Semezdin Mehmedinović is a Bosnian

Bosnians

Bosnians are people who reside in, or come from, Bosnia and Herzegovina. By the modern state definition a Bosnian can be anyone who holds citizenship of the state. This includes, but is not limited to, members of the constituent ethnic groups of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs and...

 writer, filmmaker, and magazine editor.

After studying Librarianship and Comparative Literature in Sarajevo, he worked as an editor of "Lica" and "Valter" magazines, which served as a voice of opposition to the ruling Communist regime. Mehmedinović published his first book of poetry "Modrac" in 1984, and his second book "Emigrant" in 1990. Shortly before the Bosnian war, in 1991, he founded the cultural magazine "Fantom slobode" (transl. "Phantom of Freedom"). When war broke out in 1992, Mehmedinović remained in Sarajevo with his family. The same year, he published an early version of Sarajevo Blues

Sarajevo Blues

Sarajevo Blues is a book of poetry first published in 1992 during the siege of Sarajevo by Semezdin Mehmedinović. Mr. Mehmedinović's book was translated into English by Ammiel Alcalay in 1998. Mr...

. Shortly thereafter, he and a group of friends founded the weekly political magazine BH Dani

BH Dani

BH Dani stands for Bosanskohercegovački Dani is a Bosnian language weekly magazine published in Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Editorial:...

 (transl. "Days") in 1992, to give a voice for democracy and pluralism in times of genocide.

In 1994, during the Bosnian war, Semezdin and Benjamin Filipović co-wrote and co-directed the film "Mizaldo, kraj Teatra," which starred Bernard-Henri Lévy

Bernard-Henri Lévy

Bernard-Henri Lévy is a French public intellectual, philosopher and journalist. Often referred to today, in France, simply as BHL, he was one of the leaders of the "Nouveaux Philosophes" movement in 1976.-Early life:...

 and premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival

Berlin International Film Festival

The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...

.

In 1996, after the collapse of Sarajevo siege and the conclusion of the Bosnian war, Mehmedinović emigrated to the United States, and currently lives in Alexandria, Virginia. "Sarajevo Blues" was published in English in 1998 and was praised by the Washington Post as one of the best literary documents of the Bosnian war

Bosnian War

The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...

. "Sarajevo Blues" was translated into German, Dutch and Turkish; while portions of the book were translated in over thirty languages. In 2002, Mehmedinović published another book of poems entitled "Devet Alexandrija", which was later published by the City Lights

City Lights Bookstore

City Lights is an independent bookstore-publisher combination that specializes in world literature, the arts, and progressive politics. It also houses the nonprofit City Lights Foundation, which publishes selected titles related to San Francisco culture. It was founded in 1953 by poet Lawrence...

of San Francisco under the title "Nine Alexandrias".

In 2009, Semezdin Mehmedinović and Miljenko Jergovic co-wrote "Transatlantic Mail", a book of personal letters. His latest book, "Soviet Computer," was published in March of 2011.

External links

(Bosnian)