Leteo sam gotovo svim avio-kompanijama, ali piloti Er Srbije su izuzetni profesionalci i izuzetno mekano sleću, zato su na ceni u celom svetu / I‘ve flown with almost all airlines, but our pilots are exceptional professionals who make extremely soft landings, which is why they are highly valued all over the world
out those women, especially given that I had several major health prob- lems that I succeeded in overcom- ing with them. Those women pro- tected and preserved me. I wouldn‘t be who I am nor would I have done what I‘ve done without them. I grew up alongside my grandmother until the age of ten, and she taught me basic values.” You‘ve dedicated the book to your wife, with whom you‘ve spent half a centu- ry. In these times of su- perficial relationships and divorces, that draws admi- ration and restores one‘s faith in love. Do you have a recipe for a successful mar- riage? “Friendship is the most impor- tant thing for marriage. My wife is my best friend, as I am hers. Our friendship grows ever greater, along- side responsibility, an obligation for tolerance between two people under the same roof. She persuaded me to finally gather together all the po- ems that she‘d archived in one vol- ume of about three metres contain- ing various newspapers, magazines, manuscripts. I dedicated this book of poems to her as soon as I started it, and I revealed that to her once I‘d finished writing. She was pleasant- ly surprised. In the half-century of our marriage she‘s helped me a lot in my work, and my works wouldn‘t have been what they are without her responsibility and precision.” People are increasingly turning back to the past, to their roots, to nature. And you are also on that quest. Do you think returning to the villages could save our souls? “My village had a primary school after World War II, and un- til a decade ago the population had halved, while now there isn‘t a sin- gle empty house. Many grandchil- dren returned during the pandemic, fleeing from the cities to freedom. As a child, I first lived in a country house, then in a house in Šabac, and when I moved to a flat in Belgrade I felt like I was in a cage. Now I live
tion, part of my biography is already contained. I‘ve observed the world from one mountain top, while oth- ers have their own view. It‘s inter- esting to see all those differences.” Do you believe we‘ll one day also be able to laugh about these new misfor- tunes, like in the majority of your works? “That will provide inspiration for many books, series and films, be- cause it is a worldwide tragedy that has so far taken almost three million people. I believe that I‘ll also dedicate some work to that topic, perhaps for a theatre play. I don‘t know when, but I‘m sure that, perhaps by next winter, we‘ll laugh about many ab- surd things, both beautiful and ug- ly. Thanks to the pandemic, many people have aroused themselves and their brains, and that‘s good. I hope that 2021 will be better for us.” What else makes you truly happy every day? “My four grandchildren. Every time we get together I see how they are changing, progressing in all as- pects of life and growing up into people every single day. We didn‘t see each other during one period, when the Coronavirus was spiking. We hope that we‘ll be able to get back to our old lives by vaccinating.” Do you like flying and what kinds of experiences have you had with Air Serbia? “I was aerophobic in my youth, but between the age of 30 and to- day I‘ve toured most of the world by plane. I choose Air Serbia because it suits me to arrive where I want on a direct flight, without my suitcases getting lost along the way. I‘ve flown with almost all airlines, but our pi- lots are exceptional professionals who make extremely soft landings, which is why they are highly valued all over the world. I most often read aboard planes, because I can‘t sleep, and among other things I regular- ly read Elevate. It has a good print quality, interesting travelogues, in- terviews. It‘s a valuable magazine be- cause it provides a lot of information about flights and destinations that are worth visiting.”
in a house that‘s almost on the outskirts of Belgrade, and I also vis- it the house where I was born in my hometown and friends who‘ve moved to less populated areas. In the last decade, and especially since the beginning of the pandem- ic, many have bought and adapt- ed old, neglected rural houses in the area around Belgrade, for ex- ample on Kosmaj and Avala or in Vojvodina. They spend most of the year there; they‘ve returned to na- ture. They have cleaner air, fields to walk in, their own crops of fruit and vegetables, animals in the yard, and they‘ve freed their children from ur- ban apartments.” Looking back on your fan- tastic life, during which you‘ve given a lot both to us and to those yet to come, what are your fond- est memories? “In this book, as in most of my works, I‘ve collected many frag- ments of my biography like frag- ments of a mirror of memories. And perhaps someone will put them to- gether one day. I haven‘t considered who that could be so as to avoid jinx- ing it. Perhaps it will be someone who only recently started school. Maybe my grandchildren, and may- be one of their peers. And in the works of my students and postgrad- uates, as some non-existent collec-
Literature » Literatura | 29
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