Prologue

APPROACHING THE BOOK FAIR IN LEIPZIG
Introducing Ourselves

Serbian literature and publishing in 2019 will be presented at book fairs in Leipzig, Beijing, Moscow and Frankfurt. This presentation, just like this year in Serbian culture, will be marked by a series of significant anniversaries. ”It is the 90th anniversary of the birth and 10th anniversary of the death of Milorad Pavić (1929–2009–2019), 90th anniversary of the birth of Aleksandar Popović (1929–1996), 30th anniversary of the death of Danilo Kiš (1935–1989–2019), 70th anniversary of the death of Rastko Petrović (1898–1949), 120th anniversary of the birth of Rade Drainac (1899–1943)... It is a centennial since the publication of the milestone collection of poems Lyrics of Ithaca (1919–2019) by Miloš Crnjanski.”
Special significance will be attached to the 800th anniversary of gaining independence of the Serbian Orthodox Church, as well as the 810th anniversary of the creation of the Studenica Typikon. This important scripture of St. Sava, the first Serbian archbishop, is embedded in the foundations of the Serbian Church, but is also ”a work equally important for the development of the Serbian language, alphabet and law”.
National Review will also be in Leipzig, Beijing, Moscow and Frankfurt. At the stand of its country. Approaching the first of these book festivities, in Leipzig, from March 21 to 24, the main article in this issue was made in that light. We have prepared a shirt reminder from the first period of the Serbian printed book, in the 15th and 16th centuries. A special article addresses the writers whose anniversaries are celebrated. We also bring probably the last great interview in the life of Milorad Pavić, given in 2009 to National Review. We will point to the immeasurable significance of the five visionaries of Serbian spirituality, literature and science, five peaks of Serbian culture.
There will be something to talk about in Leipzig.