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Serbian comedies by Jovan Sterija Popovic, Branislav Nusic, and Dusan Kovacevic.In the period between the two world wars, with only a few exceptions, nobody believed that Nusic was a great writer. Today, almost all people familiar with theater and the history of Serbian theater and literature would agree that Nusic was, in fact, the only Serbian playwright of high caliber between the two world wars. Thanks to the turns or whims of history, as well as the more open-minded theater people, Nusic became the most staged Serbian playwright and most popular after World War II. The new generations of theater directors realized that Nusic had a streak of genius and was, perhaps, 50 years ahead of his time for the Serbian theater.The third playwright in this anthology, Dusan Kovacevic, has been one of the most prolific and popular Serbian playwrights on the Serbian theatrical scene since the 1970s. The first term that comes to mind when thinking about some of Kovacevic's plays is grotesque, especially in The Marathon Family, one of Kovacevic's first plays. He more or less continued in this manner in his other plays. Victor Hugo thought that grotesque was "the richest source nature can offer art." The simplest explanation why grotesque is so effective is that it makes the contrasts more obvious while juxtaposing the ugly and the beautiful, the divine and the unholy, the sublime and the ordinary, the romantic and the dull. If we are directly confronted with beauty and ugliness, beauty starts shining brighter and becomes more obvious, forcing us to appreciate it more and not take it for granted. Kovacevic is a master of the grotesque and, for that reason, his plays may appear somewhat exotic, especially to foreign theater goers.The Marathon Family play, as well as a movie made in 1982, based on a screenplay by Kovacevic himself and directed by Slobodan Sijan, was so popular in the former Yugoslavia and Serbia that, in 2013, theater director Milica Kralj decided to stage The Marathon Family with the male roles played by female actors. In such a situation, for instance, Grandma Pantelija resembles Josip Broz Tito, and the main goal of all the women in the family is to become CEOs of some kind. This was not the first time that this play was played by female actors. Actually, in 1996, director Jagos Markovic staged the same play with female actors and achieved much success. Similarly, also in 2013, the female roles in Mrs. Minister, directed by Tatjana Mandic Rigonat, were played by male actors at the Bosko Buha theatre.By presenting these three playwrights and their comedies, we can follow the most important developments in the last few centuries and develop direct and indirect feelings about the state of affairs in Serbian society on many levels, not only on the level of literature and theater. Popovic was more of an intellectual and a didactic educator, desiring to enlighten the general populous and open their eyes through satire within the idea of the comedy of character. Meanwhile, Kovacevic uses his imagination more freely, relies much more on humor, and does not incorporate much satirical tone into his comedies. Somewhere between them, not only chronologically but also stylistically and in terms of the creative method, stands Nusic, as the most remarkable figure of the Serbian theatre.-Dejan Stojanovic

An Anthology of Serbian Satire and AphorismsBetween 1950 and 1990, satire contributed the most to the democratization of society in the former Yugoslavia and Serbia. Cabaret performances, The Alarm-Clock by Vlada Bulatovic Vib; The Tavern, The Court, The Mad House by Brana Crncevic or Marx, Marx, What Time Is It? by Milovan Vitezovic played a large role in the process. In 1969 Vitezovic's book, My Heart Betrayed Me, was burned. In addition, Matija Beckovic, primarily a poet, had both the courage (considering that he lived in communist Yugoslavia) and the talent to write such provocative texts as "On Yugoslavs" and "On Success and Failure." Writings of this nature were generally considered heresy, to put it mildly, and could have led to censorship, ostracism, or imprisonment.Under the influence of the great Polish aphorist and poet Stanislaw Jerzy Lec and later under the influence of Brana Crncevic and Milovan Vitezovic, the world-renowned Belgrade Aphoristic Circle was formed. Aphorisms were heavily used in the last decades of the 20th century in Serbia without slowing down in the 21st century. "It is a miserable democracy when people have to choose between two evils," wrote Vitezovic four decades ago. These words are equally fresh and alive today, regardless of where one stands along the political spectrum. The form of satirical aphorism culminated under the pen of Vitezovic in the earlier decades and more recently under the pen of Aleksandar Baljak and Aleksandar Cotric, to name a few. "Our native land is in danger. From the saviors," says Cotric, and this is the critique or social function of satire at its best.The absurdity of the situation and the use of paradox by satirists led to the best results in their works. Strangeness in literature is a quality regardless of form or genre, but in satire, strange or grotesque situations create a much stronger message. In a story titled, "Letter from 1920," Andric wrote that "most evil and dark people can be seen around shrines, monasteries and mosques." Humor is not present in this sonorous statement, yet the tone and message are piercingly satirical.In his essay "Laughter," Henri Bergson rightfully argues that, when people are found in unusual situations, it triggers laughter. For example, somebody walks down the street and for no obvious reason falls down in a grotesque way, so that passersby start laughing immediately. The peculiarity of this scene lies in the fact that it is not usual that a person walking down the street falls for no obvious reason. People who laugh in such situations react mechanically.Although comedies or humorous literary works are not necessarily satiric, many satirical plays and novels or stories are humorous. Humor in literature is most effective if it contains the elements similar to the situation described in the Bergson's essay. Strangeness, absurdity, paradox, and hyperbole make satire more appealing, effective, and clear in its message. All these elements were employed by Petar Kocic in his play A Badger in Court. We can hardly imagine a stranger situation than a person suing a badger and bringing it to court to seek justice.From the first stories of Domanovic and Kocic, Serbian satire moved on to an adventurous journey full of creativity and surprises that led to improvement and artistic invention along a wide spectrum of artistic forms and mediums. One of the most popular and fruitful forms was aphorism, in which Serbian authors achieved the highest points even on the world scene. Today, there is no immediate danger for the satirical writers in Serbia since society has changed and democratized and not much courage is needed to write about any subject. Still, this journey not only continues in the 21st century but is equally productive, thought-provoking, and adventurous.-Dejan Stojanovic

"This is an anthology of the great Serbian short stories representing the XIX and the XX century with 27 authors"--

Through my experience as a healthcare provider I have noticed a recurrent theme--a common thread if you will--that runs through everyone, tying us all together. That theme or thread is our desire to HEAL and CONNECT with ourselves and others. Every individual I have had the pleasure to work with, no matter how different, unique, or broken (physically or emotionally), wishes in some way to be accepted, understood, and integrated into a healthy, supportive and loving community. So, I started writing. While the stories I write focus on the development of emotional intelligence and healthy boundaries in children, the messages are simple and insightful enough to impact teenagers while still maintaining a level of profound depth for adults.The mission of each story is to promote a higher level of inner awareness through asking questions and self-reflection. Healing, reconciliation, and love is the revolving theme. The purpose of this book is to cultivate HEALING and CONNECTION while promoting EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE through HEALTHY BOUNDARIES. The stories within demonstrate how to develop and apply EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE and HEALTHY BOUNDARIES in real-world scenarios. Through these stories, I hope to encourage personal development in everyone, especially children, by teaching how to ACCEPT, UNDERSTAND and INTEGRATE what truly makes each one of us special: our differences. Learn how at-risk youth and children with special needs have inspired a broader definition of love. CONNECT and HEAL a little more with each story. Recognize that EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE and HEALTHY BOUNDARIES are the foundation of a balanced and joyful existence. Good tidings on your journey.