Literary Programme
With Barbi Markovic as the guest for the evening, this year’s literary programme is to continue at the “Poet’s Square” on July 29th, 9PM.
Barbi Markovic was born in 1980 in Belgrade. She studied at the Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade- Department of Germanic Studies- German language, literature and culture as well as in Vienna. She has worked as a proofreader for some time. Her novel Izlaženje (Going Out), published in 2009, certainly captured the audience’s attention. It is based on the Nicolaas Thomas Bernhard’s short story “Walking” (“Gehen”) (1971). Its significance lies in the fact that it was instrumental in relating the spirit of the German culture and literature to the audience in Belgrade. The book was translated into Serbian and published under the auspices of the “Rende” publishing house in 2006 and later on the translation by Maša Dabić was published by the “Suhrkamp” publishing house (Germany). She was chosen the City Author of Gratz in 2011/2012 and in 2016, her novel Superheroines was published by the “Residenz Verlag” publishing house. This novel has brought the author the Alpha Literature Prize and also the Adelbert von Chamisso Prize. Furthermore, she received the Reinhard Priessnitz Prize in 2019.
Many short stories, theatre pieces and radio plays followed the success of her novels. Her novels The Shitty Time and Minihorror were published in 2021 and 2023 respectively also by the “Residenz Ferlag” publishing house. She received the Berlin Art Prize (Literature Section) in 2023. Additionally, in 2024 she received the Leipzig Book Fair Prize in the category of fiction with mini-horror.
In an interview for “Blic” magazine, Barbi Markovic stated that when writing her novel Minihorror that talks about the everyday horror scenarios of an Austrian couple, she started off by having in mind primarily the horror genre. However, after considering it for a while, it all started to sound so dreary. “Therefore, I decided to let my imagination roam freely and consequently named the characters Minnie and Mickey. This contributed to the comic effect because upon hearing the names of the protagonists, one can think of Disney characters. This ,however, doesn’t have to be the case.”
In the same interview, it is stated that the panel of judges at the Leipzig Book Fair ,where she received a prize in the category of fiction with mini-horror , put a special emphasis on addressing the fact that “the seemingly simple sentences in the novel manage to bring to life the notion of the correlation between the struggles of everyday life and the existential situation in the world”. “Markovic was able to put on paper the truth behind the life nowadays in an unbelievably funny but at the same time bitter serious way . At the plot’s background are the war crimes with the climate change being the primary theme, while the banality of our everyday lives comes somewhere in between.”-stated the panel.
The moderator for the evening is Gojko Božović, a poet, literary critic, essayist and publisher.
Theatre Programme
The same night at 7 PM on Monday, July 29th, the second rerun of the play in a form of a guided stride Unreal City is to take place. It is written and directed by Vuk Ršumović and is the production of the “Theatre City” Budva. The venue for the play is the whole of the Old Town Budva.
“The Unreal City is a theatrical experience that breaks the traditional boundaries between the performer and audience. The play is realized in a form of a guided stride and that in the authentic atmosphere of the Old Town Budva. The audience is to follow the narration using headphones that will help create the world of imagination, eventually leading to the need for interaction with the environment, including the people present. It goes without saying that the audience is no longer a passive observer but an active participant in a play and is encouraged to explore the surroundings, therefore influencing the development of the story-line. The project is a stepping stone towards the new field of contemporary theatrical expression that blurs the boundaries between reality and fiction. The audience will have a chance to experience Budva in a unique and unforgettable way, not yet seen till now. When it comes to the theme of the play, the participants are motivated to think about their memories in a new and different way, thus moving their lives to a yet unexplored and exciting context for them. The goal is that in each and every member of the audience, the play should activate the memory in different ways. With the use of narration and their own memory and imagination, the participants will be transported to different new worlds. Our intention is to give the audience an unforgettable experience and forever imprint in their memory these impressions of the Old Town Budva”- states Ršumović in his directorial explanation.
Along with the writer-director Vuk Ršumović, the authorial team includes: Ana Tomović (assistant director), Jakov Munižaba (sound design), Andreja Hamović (the visual designs’ author) and Marija Liješević as the narrator. Ana Pavlović and Sunčica Babić are also a part of the play.
The oral testimonies of: Slobodan Bobo Mitrović, Dalibor Antonioli, Jerolim Dragičević, Ljerka Dragičević, Dragan Stefan and Marija Pjerotić were used as a documentary material.
The play Ureal City will also run on the 30th of July at 7 PM. This time, the venue will also be the Old Town Budva. However, due to the program’s specific nature, the second cycle of the performances will also be made available to the public during August, or to be specific from the 22nd to the 25th of August.
The “Theatre-City” Press-Office