Stjepan Mitrov Ljubiša
Encyclopedia
Stjepan Mitrov Ljubiša (Serbian
Cyrilic: Стјепан Митров Љубиша) (29 February 1824, Budva
, Austria-Hungary
– 11 November 1878, Vienna
), was a Serbian
-Montenegrin writer and politician. He is famous for his unique short stories, generally ranked among the masterpieces of Serbian literature in its day. These stories are also a symbol of the Serbian rebirth, both for its patriotic message and because it was a fundamental milestone in the Serbian language reform.
, Ljubiša traced his ancestry to the hinterland and the Paštrovići
clan, a fact he was always proud to stress. One of his cousins was Visarion Ljubiša
(1823-84), later Serbian Orthodox Metropolitan of Montenegro
. His father Mitar (therefore the patronymic Mitrov) was a seaman whom he rarely saw and died when Stjepan was only 14 years old. His education, mostly in the Italian language, went irregularly since he had to work to help support his family from an early age. Therefore, Ljubiša became an autodidact, educating himself from the books he could find. But the love for national literature revealed itself through the writings of Vuk Karadžić, his friendship with Karađorđe, and association with Vuk Vrčević, his faithful collaborator.
When only 19, he was elected to the post of the secretary of the town of Budva. This job forced him into learning more on current laws and was soon considered by the plain folks to be a lawyer and was often approached as such. He started writing court records and even operated as a defender in the local court of law. This self-thought knowledge of his was then acknowledged by the authorities and without taking a judiciary exam he became the public notary.
In the revolutionary 1848, Ljubiša was an active member of the ad-hoc assembly of Boka Kotorska in Prčanj
and held a number of speeches against the Italian cultural dominance and for South-Slav unity.
In 1861 he was elected as the deputy of Boka in the Dalmatian parliament
in Zadar
and not much afterwards he was sent to the parliament in Vienna as an MP of the National Party
(then still gathering both Serbs and Croats). From then on he was constantly re-elected to the parliaments in Vienna, and in Zadar
. From 1870 to 1878, he was the president of the Dalmatian parliament. In 1878, he was overthrown by the clerical Croat fraction in the National Party led by Mihovil Pavlinović. In his political efforts, he fought against the ethnic Italian domination in Dalmatian politics and culture, for the equality of religions and languages, for the emancipation of Serb populace in Dalmatia, the economic benefit of the province but also for the autonomy of Dalmatia and against the unification with Croatia-Slavonia.
Literary critic and historian Jovan Skerlić
points out in his book that Ljubiša wrote: Izmeću Bara i Zadra bilo u izobraženoj vrsti samo sedam ljudi, koji nijesu bili izgubili svijest svog imena i porekla. "Between Bar and Zadar there were approximately only seven people, who had not lost track of their ancestral name and descent," demonstrating the extent of Italian influence on the Dalmatian and Montenegrin littoral.
His literary work started in 1845 when, led by the ethnographical example of Vuk Karadžić's collaborator, Vuk Vrčević, who eventually became Ljubiša's friend. Ljubiša then went on to publish in "Serbian-Dalmatian Magazine" (Сербско-далматиснки магазин, Serbsko-dalmatinski magazin) notes on life and customs of his Paštrovići clan. In 1868, he also published the first edition of Njegoš’s "Mountain Wreath" in Serbian Latin script. His first short story, Sćepan the Little (Шћепан Мали, Šćepan Mali), was published only in 1868. He sailed in literary waters more actively from 1870, continuing with short stories. All of them appeared in magazines and newspapers his only book being the 1875 "Montenegrin and Littoral Stories" (Приповијести црногорске и приморске, Pripovijesti crnogorske i primorske). In 1877, he started with publishing one hundred short stories named "The Storytelling of Vuk Dojčević" of which only 37 appeared, owing to his premature death. In 1878 in "Serb Dawn" (Српска зора, Srpska zora) magazine in Vienna he published his autobiography.
Skerlić,compared Ljubiša with his contemporaries, this way: "What Joksim Nović Otočanin and Jovan Sundečić
did for poetry, Ljubiša did for prose writing."
Visiting Cetinje
to attend the consecration of his cousin Visarion Ljubiša
, who was being elevated to a Metropolitan bishop
of the Serbian Orthodox Church
, Ljubiša fell ill and on his return to Vienna died on the 11th of November 1878. His earthly remains were transferred to Budva in 1885.
His best known works are;
He is also recognized as an excellent translator of the works of Horace
, Dante
, and Ariosto.
Miroslav Luketić, Budva, Sveti Stefan, Petrovac, Budva - Cetinje 1966
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
Cyrilic: Стјепан Митров Љубиша) (29 February 1824, Budva
Budva
Budva is a coastal town in Montenegro. It has around 15,000 inhabitants, and it is the centre of municipality...
, Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
– 11 November 1878, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
), was a Serbian
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
-Montenegrin writer and politician. He is famous for his unique short stories, generally ranked among the masterpieces of Serbian literature in its day. These stories are also a symbol of the Serbian rebirth, both for its patriotic message and because it was a fundamental milestone in the Serbian language reform.
Biography
Although born in the town of BudvaBudva
Budva is a coastal town in Montenegro. It has around 15,000 inhabitants, and it is the centre of municipality...
, Ljubiša traced his ancestry to the hinterland and the Paštrovići
Paštrovici
The Paštrovići is a coastal clan in Montenegro.- History :The people and land of Paštrovići is mentioned for the first time in 1355, when Serbian emperor Dušan Silni sent his nobleman Nikolica Paštrović in diplomatic mission in Dubrovnik...
clan, a fact he was always proud to stress. One of his cousins was Visarion Ljubiša
Visarion Ljubiša
Visarion Ljubiša was the Metropolitan bishop of Serbian Orthodox Church from 1882 to 1884.-Early Life and Schooling:...
(1823-84), later Serbian Orthodox Metropolitan of Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
. His father Mitar (therefore the patronymic Mitrov) was a seaman whom he rarely saw and died when Stjepan was only 14 years old. His education, mostly in the Italian language, went irregularly since he had to work to help support his family from an early age. Therefore, Ljubiša became an autodidact, educating himself from the books he could find. But the love for national literature revealed itself through the writings of Vuk Karadžić, his friendship with Karađorđe, and association with Vuk Vrčević, his faithful collaborator.
When only 19, he was elected to the post of the secretary of the town of Budva. This job forced him into learning more on current laws and was soon considered by the plain folks to be a lawyer and was often approached as such. He started writing court records and even operated as a defender in the local court of law. This self-thought knowledge of his was then acknowledged by the authorities and without taking a judiciary exam he became the public notary.
In the revolutionary 1848, Ljubiša was an active member of the ad-hoc assembly of Boka Kotorska in Prčanj
Prčanj
Prčanj is a small town in Bay of Kotor, Montenegro. According to the 2003 census, the town has a population of 1244 people.It is located 3 miles west of Kotor, opposite Dobrota and between the settlements of Muo and Stoliv. All its history has been written at sea...
and held a number of speeches against the Italian cultural dominance and for South-Slav unity.
In 1861 he was elected as the deputy of Boka in the Dalmatian parliament
Parliament of Dalmatia
The Diet of Dalmatia was the regional assembly of the Kingdom of Dalmatia within the Austro-Hungarian Empire...
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...
and not much afterwards he was sent to the parliament in Vienna as an MP of the National Party
People's Party (Kingdom of Dalmatia)
People's Party was a political party in the Kingdom of Dalmatia. It was founded in 1861 after the failure of Bach's absolutism, as branch of the People's Party in Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia...
(then still gathering both Serbs and Croats). From then on he was constantly re-elected to the parliaments in Vienna, and 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...
. From 1870 to 1878, he was the president of the Dalmatian parliament. In 1878, he was overthrown by the clerical Croat fraction in the National Party led by Mihovil Pavlinović. In his political efforts, he fought against the ethnic Italian domination in Dalmatian politics and culture, for the equality of religions and languages, for the emancipation of Serb populace in Dalmatia, the economic benefit of the province but also for the autonomy of Dalmatia and against the unification with Croatia-Slavonia.
Literary critic and historian Jovan Skerlić
Jovan Skerlić
Jovan Skerlić was a Serbian writer and critic. He is regarded as one of the most influential Serbian literary critics of the early 20th century, after Bogdan Popović.- Biography :...
points out in his book that Ljubiša wrote: Izmeću Bara i Zadra bilo u izobraženoj vrsti samo sedam ljudi, koji nijesu bili izgubili svijest svog imena i porekla. "Between Bar and Zadar there were approximately only seven people, who had not lost track of their ancestral name and descent," demonstrating the extent of Italian influence on the Dalmatian and Montenegrin littoral.
His literary work started in 1845 when, led by the ethnographical example of Vuk Karadžić's collaborator, Vuk Vrčević, who eventually became Ljubiša's friend. Ljubiša then went on to publish in "Serbian-Dalmatian Magazine" (Сербско-далматиснки магазин, Serbsko-dalmatinski magazin) notes on life and customs of his Paštrovići clan. In 1868, he also published the first edition of Njegoš’s "Mountain Wreath" in Serbian Latin script. His first short story, Sćepan the Little (Шћепан Мали, Šćepan Mali), was published only in 1868. He sailed in literary waters more actively from 1870, continuing with short stories. All of them appeared in magazines and newspapers his only book being the 1875 "Montenegrin and Littoral Stories" (Приповијести црногорске и приморске, Pripovijesti crnogorske i primorske). In 1877, he started with publishing one hundred short stories named "The Storytelling of Vuk Dojčević" of which only 37 appeared, owing to his premature death. In 1878 in "Serb Dawn" (Српска зора, Srpska zora) magazine in Vienna he published his autobiography.
Skerlić,compared Ljubiša with his contemporaries, this way: "What Joksim Nović Otočanin and Jovan Sundečić
Jovan Sundecic
Jovan Sundečić , was a Serbian poet from Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina, priest of the Serbian Orthodox Church and a secretary of Prince Nikola I of Montenegro...
did for poetry, Ljubiša did for prose writing."
Visiting Cetinje
Cetinje
Cetinje , Цетиње / Cetinje , Italian: Cettigne, Greek: Κετίγνη, Ketígni) is a town and Old Royal Capital of Montenegro. It is also a historical and the secondary capital of Montenegro , with the official residence of the President of Montenegro...
to attend the consecration of his cousin Visarion Ljubiša
Visarion Ljubiša
Visarion Ljubiša was the Metropolitan bishop of Serbian Orthodox Church from 1882 to 1884.-Early Life and Schooling:...
, who was being elevated to a Metropolitan bishop
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
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...
, Ljubiša fell ill and on his return to Vienna died on the 11th of November 1878. His earthly remains were transferred to Budva in 1885.
Literary Work
Coming from the rural background and treasuring all his life contacts with the peasants, Ljubiša wrote in excellent Serbian, which was his strongest source of inspiration. His stories are full with folklore elements, sayings, vivid characters that all showed the character of Serbian people in the Littoral. Comparing his inspiration, national orientation and closed relation with folklore he was dubbed "Njegoš in prose". Although he spent his life in the time of romanticism, his works have an intention of closer and more genuine representation of folk life and therefore Ljubiša is considered one of the first realists in Serb literature. His works remain popular to this very date.His best known works are;
- Boj na Visu
- Ščepan Mali
- Pripovijesti crnogorske i primorske (Dubrovnik, 1875; Belgrade, 1876)
- The Sale of Patriarch Brkić (Prodaja partijare Brkića)
- Kanjoš Macedonović
- Jump Girl (Skočidjevojka)
- Priest Andrović, the new ObilićObilicObilić is a town and municipality in central Kosovo, belonging to the Pristina district. The municipality includes the town of Obilić and 19 villages, with a total population of approximately 21,548....
(Pop Andrović, novi Obilić) - Stealing and Re-Stealing of the Bell (Kradja i prekradja zvona)
- Storytelling of Vuk Dojčević (Pričanja Vuka Dojčevića)
He is also recognized as an excellent translator of the works of Horace
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
, Dante
DANTE
Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions...
, and Ariosto.
Nationality
When in 1878 he was disposed and booed by the Croats in the Dalmatian parliament, he replied: "I know why you can’t stand me - because I’m a Serb by nationality and of Orthodox faith."Literature
S. M. Ljubiša, Pripovetke, Novi Sad - Beograd, 1957Miroslav Luketić, Budva, Sveti Stefan, Petrovac, Budva - Cetinje 1966