Serbian literature

Like Russian writing, Serbian evolved on the basis of albeit related, but still non-Slavic, thanks to the books of Holy Scripture and liturgical, translated from Greek into ancient Church Slavonic by Saints Cyril and Methodius and their students and transferred to Serbia from Bulgaria . These books, as a result of their correspondence by Serbian scribes, soon began to dazzle with various features of Serbian lively speech, and in this way there were Serbian varieties (versions) of ancient Church Slavonic manuscripts, as Russians were formed in Russia . The main feature of the Serbian spelling of these monuments is the use of b instead of b , y - instead of a large usa (as in Russian spelling), e - instead of a small usa , sometimes a instead of b. The oldest examples of manuscripts of the Serbian exodus include: “ Miroslav Gospel ” - a perfectly preserved apracos of the 12th century , “ Vlkanovo gospel ” - of the beginning of the 13th century , “ St. Nicholas Gospel” - of the end of the 14th or beginning of the 15th century. In addition to books of church and spiritual and moral content, the Serbs also learned almost the rest of the composition of the old Bulgarian writing, through which the then Slavs of the Eastern rite became acquainted with Byzantine literature in general.

Soon the Serbs became independent contributors to the Slavic literature of the east. Among the Serbian scribes the same instructive collections of spiritual-secular, sometimes purely historical content ( Paleya , Zlatostruy , Prologue, etc.) or pseudoscientific ( Physiologist and others) circulated in Bulgaria and Russia; the same can be said about works of a narrative nature, such as, for example, the tales of Alexander the Great, the Trojan War, Devgenia, Varlaam and Joasaph, as well as various apocrypha and books rejected by the church (writings of the Bulgarian priest Jeremiah , books of the Bogomil or patarens , etc.).

Much more than in all these books, we find traces of lively Serbian speech in the arbitrariness of everyday writing and monuments of law. Of the first, the lives of Stephen Nemani , composed by his sons Stephen the First-Crown and St. Savoy and the Hilandar monk Domenian, a student of St. Savva, who also wrote his life. Life of St. She also found the second drafter in the person of the monk Theodosius. The Bulgarian native Gregory Tsamblak , also known for his literary work in Russia, owns the life of Stefan Dechansky, whose other biography is found in the XIV century life collection “Tsarostavnik”, or “Genealogy”.

In general, the Serbian “everyday” writing was not only not very high, but even was justly condemned by the latest researchers (especially A. F. Hilferding ) for excessive exaggeration in praise, hypocrisy, flattery and inconsistent tongue-in-cheek language with sometimes terrible acts of glorified persons . Somewhat apart is the remarkable work of the Bulgarian native, the “philosopher” Konstantin Kostenczski , remarkable for his time — the life of the Serbian despot Stefan, the son of Tsar Lazar, defeated by the Turks on the Kosovo Field , more receptive to the work of the latest historians than the ancient “everyday” writers, and distinguished by fidelity historical posts; it is the most valuable work of all the ancient Serbian everyday and historical writing.

Monuments of law - letters of agreement, etc. - are curious not only in their language, which is an example of living Serbian speech at that time, but also in details of everyday content; such, for example, are the agreement of Kulin, the Bosnian ban, with Prince Korvash , the Dubrovnik envoy ( 1189 ), the “ Vinodolsky Law ” and especially the legalist of Tsar Stephen Dusan , as well as various gifts and other letters of honor from this king and other rulers, and Fotiev nomocanon , that is, a collection of church decrees ^[1] .

In the middle period of Serbian literature, researchers distinguish, on the one hand, its flowering in Dubrovnik and, as some reflection of this phenomenon, the literary activity of writers in Slavonia and Bosnia , and on the other, the emergence of a field of literature in Kosov’s own after the Kosovo period in the 17th and 18th centuries Serbia and then with the Austrian Serbs: this is the so-called Slavic-Serbian school of writers, trying to maintain the old literary tradition and uphold book unity with Russia. Dubrovnik literature, developed under the influence of the early Italian Renaissance, presented a number of brilliant writers who brought the development of the Serbian language and verse to a significant degree of strength and beauty (see Dubrovnik). Andrei Kacic-Miocic ( 1690 - 1760 ), as if finishing his fruitful activity with Dubrovnik literature, perhaps served as a link linking it with the new period of Serbian literature. Of the Bosnian writers, the most remarkable is Matia Divkovich ( 1563 - 1631 ), the author of the books “The Science of Crest”, “Beside the Holy Gospel of the Short-lived”, “One Hundred Miracles”, the poetic legend of St. Katerina et al. Among the writers operating in Slavonia, Matia Antun Relkovich ( 1732 - 1778 ) with his poetic work “Satyr or Ti Divi Chovik” ( 1761 ), which made a deep impression on the Serbian reading world, is more noticeable than others; its significance in the history of Serbian literature is almost equal to the meaning of the “Conversation” by Kacic-Miocic, since the spiritual appearance and material well-being of the contemporary author of Slavonic society are vividly reflected in the images of extremely natural and truthful, alien to stiffness and tension of most of the works of Serbian literature.

Dubrovnik literature should be attributed both in language and in its historical fate to one of the historical periods of Croatian literature . In the beginning, is she the same? like the medieval Serbian proper, it is more “writing” than literature. The language of early Serbian writing is not Serbian folk, but “Slavic Serbian” - a mixture of Russian, Serbian folk and Church Slavonic languages. This literature was under strong Russian influence, since Serbian priests, almost the only literate people at that time, studied in Russia or had Russian teachers.

The Slavic-Serbian school of writers, connected with the ancient Serbian writing by the activities of Patriarch Paisius ( XVII century ), exposed several serious figures, such as Khristofor Zhefarovich , Zakhariya Orfelin , Joakim Vuich , Rakic , Terlaich and especially Raich John ( 1726 - 1801 ), the composition of which “ The history of various Slavic peoples, most of the Bulgarians, Croats and Serbs ”, representing a coherent and systematic, albeit without skillful critical treatment, story about the events of South Slavic history, has long been the only more or less valuable source a planner of information about the past of the Balkan Slavs. The remarkable literary and educational activities of Dosifey Obradovic ( 1731 - 1811 ), on the one hand, complete the Slavic-Serbian school, and on the other, are the forerunner of those new beginnings that formed the basis of all the transformative work of the famous initiator of new Serbian literature, Vuk Karadzic , whose literary forerunner may Obradovic be named predominantly. This is a type of eternal wanderer-teacher, for whom the interests of enlightenment and book teaching are the most dear in the world. His book Belly and Adventures, which contains a description of his entire anxious life, is full of deep interest (see Radchenko , “ Dosifei Obradovich”). Other outstanding works of his: published in Leipzig in 1784, “Tips of Common Mind” - like a course of practical morality “for the Serbian people” - and published in Vienna in 1793 “A collection of different moralizing things for the benefit and amusement”. Its language comprises, in comparison with previous writers, much more popular elements, although it is still far from free from Slavism; his worldview is largely rationalistic (for example, on the issue of monasteries). Politically, he was a supporter of monarchism ; Peter the Great was for him a model of a sovereign who cares about the national welfare and enlightenment.

Vuk Stefanovich Karadzic ( 1787 - 1864 ) is almost the most remarkable person of the new Serbian not only literature, but even the history of his time, by strength of spirit and originality. The main content of all his many years of scientific and literary activity can be reduced to the following main points: a) the decisive use in the book of pure folk language, instead of the dominant Serbo-Slavic-Russian, hitherto prevailing; b) the statement in the book of a new spelling ( vukovitsa ), based almost exclusively on the sound principle and distinguishing the new Serbian book from both the old Serbian and the Russian with the Bulgarian, where the historical and etymological principle still prevails; c) the requirement from literature of knowledge of folk life and song and a greater correspondence of its images with reality; d) communication of Serbian artificial poetry of a suitable tonic poetic size, close to folk or even identical with it, instead of the prevailing metric and syllabic sizes.

All these elements of the Vukovy transformations had to withstand a half-century struggle before they received full recognition and then unlimited approval in literature and life. The most important of Karadzic’s works: a huge collection of folk songs (“Srpske folk djesme”), Serbian grammar (“Writer of the Srbskogo jezik”), the famous Serbian dictionary (“riverman” with German and Latin translation of words - the whole treasury of not only language, but also folk life, its customs, traditions, beliefs, etc.), several issues of the scientific and literary almanac "Danitsa" ( dennitsa ), S. translation of the New Testament, "People srbske proverb", "Kovchezhych for history, jezik and obichaje Srba" - the treasury of the Serbian folklore, "Primjvr srbskoslav who jezika ". The activities of Karadzic were appreciated not only by the Serbs, but also by other Slavs; in Russia, for example, he was chosen as an honorary member of various academic societies and institutions. Pan-European science also praised the remarkable activity of the learned nugget; thus, for example, the outstanding significance of his writings was repeatedly recognized by Jacob Grimm . Thanks to the activities of Wook, the very direction of literature among the Serbs has changed: instead of sentimental novels and novels by Milovan Vidakovich ( 1780 - 1841 ) and false-classical works of the painter Lushan Mushitsky ( 1777 - 1837 ) and the epic Simeon Milutinovich ( 1790 - 1847 ), whose Serbian woman represents a curious , far from a mediocre mixture of fresh folk poetry principles with tasteless introductions - a lively and peppy romanticism appeared with Alexei Branko Radichevich ( 1824 - 1853 ) headed ^[2] . The main works of this little Serbian Pushkin belong to the lyrical family; his poems are much weaker; he did not write dramas at all. The best in the collection of his works (“Pesme”) are recognized as “Diachka Rastanak” (student’s parting) and “The Way”. The first work is full of deep lyricism and richly sumptuous descriptions of nature; his language is remarkable: it is “pure as a tear”, in the words of a friend Brankov, the famous Serbian philologist Yuri Danichich (1825-1882), who penetratedly appreciated the public and literary significance of Radichevich’s poetry.

The fame of the first Serbian poet is shared with Brank Radicevic by his contemporary Peter II Petrovich Nyegos ( 1814 - 1851 ) ^[3] , the last Montenegrin “lord”, whose early death was almost the same loss for native literature as Branca’s even more untimely death. The largest work of Negosh is generally recognized as “Gorski venets”, a poem in dramatic form depicting a historical event of the end of the 17th century - the beating of the Montenegrins of the Turchens, that is, of their collections that accepted Mohammedanism . This poem is full of scenes that are wonderful in their artistry and nationality, depicting the thoughts and feelings of the national soul (the Russian poetic translation was made by Mr. Lukyanovsky ^[4] . Branko Radichevich’s poetical heir, Jovan Jovanović-Zmay (1833-1904), was one of the most prominent Serbian poets This is also mainly a lyricist, who in epic works is only a good translator of the Magyar poets Aranyi and Petofi, as well as Pushkin, Lermontov and others. Of the lyric collections he deserves special attention “Roses” (Dyul ichi), “Withered Roses” (Dulichi uveoci), “Sources (Oriental) Beads” (see “Dawn”, Kiev, 1893 , “Slavic Muse”, St. Petersburg). His children's songs and humorous poems are also good. With Zmay Iovanovich shared the glory of Yuri Yakshich and Lazar Kostich . The Ilyich brothers are also known: the lyric poet Voislav and the playwright Dragutin, as well as Kachyansky. The works of Prince Nicholas of Montenegro (drama "The Balkan Queen", "Nova Koda", etc.) are also very famous. the Montenegrin anthem, so widespread throughout the face of Serbia, belongs to amo, onamo ”(“ There, there! ”, Russian translation by V. Benediktov). Of the playwrights, Trifkovich is also known. Among fiction works, novels and novels by G. Atanatskovich, S. Lyubishi, P. Adamov, M. Shabchanin , M. Milichevich , I. Veselinovich , S. Matavul , Y. Ignatovich and especially Lazar Lazarevich, almost all of which (e.g. , “School Icon”, “At the Well”, “Werther” and others) are also translated into Russian ^[5] .

On the threshold of the 19th — 20th centuries, Serbian literature rises to the highest level. Despite the fact that Serbian literature did not produce works that entered the world literature during this period, nevertheless, a number of Serbian writers did not lag behind the same writers of other countries who have “local” significance.

In the 20th century, many young and talented writers appeared in Serbian literature. One of them is Ivo Andrich , who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1961 for the book “ The Bridge on the Drina ” ( Serb. On Drini јupriјa ), first published in 1945.

Andrich, Danilo Kish are considered as one of the most famous Serbian authors, along with such writers as Milos Tsrnyansky , Mesha Selimovich , Borislav Pekic , Milorad Pavic , David Albahari , Miodrag Bulatovic , Dobrica Chosic , Zoran Zhivkovich , Elena Dimitrievich , Isidora Secuku others. Milorad Pavić is perhaps the most famous Serbian author today, primarily for his “ Khazar Dictionary ” ( Serbian. Khazarsky Riverman ), translated into 24 languages.

• Serbian epic folk poetry

• Pypin and Spasovich, “History of Slavic Literature” (vols. I — II, St. Petersburg, 1879–81);
• A.I. Stepovich , "Essays on the History of Serbo-Croatian Literature" (Kiev, 1899 , 400 pp.).
• “The History of Serbo-Croatian Literature” ( 1871 ; translation of the book by Jagic, made by Petrovsky)
• Russian transl. Novakovich’s books, “History of St. Petersburg Literature” ( 1877 ).
• Serbian literature // Literary Encyclopedia : in 11 volumes - [ M. ], 1929-1939.
• Serbian literature // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.