On Friday 20th May through diplomatic cargo flight, bronze monument of Serbian writer Milorad Pavić arrived from Azerbaijan. Official unveiling ceremony will be arranged 8th June 2011. with Serbian President Boris Tadić, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Alijev and Pavić’s widow, writer Jasmina Mihajlović.
Monument dedicated to Milorad Pavić, work of university professor and sculptor from Baku – Natigu Alijev, is three meters high. It’s made of bronze plating, and have special seismic construction. Sculptor Alijev, in order to introduce with writer’s life and work besides photography, film and video, traveled to Moscow to see Pavić’s monument in the Alley of writers, the work of Russian sculptor Grigorij Potocki, which is set in the capital of Russia in 2008, during his lifetime.
At the opening ceremony of Embassy of the Republic of the Azerbaijan 8th June 2011. in Belgrade, Milorad Pavic’s Bequest an Foundation gave to the city of Baku facsimile of the manuscript „Dictionary of the Khazars“. A facsimile is handed to the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, in the presence of Serbian and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, numerous guests, representatives of the clergy and diplomatic corps.
The text on the facsimile:
Milorad Pavić
Dictionary of the Khazars
Unique facsimil of the original manuscript „Dictionary of the Khazars“ written by Serbian author Milorad Pavic. It owns only Baku. The original is in Belgrade. In a sign of deepest gratitude to the people of Azerbaijan State, on behalf of Milorad Pavic’s Bequest gave Jasmina Mihajlovic.
Belgrade, Serbia, 8 June 2011. on the official opening ceremony of the Milorad Pavic’s monument in the Tasmajdan Park, work of sculptor Natigu Aliyev.
In the newly reconstructed Tasmajdan park 8th June 2011, in downtown of Belgrade a monument dedicated to Milorad Pavic was unveiled . Monument was revealed by Serbian President Boris Tadic and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.
Three meter high monument made of bronze plating is work of sculptor Natigu Aliyev, university profesor from Baku and member of Russian Academy of Arts.
On the occasion, special deluxe edition of Milorad Pavic’s Dictionary of the Khazars – translation on Azeri language was printed, with photography of the monument.
Interesting was the emergence of Dictionary of the Khazars in Indonesia, who was accompanied by tempestuous literary piracy story.
When it comes to Pavić’s books, in Serbia appears to be completely different phenomenon. Due to the inappropriate length of the probate discussion caused by the reform of the judicature, so far only new edition of Short history of Belgrade and Pavić’s translation of Pushkin „Eugene Onegin“ was published, while for the october Book Fair finally will appear Dictionary of the Khazars, Inner Side of the Wind and Second body, published by the Institute for textbook publishing and teaching aids, the novels which aren’t present in native language for over a year!
Similar Serbo-global situation appears to be going with the Pavić’s posthumous theatrical life. He is immanent everywhere, except in Serbia. In 2010. and 2011. were played premieres in Moscow, Bucharest and Prijedor. Moscow, in the form of musical drama performed Bed for three, in Bucharest Mik Theatre dramatized the Star Cape, while Gradimir Gojer, director from Sarajevo, in Prijedor theater set a play named Petkutin and Kalina – Play Pavich, based on the dramatization of the entire Pavić’s literary work.
Intriguing is Russian multimedia project Dictionary of the Khazars – live, presented at the All-Russian Festival of Science in Moscow this year. This is the concept of approaching the novel from the modern maze standpoint which includes architecture, computer games, theater, film, museum approach etc.. See: „Живой Хазарский Словарь“
В основу создания беспрецедентного future-media-проекта: «Хазарский словарь LIVE» положен роман Милорада Павича «Хазарский Словарь», книга, давшая начало интерактивной литературе 21 века.
The Ukrainian weekly „Mirror of the week“, which is published in Russian also, was released an extensive interview with Jasmina Mihajlovic, writer, widow of Milorad Pavic, its copyright holder and legal trustee of the Milorad Pavic Foundation – whose founder is the Belgrade City Assembly.
The conversation in Belgrade led by professor. Dr. Sergiy Kurbatov, a lecturer at universities in Ukraine, Sweden and the United States.
Theatrical spectactacle Dictionary of the Khazars: Children of Dreams, (Słownik Chazarski. Dzieci Snów) based on Milorad Pavic’s novel, had a premiere in Poland on 11th February. Directed by Paweł Passini, show is performed on three stages including interaction with the audience, which had to decide which version to view: „Male“, „Female“ or „Dream Hunters“. It is an ambitious project, experimental theater, generating excitement both in the audience and among critics.
So far, the dramatizations of Dictionary of the Khazars, Pavic’s famous novel, were staged in various theaters in Russia, Germany, America, Czech Republic, Slovenia and France.
The March edition of the magazine Serbica, issued by Université Michel de Montaigne – Bordeaux 3, has published a special edition (dossier) dedicated to Milorad Pavic, under the title „The first writer of the XXI century“ (Le premier écrivain XXIe du siècle). At www.serbica.fr, besides extracts from four Pavić books and Autobiographies, which is translated by Marija Bezanovska,
it’s been published a significant number of other articles: two essays on the Dictionary of the Khazars, written by academics in France, Sanja Boskovic and Boris Lazic, two interviews with Pavic, two stories of prof. Milivoj Srebro – a portrait of the writer and the study of the reception Dictionary of the Khazars in the Franch speaking area, and the text of the French critic Nicole Casanova on the Inner Side of the Wind. The thematic article includes a detailed bibliography of Pavic’s books translated in French and a list of published articles on the writer in the French newspapers and periodicals.
So far, eight Pavic’s books are translated in France, while currently publisher Lièvre Lunaire prepares bibliophile edition of several Pavic’s stories. Milorad Pavic was a guest of the famous Bernard Pivot in his cult show Apostrophe, the play Dictionary of the Khazars was performed at castles around France, while publisher Belfond is largely responsible for the planetary fame of Dictionary of the Khazars.
Legat Milorada Pavića koji je ovaj pisac ostavio svom rodnom gradu Beogradu, biće prvi put otvoren za javnost prilikom „Dana evropske baštine“. Ove godine tema manifestacije je Darivanje i zadužbinarstvo. Pavićev Legat čiji je osnivač Skupština grada Beograda, a staratelj njegova supruga, književnica Jasmina Mihajlović, moći će da se poseti 23, 25. i 27. septembra od 12 do 13 časova. Prijavljivanje posete se može zakazati na svim info pultovima Turističke organizacije Beograda.