Predrag Matvejevic
Encyclopedia
Predrag Matvejević is a Croatia
n writer known for his writing as well as for his political activism. His book Mediterranean Breviary: A Cultural Landscape has been a bestseller in many European countries, and has been translated into more than 20 languages.
(Bosnia and Herzegovina
, at the time Kingdom of Yugoslavia
) to a Croatian
mother and a Russian
father.
Matvejević emigrated to France
in 1991, but from 1994 to 2008 he lived in Italy
. He became a naturalised Italian
citizen.
Matvejević taught at the University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle
(New Sorbonne) in Paris as well as in the Sapienza in Rome
. He is an honorary Vice-President of the International PEN
Center.
He is a member of the advisory board of the left-wing magazine Novi Plamen
.
. In that article he accused some writers of warmonger
ing during the Yugoslav Wars
, among them Mile Pešorda
, a Croatian writer. Mile Pešorda filed a lawsuit against him and the trial was started in March 2003. On November 2, 2005 Matvejević was found guilty on the charge of defamation. He was sentenced to five months' probation and ordered to publish the verdict at his own cost in Jutarnji list
and to pay 5,000 kuna (circa $
1000) of trial costs. Matvejević did not appeal. He made a statement that an appeal would signify an acknowledgment of the verdict and the ones who issued it. On December 20, 2005, the verdict was upheld by an appeals court.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n writer known for his writing as well as for his political activism. His book Mediterranean Breviary: A Cultural Landscape has been a bestseller in many European countries, and has been translated into more than 20 languages.
Biography
Predrag Matvejević was born in MostarMostar
Mostar is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the largest and one of the most important cities in the Herzegovina region and the center of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation. Mostar is situated on the Neretva river and is the fifth-largest city in the country...
(Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, at the time Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
) to a Croatian
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...
mother and a Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
father.
Matvejević emigrated to 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 1991, but from 1994 to 2008 he lived in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He became a naturalised Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
citizen.
Matvejević taught at the University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle
University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle
The New Sorbonne University is a public university in Paris, France.The Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle is a founding member of the Paris Universitas, a union of 6 Parisian universities....
(New Sorbonne) in Paris as well as in the Sapienza in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. He is an honorary Vice-President of the International PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
Center.
He is a member of the advisory board of the left-wing magazine Novi Plamen
Novi Plamen
Novi Plamen is a left-wing magazine for political, social and cultural issues primarily aimed at intellectual audiences on the territory of the former Yugoslavia and the related diaspora. It is a leading publication of its kind in the region, published by the Demokratska misao publishing company...
.
Conviction for defamation
In November 2001, Predrag Matvejević published an essay-length article titled "Our Talibans" in Jutarnji listJutarnji list
Jutarnji list is a daily newspaper in Croatia with a circulation of about 115,000 copies.It was launched in April 1998, becoming the first successful Croatian daily newspaper to appear since the 1950s. It was named after a Zagreb daily that used to circulate before WW2...
. In that article he accused some writers of warmonger
Warmonger
A warmonger is a pejorative term that is used to describe someone who is eager to encourage a people or nation to go to war.The term may also refer to:* Warmonger, a 2002 novel based on the Doctor Who television series...
ing during the Yugoslav Wars
Yugoslav wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
, among them Mile Pešorda
Mile Pešorda
- Awards :* 1970. awards of "Šimić meetings" in Drinovci for reading poem "Tužbalica";* 1972. awards of publisher "Svjetlost" in Sarajevo book of poems "Život vječni";...
, a Croatian writer. Mile Pešorda filed a lawsuit against him and the trial was started in March 2003. On November 2, 2005 Matvejević was found guilty on the charge of defamation. He was sentenced to five months' probation and ordered to publish the verdict at his own cost in Jutarnji list
Jutarnji list
Jutarnji list is a daily newspaper in Croatia with a circulation of about 115,000 copies.It was launched in April 1998, becoming the first successful Croatian daily newspaper to appear since the 1950s. It was named after a Zagreb daily that used to circulate before WW2...
and to pay 5,000 kuna (circa $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1000) of trial costs. Matvejević did not appeal. He made a statement that an appeal would signify an acknowledgment of the verdict and the ones who issued it. On December 20, 2005, the verdict was upheld by an appeals court.
Works (incomplete)
(Most of his books have appeared in Croatian, Italian and French editions)- Sartre (essay, 1965)
- Razgovori s Krležom (1969, with several reprints up to 1987)
- Prema novom kulturnom stvaralaštvu (1975)
- Književnost i njezina društvena funkcija (1977)
- Te vjetrenjače (1977)
- Jugoslavenstvo danas (Beograd, 1984)
- Otvorena pisma (1985)
- Mediteranski brevijar (1987)
- Istočni epistolar (1995)
- Gospodari rata i mira (with V. Stevanović and Z. Dizdarević, 2000)
- Druga Venecija (2002)
- Le monde «ex» - Confessions (Paris, 1966)
- Pour une poétique de l'événement (Paris, 1979)
- La Méditerranée et l'Europe - Leçons au College de France (Paris, 1998)
- L'Ile-Méditerranée (Paris, 2000)
- Epistolario dell’altra Europa (Garzanti, Milan 1992)
- Sarajevo (Motta, Milan 1995)
- Ex Jugoslavia. Diario di una guerra (Magma, Milan 1995)
- Tra asilo ed esilio (Meltemi, Rome 1998)
- Il Mediterraneo e l’Europa (Garzanti, Milan 1998)
- I signori della guerra (Garazanti, Milan 1999)
- Un’Europa maledetta (Baldini e Castoldi, Milan 2005)