Marko Vidojković
Marko Vidojković (born October 1, 1975 in Belgrade) is Serbian novelist of the younger generation, distinguished for his "in-your-face", punkish attitude both in his novels and in public appearances.
His novels, told in direct and often obscene language, are placed on the streets of Belgrade, portraying lost and angry young people, drowned by lack of understanding and hypocrisy of the society. Vidojković's popularity exploded with his fourth novel, Kandže (The Claws). Its story revolves around a character who's a law student and a fanatic participant in 1996/1997 protests in Serbia. At the same time he meets the love of his life. The book received "Kočić's Quill" and "Golden Bestseller" awards. It has twleve editions with more than 22.000 copies sold in Serbia. The new publisher, Samizdat B92, reissued Vidojković's old novels in 2005, and they also achieved bestseller status.
Sve crvenkape su iste (All Red Riding Hoods Are the Same) won Vital's Golder Sunflower Literary Award as the Best Book of the Year 2006. He was awarded with prestigious Writers in Residence fellowship by Cultural Network of the City of Graz, Austria, in 2008. Along with Miljenko Jergovic, he was a protagonist of Željko Mirković's documentary A Long Road Through Balkan History (2010). His novel Ples sitnih demona (The Dance of Small-Time Demons) was adapted into a theater play by Maja Pelević. The play was directed by Milan Nešković and is being performed at Dadov Theater, Belgrade (spring, 2010). Vidojković was an executive editor of Playboy Magazine's Serbian Edition (2006-2011), and was an editor-in-chief of Maxim Magazine's Serbian Edition (2005-2006). He was also a columnist for Kurir daily newspaper. His short story "The Cockroach" ( Der Kakerlak) has been translated into German and published in 2011 as a part of an Angela Richter's anthology of modern Serbian prose "Der Engel und der rote Hund". The book has been presented at the Leipzig Book Fair. Serbian Ministry of Culture brought Vidojkovic to Leipzig 2011 as a part of national literary delegation. He is a member of Serbian literary society.
Trivia: Vidojković was a lead singer of a Belgrade punk rock band called On the Run (1995 - 2007) and a lead singer / bass player of a Belgrade heavy metal band called Strap on. He graduated from the University of Belgrade's Law School. He was the editor in chief of Maxim Magazine in Serbia, and the executive editor of Playboy Magazine in Serbia.
Bibliography
- Ples sitnih demona (The Dance of Small-Time Demons, a novel) (Narodna knjiga, 2001, Samizdat B92, 2005)
- Đavo je moj drug (The Devil Is a Friend of Mine, a novel) (Narodna knjiga, 2001, Samizdat, 2005)
- Pikavci na plaži (Butts on the Beach, a novel) (Narodna knjiga, 2002)
- Kandže (The Claws, a novel) (Samizdat, 2004)
- Sve crvenkape su iste (All Red Riding Hoods Are the Same, a novel) (Samizdat, 2006)
- Bog ti pomogo ( May God Have Mercy on Your Soul, short stories collection, Samizdat, 2007)
- Hoću da mi se nešto lepo desi odmah (I Want Something Nice to Happen to Me Right Now, a novel) (Samizdat, 2009)
- Kandže 2 - Diler i smrt (The Claws 2 - The Pusher and Death, a novel) (Rende, 2012)
- Urednik (The Editor, a novel) (Laguna, 2014)
- Priče s Dijagnozom (Diagnozed Stories) (Laguna, 2015)
As of 2006, The Dance of Small-Time Demons was translated to English and German, while The Claws were translated to Slovenian and Bulgarian. "All Red Riding Hoods Are the Same" were translated and published in Macedonia in December, 2010. The story "Vecera" (The Supper) was translated to Polish in 2011.
References
- Mihailo Pantić's review on The Red Riding Hoods
- Marko Vidojković: Kremplji Mladina, 19. August 2006 (Slovene)