Mirko Vidovic
Encyclopedia
Mirko Vidović is a Croatian
writer from Bosnia and Hercegovina.
in 1952-1955 in Odžak
and Bosanski Šamac. That was the first time that his name showed up as a contributor to Sarajevan Male novine. After finishing primary school, he enrolled to the gymnasium "S. S. Kranjčević
" in Livno. As a second-grade student he participated in an anonymous contest of the periodical Osbođenje for a science fiction
story winning the first prize, marking his the start of Vidović's life as a literary creator.
Due to the practical concerns of religious service of his faith, Vidović soon came into conflict with he contemporary Youth Committee of the SKBiH: his public act of grief for the death of the Pope Pius XII
brough him he conviction of ten days in prison. Teacher's council wanted to fire him from the gymnasium staff, but by the personal guarantee of the school director, Arslan Zijadić, he nevertheless managed to finish the gymnasium in Livno. His gymnasium graduation thesis brought him again the first prize of the BiH - Antology of the works of BiH writers signed personally by A. Vuco.
After finishing the gymnasium in Livno, due to the impossibility of attending the Faculty of Architecture in Zagreb
due to financial difficulties, he entered the Faculty of Philosophy in Zadar
instead. He graduated with the highest degree in December 1964.
, in the expectation to be officially appointed as an assistant in JAZU Institute, working as a scientific researcher in the domain of history of literacy at the Adriatic coast. His home in Zadar was the birthplace of the Movement of Independent Intellectuals which gathered intellectual elite based on the principles of thinking according to one's conscience, and not by the ideological tenets. The movement, by its conception the only one of its sort in the contemporary Communist world, faced prohibition, job loss of all of its sympathisers, some of which were forced to emigrate and some of which were convicted to years of imprisonment. Organising a poll on the population problematics of Zadar he fell to disgrace of the regime and had to immediately abandon the country with his wife and kids, and leave for France
, in order to evade the process of the alleged disclosing of state secrets in favour of Vatican
.
Having arrived to France, he enters the collage again graduating literature and Russian
at the University of Lyon
. Afterwards he studies the at the Collage of Pure Philosophy, but was unable to complete his studies, having had to visit his terminally ill mother in Livno with his French passport. On his return from Livno, he was betrayed by his former colleague from he Faculty which resulted in his arrest. He was trialled on the September 3rd 1971 for the book of poetry Hram nade ("A temple of hope") and convicted to four years of maximum security prison. When he arrived to the KPD Stara Gradiška, the inspectors of UDBA
- the Yugoslav secret service, have under the international pressure offered Vidović a deal: he would testify against the two of the intellectuals who were imprisoned after the violent termination of the Croatian Spring
movement, and would be set free afterwards. Vidović refused the deal. Thus, he was again trialled in Zagreb and on March 31, 1973 he sentenced to additional three and a half years of prison because he has, during his residence in France, published his work in the issues of Hrvatska revija periodical, under the alleged motivation of being connected to "enemy emigration".
After three years of harsh imprisonment in the camp of Stara Gradiška
he was transferred to Srijemska Mitrovica where he was kept for more than two years, enduring his punishment. After the personal intervention of the president of France, he was released on parole after spending cumulatively five years and two months in prison, and administratively expelled from Yugoslavia
.
Again living abroad as a French citizen, he published memoirs of his imprisonment under the title Skrivena strana mjeseca ("The hidden side of the moon"). The book was reprinted twice in Croatian
, and completely translated to French and Italian, and partially to English and Spanish. He was officially invited as a witness of the truth of the Communist prisons at the central of Amnesty International
in London
, and also in the central of the International League for Human Rights
. During his prison time he wrote a book of poetry Bijeli vitez ("The white knight") and has managed to send it to freedom by covert channels. That book has been published abroad in Croatian and French (in Switzerland
). The other books he published abroad include Ribnjak Bethesda, Boomerang and Što je to HNV.
, Medal of the city of Kiev
, he was selected amongst the "great modern storytellers" in the proceeding 'Short story International' published by the Institute for the International Cultural Exchange in New York
, has entered the American Lexicon of contemporary European writers etc. He participated at the International Poetry Meeting in Paris
in 1979.
As the president of the Parliament of CNC he participated in the work of the Madrid conference and, at the end of 1980, was one of the founding members of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
. He further participated in the work of Ottawa conference in the April 1985. He was guested in grand state institutions of the USA France, European Community etc. He was selected as the Chief Architect at the process of application of the "Final Document of the Helsinki Conference" and has been in that spirit continuing to lead the efforts of the righteous process of self-determination of the people at the territory of former Yugoslavia. In 1986 he was invited to the membership of the prestigious International Academy centered in Italy. He was promoted in 2002 to the honour of the Knight of Academy.
.
42 of his books are left in manuscript, covering a variety of domains, 10 of it being dramatic pieces and 12 volumes of the Philosophy of Virtuality and Reality (epistemological analysis of modern times in all the segments of human knowledge and science).
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
writer from Bosnia and Hercegovina.
Early life and education
He attended primary school at his native village of Bila near Livno in the period 1947-1951, and lower gymnasiumGymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in 1952-1955 in Odžak
Odžak
Odžak is a town in the northern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located near the river Sava, from the border with Croatia. Odžak is in the Posavina Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Demographics:...
and Bosanski Šamac. That was the first time that his name showed up as a contributor to Sarajevan Male novine. After finishing primary school, he enrolled to the gymnasium "S. S. Kranjčević
Silvije Strahimir Kranjcevic
Silvije Strahimir Kranjčević was a Croatian poet. His reflexive poetry, reaching its zenith in the 1890s, was a turning point that ushered modern themes in Croatian poetry.-Early life:...
" in Livno. As a second-grade student he participated in an anonymous contest of the periodical Osbođenje for a science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
story winning the first prize, marking his the start of Vidović's life as a literary creator.
Due to the practical concerns of religious service of his faith, Vidović soon came into conflict with he contemporary Youth Committee of the SKBiH: his public act of grief for the death of the Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
brough him he conviction of ten days in prison. Teacher's council wanted to fire him from the gymnasium staff, but by the personal guarantee of the school director, Arslan Zijadić, he nevertheless managed to finish the gymnasium in Livno. His gymnasium graduation thesis brought him again the first prize of the BiH - Antology of the works of BiH writers signed personally by A. Vuco.
After finishing the gymnasium in Livno, due to the impossibility of attending the Faculty of Architecture in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
due to financial difficulties, he entered the Faculty of Philosophy in Zadar
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
instead. He graduated with the highest degree in December 1964.
Persecution
After graduating the Faculty of Philosophy, and married to a French Lucienne (b. Ravit), he serves temporarily as the editor of the Cultural chronicle in Zadar's Narodni listNarodni list
Narodni list is an independent Croatian weekly newspaper published in Zadar, founded in 1862, making it the oldest living newspaper in Croatia...
, in the expectation to be officially appointed as an assistant in JAZU Institute, working as a scientific researcher in the domain of history of literacy at the Adriatic coast. His home in Zadar was the birthplace of the Movement of Independent Intellectuals which gathered intellectual elite based on the principles of thinking according to one's conscience, and not by the ideological tenets. The movement, by its conception the only one of its sort in the contemporary Communist world, faced prohibition, job loss of all of its sympathisers, some of which were forced to emigrate and some of which were convicted to years of imprisonment. Organising a poll on the population problematics of Zadar he fell to disgrace of the regime and had to immediately abandon the country with his wife and kids, and leave for France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, in order to evade the process of the alleged disclosing of state secrets in favour of Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
.
Having arrived to France, he enters the collage again graduating literature and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
at the University of Lyon
University of Lyon
The University of Lyon , located in Lyon and Saint Etienne, France, is a center for higher education and research comprising 16 institutions of higher education...
. Afterwards he studies the at the Collage of Pure Philosophy, but was unable to complete his studies, having had to visit his terminally ill mother in Livno with his French passport. On his return from Livno, he was betrayed by his former colleague from he Faculty which resulted in his arrest. He was trialled on the September 3rd 1971 for the book of poetry Hram nade ("A temple of hope") and convicted to four years of maximum security prison. When he arrived to the KPD Stara Gradiška, the inspectors of UDBA
UDBA
The Department of State Security was the secret police organization of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.Although it operated with more restraint than other secret...
- the Yugoslav secret service, have under the international pressure offered Vidović a deal: he would testify against the two of the intellectuals who were imprisoned after the violent termination of the Croatian Spring
Croatian Spring
The Croatian Spring was a political movement from the early 1970s that called for greater rights for Croatia which was then part of Yugoslavia as well as democratic and economic reforms.-History:...
movement, and would be set free afterwards. Vidović refused the deal. Thus, he was again trialled in Zagreb and on March 31, 1973 he sentenced to additional three and a half years of prison because he has, during his residence in France, published his work in the issues of Hrvatska revija periodical, under the alleged motivation of being connected to "enemy emigration".
After three years of harsh imprisonment in the camp of Stara Gradiška
Stara Gradiška
Stara Gradiška is a village and a municipality in the Brod-Posavina county of Croatia. It has 542 residents, while the municipality has 1,717 , in six other smaller villages...
he was transferred to Srijemska Mitrovica where he was kept for more than two years, enduring his punishment. After the personal intervention of the president of France, he was released on parole after spending cumulatively five years and two months in prison, and administratively expelled from Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
.
Again living abroad as a French citizen, he published memoirs of his imprisonment under the title Skrivena strana mjeseca ("The hidden side of the moon"). The book was reprinted twice in Croatian
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
, and completely translated to French and Italian, and partially to English and Spanish. He was officially invited as a witness of the truth of the Communist prisons at the central of Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
in 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...
, and also in the central of the International League for Human Rights
International League for Human Rights
The International League for Human Rights is a human rights organization with headquarters in New York City.Claiming to be the oldest human rights organization in the United States, the ILHR defines its mission as "defending human rights advocates who risk their lives to promote the ideals of a...
. During his prison time he wrote a book of poetry Bijeli vitez ("The white knight") and has managed to send it to freedom by covert channels. That book has been published abroad in Croatian and French (in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
). The other books he published abroad include Ribnjak Bethesda, Boomerang and Što je to HNV.
Recognition
At the end of 1979, following an invitation of famous colleagues from Western universities, he nominated himself at the elections of the Parliament of the Croatian National Council and was elected at the top of the list consising of thirty representatives. At the session of the III. Assembly of the CNC in London, in January 1980, he was appointed as the president of the Parliament of CNC. His industrious labour has earned him a plethora of international recognitions: Gold Medal of the city of Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Medal of the city of Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, he was selected amongst the "great modern storytellers" in the proceeding 'Short story International' published by the Institute for the International Cultural Exchange in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, has entered the American Lexicon of contemporary European writers etc. He participated at the International Poetry Meeting in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1979.
As the president of the Parliament of CNC he participated in the work of the Madrid conference and, at the end of 1980, was one of the founding members of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights was a self-governing group of non-governmental, not-for-profit organizations that act to protect human rights throughout Europe, North America and Central Asia...
. He further participated in the work of Ottawa conference in the April 1985. He was guested in grand state institutions of the USA France, European Community etc. He was selected as the Chief Architect at the process of application of the "Final Document of the Helsinki Conference" and has been in that spirit continuing to lead the efforts of the righteous process of self-determination of the people at the territory of former Yugoslavia. In 1986 he was invited to the membership of the prestigious International Academy centered in Italy. He was promoted in 2002 to the honour of the Knight of Academy.
Works
Vidović's bibliography consists of 1280 published works, 110 of which are written in foreign languages and published all over the world. In his Homeland he has published two collections of stories from mediaeval Bosnia - Drijenove svirale (1993) and Šta je, je - šta nije, nije - a collection of anecdotes from the time of collectivisation of Livno villages after the World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
42 of his books are left in manuscript, covering a variety of domains, 10 of it being dramatic pieces and 12 volumes of the Philosophy of Virtuality and Reality (epistemological analysis of modern times in all the segments of human knowledge and science).
- Pjesme (with V. Paviće and S. Vučićević), 1964
- Hram nade, 1970
- Ribnjak Bethesda, 1971
- Sakrivena strana mjeseca, 1977
- Bijeli vitez, 1980
- Što je Hrvatsko narodno vijeće, 1984
- Hrvatski iranski korijeni, 1991
- Ban Kulin i krstjanska Bosna 2001
- Gatha Spitama Zarathustre 2003
- Panonija 2004
- Pad i uspon Ilirije 2005