade — edited by Milorad Pavić. [bibliographic source]

Pavić’s substantial afterword “Zabavnik Vuka Karadžića”, pp. 533–635; notes and explanations, in collaboration with other authors, pp. 637–846; “Beleška o ovom izdanju”. The afterword was also published separately. A facsimile edition of Danica appeared in 1979. [bibliographic source]

O jeziku i književnosti, knj. 2 [On Language and Literature, vol. 2]

1986 — Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, O jeziku i književnosti, knj. 2, Prosveta, Belgrade, Sabrana dela Vuka Stefanovića Karadžića, vol. 13 — edited by Milorad Pavić.

Pavić’s editorial apparatus includes extensive “Napomene i objašnjenja” [Notes and Explanations] and “Belešku o ovom izdanju” [Note on This Edition].

ZAHARIJA ORFELIN

Petar Veliki, I–II [Peter the Great, I–II]

1970 — Zaharija Orfelin, Petar Veliki, I–II, Prosveta, Belgrade, Biblioteka “Brazde” — two-volume edition prepared by Milorad Pavić. [official biography]

Pavić also wrote the afterword “Uz Orfelinovu knjigu o Petru Velikom”, vol. II, pp. 405–412. [bibliographic source]

This was one of his major projects devoted to bringing eighteenth-century Serbian literature back to a modern readership.

ALEXANDER SERGEYEVICH PUSHKIN

Selected Works / Major Pushkin Editions

In the early 1960s Pavić prepared and annotated major Pushkin editions. His official biography records that Prosveta published Izabrana dela A. S. Puškina [Selected Works of A. S. Pushkin] in 1962. [official biography]

1963 — A. S. Puškin, Selo i druge pesme, Prosveta, Belgrade, Biblioteka Prosveta, vol. 97 — selection, foreword and translation by Milorad Pavić. Reissued in 1965, 1966 and 1971. [bibliographic source]

1963 — A. S. Puškin, Drame. Poeme. Pesme, Prosveta, Belgrade, “Svetski klasici”, vol. 12 — selection, foreword and editing by Pavić; he was also one of the translators. Second edition 1966; third, expanded edition 1975. [bibliographic source]

Sabrana dela Aleksandra Puškina u osam knjiga [Collected Works of Alexander Pushkin in Eight Volumes]

1972 — Sabrana dela Aleksandra Puškina u osam knjiga, Rad, Belgrade. Pavić’s work on this major edition included an afterword, commentaries and translations. [official biography]

Pavić’s decades-long work on Eugene Onegin included, in addition to the verse translation, forewords, chronology and a commentary apparatus. The complete publication history of his translation belongs to the section “Pavić as a Translator” and is not repeated here.

MAJOR ANTHOLOGIES AND LITERARY-HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS

Memoari XVIII i XIX veka [Memoirs of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries]

1964 — Memoari XVIII i XIX veka, Matica srpska – Srpska književna zadruga, Novi Sad–Belgrade, series “Srpska književnost u sto knjiga”, vol. 29 — foreword, selection and editing by Milorad Pavić. Foreword: pp. 7–13; “Biografski podaci o piscima”: pp. 323–330. [bibliographic source]

Od baroka do klasicizma [From Baroque to Classicism]

1966 — Od baroka do klasicizma, Nolit, Belgrade, series “Srpska književnost u književnoj kritici”, vol. III — edited and with a foreword by Milorad Pavić. Revised edition: 1973. [bibliographic source]

Pavić’s official biography explicitly singles out this volume among his editorial projects. [official biography]

Stari srpski zapisi i natpisi [Old Serbian Records and Inscriptions]

1986 — Stari srpski zapisi i natpisi, Prosveta – Srpska književna zadruga, Belgrade, series “Stara srpska književnost”, vol. 19 — selection and accompanying texts by Milorad Pavić.

MAJOR PUBLISHING SERIES

These series should not be confused with individual edited volumes, but they form an important part of Pavić’s large-scale editorial work.

From 1963 Pavić edited the “Srpski pisci” series at Prosveta, later “Savremeni strani pisci”, and founded the “Plave brazde” series, intended to revive works of old Serbian literature. [official biography]

In 1985 Pavić and Dimitrije Bogdanović launched Prosveta’s 24-volume series “Stara srpska književnost”. [official biography]

Not every book in these series is listed here individually, since serving as series editor does not automatically mean that Pavić personally prepared every volume.

SOURCES

Milorad Pavić — bibliography of scholarly and essayistic texts, forewords, afterwords and editorial work, Project Rastko: LINK

Official biography of Milorad Pavić, khazars.com: LINK

1970

  • Award of the Prosveta Publishing House for History and Philosophy — for History of Serbian Literature of the Baroque Period.

1985

  • NIN Award for Novel of the Year — for Dictionary of the Khazars. The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU) records it under 1985.

1988

  • “Meša Selimović” Award — for Landscape Painted with Tea.
  • National Library of Serbia Award — for Landscape Painted with Tea.

1989

  • 7 July Award of Serbia.
  • AVNOJ Award.

1991

  • Golden Beočug Award. SANU dates it to 1991.
  • Elected a full member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts — 25 April 1991.
  • Member of the Crown Council — from 1991.

1992

  • “Borisav Stanković” Award — for The Inner Side of the Wind.
  • October Award of the City of Belgrade — for his entire literary oeuvre.
  • “Felix Romuliana” Silver Medal.
  • Critics’ and Readers’ Award for Novel of the Decade — Dictionary of the Khazars.

1994

  • International “Tesla” Award — Athens — presented on 13 April 1994; awarded to Milorad Pavić and, posthumously, to Melina Mercouri.
  • “Todor Manojlović” Award — awarded on 27 May 1994.
  • “Stefan Mitrov Ljubiša” Award — Budva — 16 July 1994.
  • “Petar Kočić” / Kočić Award — Banja Luka — late August 1994.
  • Prosveta Award for Novel of the Year — for Last Love in Constantinople — 14 December 1994. The Prosveta Award, the “Stefan Mitrov Ljubiša” Award and the Kočić Award are also confirmed by SANU.

1995

  • “Laza Kostić” Award — for Last Love in Constantinople.
  • “Golden Bestseller” — for Last Love in Constantinople.

1996

  • Special Vuk Award — 10 May 1996.
  • “Golden Bestseller” — for The Fish-Skin Hat — December 1996.

1997

  • “Rača Charter” — for his entire body of work.
  • Jakov Ignjatović Foundation Award — for lifetime achievement.

1998

  • “Jakov Ignjatović” Award — Budapest — 1 October 1998.
  • “Golden Bestseller” — for The Glass Snail — 22 December 1998.
  • Dereta Annual Award — for The Glass Snail — 23 December 1998.

1999

  • “Nušić’s Cane” — for his entire body of work.

2000

  • Dereta Book of the Year Award — for The Star Mantle.
  • “Bestseller” / “Golden Bestseller” — for The Star Mantle.
  • “Dušan Vasiljev” Award — for his short-story oeuvre.

2001/2002

  • Andrić Award — for the short-story cycle Stories from the Sava Slope / the book Seven Deadly Sins. Pavić’s official biography associates the Andrić Award with Seven Deadly Sins, published in 2002.

2002

  • “Hit Libris”.

2004

  • Belovode Rosette.
  • Note: according to the annual records, Pavić did not attend the award ceremony because of the extreme heat.
  • High distinction “Dostoevsky”.

2005

  • International Zepter Prize for Literature. SANU confirms the award; the year 2005 is taken from the annual records.

2006

  • Doctorat Honoris Causa — honorary doctorate of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” — Sofia, Bulgaria. SANU confirms the honorary doctorate.

2007

  • “Kočić’s Book” Award — Petar Kočić Foundation.

2009

  • Russia — Moscow — monument to Milorad Pavić — bronze bust by Russian sculptor Grigory Pototsky — unveiled on 24 June 2009 in front of the Library for Foreign Literature, in the Alley of Distinguished Foreigners. The monument was erected several months before Pavić’s death, during his lifetime.

POSTHUMOUS HONOURS AND MEMORIALS

2010/2011

  • Serbia — Novi Sad — the Central Reading Room of the Library of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad, was named “Milorad Pavić”. Pavić’s biography states that the library has borne his name since 2010, while the formal naming of the Central Reading Room is documented on 21 February 2011.
  • Serbia — Novi Sad — memorial plaque to Milorad Pavić at the Faculty of Philosophy — ceremonially unveiled on 21 February 2011 at the entrance to the Central Reading Room of the Faculty Library.

2011

  • Serbia — Belgrade — Tašmajdan Park — monument to Milorad Pavić — unveiled on 8 June 2011. The monument was unveiled by Serbian President Boris Tadić and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. It was created by Azerbaijani sculptor Natig Aliyev; the monument is three metres high and made of bronze.

2014

  • China — Dictionary of the Khazars — named Book of the Year in China.

2015

  • Serbia — Belgrade — memorial bust and memorial plaque to Milorad Pavić on the building in which he lived and which houses his Legacy — 24 November 2015. The bust is by Grigory Pototsky and is a replica of the Moscow monument.

2016

  • France — Dictionary of the Khazars — “Nuit du Livre” (Night of the Book) award for the French reissue of the novel.

Nobel Prize nominations are not included. For the Nobel Prize in Literature, nominations, the names of nominators, the opinions of the Nobel Committee and other documentation remain confidential for 50 years. This is explicitly stated by both the Nobel Foundation and the Swedish Academy.