SARAJEVO, MARCH 24 (ONASA) – Bosnian poet and writer Abdullah Sidran passed away.
Sidran was born on October 2, 1944 in Sarajevo. He attended elementary school and high school in Sarajevo. He graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy, in the group of Yugoslav literature and Serbo-Croatian language.
He was the editor of the newspaper “Naši Dani”, worked for ten years at the Workers’ University “Đuro Đaković”, then ten years as a professional writer.
He edited youth newspapers and magazines, lecture forums. Until April 1992, he was employed at RTV Sarajevo, as “leading dramaturg”. He appeared in literature in the 1960s, with a series of poems and prose works, in the generation of young writers often referred to as the “sixties”.
For his poetry books, he was awarded with literary and social recognitions: April 6 Award of the City of Sarajevo, Annual Award of the Writers’ Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Annual Award of the Publishing Company “Svjetlost”, Dragon Award.
During the war, a book of his poetry “Sarajevo Taboo” was published, which was awarded the “Freedom Prize” by the PEN Center of France.
Selections from his poetry, translated into German, French, Italian, published in Austria, France, Italy. For the Italian, bilingual edition, he received the “Premio letterario 1996 della Fondazione Laboratorio Mediterraneo” award.
He left an indelible mark in the filmography of Bosnia and Herzegovina as the screenwriter of the films “Do you remember Dolly Bell?” and “Father on a business trip”, directed by Emir Kusturica. And as the screenwriter of the film “Kuduz” by Ademir Kenović.
He was a regular member of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a master’s candidate in chess. (end)