Jelena Đurović
Encyclopedia
Jelena Đurović (born 13 July 1973) is a journalist
, writer
and political activist. She advocates changes to the cultural policy of the Government of Serbia
, Serbian acceptance of the responsibility for recent wars in the Balkans
and re-affirmation of the Second World War anti-fascist movement in Serbia.
, Yugoslavia
, into a Jewish-Montenegrin family. Related to her grand-grandmother Serafina was allegedly Lotika Zellermeier
, who was said to be the inspiration for a character in Ivo Andrić
's novel The Bridge on the Drina
.
era. During the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999
, Jelena lived in Budapest
, Hungary, where she started work on her novel "Kingdom" published in November 2003, excerpts from which were published in the book Voices from the faultline, A Balkan Anthology.
The choice of the nine most significant dates in Yugoslav history, the plot of the story that unfolds amongst these dates, as well as the genres of each of the chapters in "Kingdom" form a unique literary experiment.
in Serbia in May 2008, she was elected councilor in the Belgrade borough of Vračar
. Reading her published articles and listening to her radio shows one easily understands that she campaigns for the wide range of rights for ethnical minorities, establishment of strictly secular state and arrest of remaining Serbian war criminals that are still at large. However, her work is mainly related to cultural establishments and popular culture, both in Serbia and in Great Britain
where she spends considerable amount of time.
, as author and editor of the weekly radio show "Time In". This show was sponsored by Soros Fund Yugoslavia. Since October 2005 she is the author and editor of "AgitPop" blog. Its motto is a citation from the letter written by Sigmund Freud to Albert Einstein in Vienna in September 1932: "Meanwhile we may rest on the assurance that whatever makes for cultural development is working also against war...". At the same time Jelena writes for several Serbian newspapers and magazines and became a part of the editorial team of the "Novi Radio Beograd". She used to host daily broadcasts on Wednesdays, campaigning for arrest of Ratko Mladić
, criticizing the influence of the Serbian Orthodox Church
in Serbia, advocating reconciliation between Serbs and Kosovo Albanians. Since May 19, 2009 Jelena's daily show is aired on Thursdays from 2pm to 4pm under the name Agitpop. The format of the show remains largely unchanged.
on January 31st 2008. Since February 2009 Jelena lives between Belgrade and Richmond, London
.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and political activist. She advocates changes to the cultural policy of the Government of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, Serbian acceptance of the responsibility for recent wars in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
and re-affirmation of the Second World War anti-fascist movement in Serbia.
Biography
She was born in BelgradeBelgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
, into a Jewish-Montenegrin family. Related to her grand-grandmother Serafina was allegedly Lotika Zellermeier
Lotika Zellermeier
Lotika Zellermeier was the inspiration for the main character from the 1961 Nobel Prize winner Ivo Andrić’s novel The Bridge on the Drina...
, who was said to be the inspiration for a character in Ivo Andrić
Ivo Andric
Ivan "Ivo" Andrić was a Yugoslav novelist, short story writer, and the 1961 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. His writings dealt mainly with life in his native Bosnia under the Ottoman Empire...
's novel The Bridge on the Drina
The Bridge on the Drina
The Bridge on the Drina , sometimes restyled as The Bridge Over the Drina, is a novel by Yugoslav writer Ivo Andrić. Andrić wrote the novel while living quietly in Belgrade during World War II, publishing it in 1945...
.
Literary work
Jelena is a graduate of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, Department of Theater and radio production. Her bachelor thesis, "Theatre in the shadow of the gallows" ("Pozornica u senci vešala") explored the programming policies of Belgrade theaters during the Slobodan MiloševićSlobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
era. During the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999
1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...
, Jelena lived in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary, where she started work on her novel "Kingdom" published in November 2003, excerpts from which were published in the book Voices from the faultline, A Balkan Anthology.
Kingdom
"Kingdom" is the book that elaborates influence of historical events in the life of an individual. It plays with three sequences - literary genres and uses a fragmentary approach, but the basic idea, well hidden among its pages, is the understanding of the art.The choice of the nine most significant dates in Yugoslav history, the plot of the story that unfolds amongst these dates, as well as the genres of each of the chapters in "Kingdom" form a unique literary experiment.
February 30th
In October 2011. her second novel, "February 30th" ("30. februar") was published in Belgrade. It is a sci-fi love story that treats Serbian current affairs from the viewpoint of 4 main characters, young professionals living in Belgrade. Each of them is giving their own view of the same set of events that, eventually, lead to exposure of corruption and dishonesty of Serbian political and business elites. At the same time this novel gives the grim picture of the hopelessness that Serbian young adults have to deal with.Politics
By her own testimony, Jelena is active in Serbian politics since 1991 but she actively takes part in day-to-day politics since 2006 when she became member of the Liberal Democratic Party. After parliamentary electionsSerbian parliamentary election, 2008
A pre-term parliamentary election was held in the Serbia on 11 May 2008, barely a year after the previous parliamentary election. There were 6,749,886 eligible electors who were able to vote in 8,682 voting places, as well as 157 special voting places designed for refugees from...
in Serbia in May 2008, she was elected councilor in the Belgrade borough of Vračar
Vracar
Vračar is an urban neighborhood and one of 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade. With an area of only , it is the smallest of all Belgrade's municipalities, but also the most densely populated. Vračar is one of the three municipalities that constitute the central area of the...
. Reading her published articles and listening to her radio shows one easily understands that she campaigns for the wide range of rights for ethnical minorities, establishment of strictly secular state and arrest of remaining Serbian war criminals that are still at large. However, her work is mainly related to cultural establishments and popular culture, both in Serbia and in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
where she spends considerable amount of time.
Journalism
In 1994 and 1995 she worked at one of Belgrade’s most popular radio stations, Studio BRTV Studio B
RTV Studio B, more often called Studio B , is a radio and television broadcaster in Belgrade, Serbia, which was the first broadcast station outside the national electronic media system.-Background:...
, as author and editor of the weekly radio show "Time In". This show was sponsored by Soros Fund Yugoslavia. Since October 2005 she is the author and editor of "AgitPop" blog. Its motto is a citation from the letter written by Sigmund Freud to Albert Einstein in Vienna in September 1932: "Meanwhile we may rest on the assurance that whatever makes for cultural development is working also against war...". At the same time Jelena writes for several Serbian newspapers and magazines and became a part of the editorial team of the "Novi Radio Beograd". She used to host daily broadcasts on Wednesdays, campaigning for arrest of Ratko Mladić
Ratko Mladić
Ratko Mladić is an accused war criminal and a former Bosnian Serb military leader. On May 31, 2011, Mladić was extradited to The Hague, where he was processed at the detention center that holds suspects for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia...
, criticizing the influence of the Serbian Orthodox Church
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
in Serbia, advocating reconciliation between Serbs and Kosovo Albanians. Since May 19, 2009 Jelena's daily show is aired on Thursdays from 2pm to 4pm under the name Agitpop. The format of the show remains largely unchanged.
Personal life
Jelena Đurović married Tomica Orešković, a descendant of the Second World War Croatian national hero Marko OreškovićMarko Oreškovic
Marko Orešković was a Croatian Partisan commander. He was also known by his nickname Krntija....
on January 31st 2008. Since February 2009 Jelena lives between Belgrade and Richmond, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
External links
- Interview with Jelena Đurović (in Serbian) related to her latest novel "February 30th"
- Interview with Jelena Đurović (in Serbian) for Belgrade daily newspaper Glas
- Jelena on BalkanWriters.com
- "Kraljevstvo" on WorldCat.org
- Slavic and Eastern European Collections at UC Berkeley, New Acquisitions from and about Eastern Europe (except Poland), page 53