The OF Blog: R.I.P. Milorad Pavić (1928-2009)

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

R.I.P. Milorad Pavić (1928-2009)

Found this just now in my Facebook listings:

The academic and writer, Milorad Pavić, died today of a heart attack, aged 81, has confirmed the family of the writer. Pavić has been one of the most translated contemporary writers Serbs because of its novel "Khazar Dictionary", published 25 years ago. Highly reputed connoisseur of Serbian literature, he taught until retirement at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad. His works are more than 80 translations in different languages around the world. Experts from Europe, USA and Brazil named Pavić for the Nobel Prize for literature. Pavić will be remembered as one of the best translators of Russian classics and as the author of beautiful stories, a dozen novels, plays and essays. R.I.P.
At least he lived to a full age.  He was still writing excellent experimental novels up to his death.  Hopefully, others here reading this have tried his works, either in translation or in the original Serbian.

3 comments:

James said...

Sadly, no, I have never read anything by him--or heard of him for that matter, but then I have not read much translated fiction.

I have, since reading this post, read the first couple chapters of Second Body and will likely read the rest of it. A bit out of sorts at the beginning, but interesting nonetheless.

As I said previously, it is always a sad matter to lose any respected author.

Larry Nolen said...

Good! Second Body improves as you read on, as there are some interesting connections there. I also consider it his most "accessible" book, as it's closest in form to a traditional novel. Dictionary of the Khazars is written in the form of an encyclopedia/annotated dictionary and the ways that the overall story can be constructed are several...and each are fascinating. Might re-read that one shortly.

Liviu said...

That's sad news; I loved the four books I read by Mr. Pavic - I still have Khazars and Landscape Painted with Tea to read at some point, but Second Body, Unique Item, Inner Side of the Wind and Last Love in Constantinople are very good to excellent

 
Add to Technorati Favorites