Miloš Crnjanski was a poet, prose writer, and diplomat, a pivotal figure in Serbian modernism and its expressionist wing. Initially a journalist with sometimes controversial socio-political stances, he gradually evolved into a romantic poet. His work is characterized by deep introspection and a melancholic view of human existence. Crnjanski explores themes of identity, memory, and the search for meaning in a restless world with remarkable stylistic skill.
Here at long last in English, almost five decades after the publication of the original, is the classic of European modernism that established Serbian writer Milos Crnjanski as one of the great voices of the 20th century. The novel follows an aging Russian émigré, Nikolai Repnin, as he attempts to make a life in the British capital in the 1940s.
Crnjanski će u nedovršenom književnom testamentu, „Knjizi o Mikelanđelu”, pokušati da prikaže dve svoje ličnosti u jednoj, kosmopolitu i nacionalistu, pesnika i novinara. U njoj se veliki srpski pisac, objašnjava Bertolino u eseju „Pitanja i Crnjanskom”, kroz lik velikog italijanskog umetnika, bavi svojom opsesivnom temom, temom majke, majčinske ljubavi koja je „sveopšta veza u svetu“, a koju tako često izneveravaju sinovi, muškarci, oni što „rasparčavaju svet“ umesto da ga „vezuju“. To materinsko biće, Crnjanski je, u dijalogu sa samim sobom, sa svojim senkama, starošću i smrću, video u svom Beogradu.
