Ceremonial session in honour of 175 years since the birth of Academician Desanka Maksimović’

The 175th anniversary of the birth of Academician Desanka Maksimović will be marked by a celebration at the SASA Grand Hall, on 2 June, at noon.

Desanka Maksimović (b. Rabrovica, Valjevo, 16 May 1898 – d. Belgrade 11 February 1993), one of the foremost Serbian women poets; completed her studies of comparative literature and general history at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade. As a holder of a French Government scholarship, she spent a year in Paris, furthering her studies. She worked as a professor at the Dubrovnik School of Teacher Education and the First Grammar School for Girls in Belgrade.

In 1920, she published her first poems in the journal Misao. Along with poetry, she published prose as well. She translated from Russian, Slovenian, French and Bulgarian. There are numerous books which can be highlighted out of her rich bibliography, such as Pesme [Poems] (1924), Zeleni vitez [Green Knight] (1930), Pesnik i zavičaj [A Poet and his Native Land] (1946), Izabrane pesme [Selected Poems] (1950), ), Otadžbino, tu sam [Here I am, Homeland](1951, Govori tiho [Speak Softly] (1961), Tražim pomilovanje [I Seek Clemency] (1964), Praznici putovanja  [Travel Holidays](1972), Nemam više vremena [My Time is Running Short](1973), Pesme iz Norveške [Poems from Norway](1976), Ničija zemlja [Nobody’s Land](1979), Slovo o ljubavi [Prose on Love](1983),  Pamtiću sve [I Shall Remember Everything] (1988), Nebeski razboj [Celestial Loom] (1991). Her poetry has been translated into numerous world languages.

She became a corresponding member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in 1959, and its full member in 1965.

For her literary work, she received various awards, some of which are as follows: the October Prize of the City of Kragujevac in 1963, the Seventh July Award in 1964, Vuk’s Prize in 1974, the SASA Achievement Award for merits in creation and promotion of poetry in 1974, Lifetime achievement award of the Association of Writers of Serbia in 1984 and Njegoš Award in 1984.

A live stream of the event is available at Директан пренос.