''Sarajevo Blues'' is a book of poetry first published in 1992 during the
siege of Sarajevo
The Siege of Sarajevo ( sh, Opsada Sarajeva) was a prolonged blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by the forces of the Yugoslav People's Army, the city was then be ...
by
Semezdin Mehmedinović
Semezdin Mehmedinović (born 1960 in Kiseljak is a Bosnian writer and magazine editor.
After studying Librarianship and Comparative Literature in Sarajevo, he worked as an editor of "Lica" and "Valter" magazines, which served as a voice of opposi ...
. Mr. Mehmedinović's book was translated into English by
Ammiel Alcalay in 1998. Mehmedinović's text was translated into music by
Jewlia Eisenberg in 2004.
The Book of Poetry by Semezdin Mehmedinović
In ''Sarajevo Blues'', Semezdin Mehmedinović tells the story of a city under siege. The poet lived in the city and tells the story of resistance to nationalistic fervor. This book was part of the Biblioteka series, which gave a forum to Bosnian writers who were either living under siege like Mehmedinović or living in exile. The Washington Post described the book of poetry as "widely considered here to be the best piece of writing to emerge from this besieged capital since Bosnia's war erupted".
The CD by Charming Hostess
In the
Charming Hostess
Charming Hostess is a band that grew out of the avant-rock scene of Oakland, California, in the mid-1990s.
Current work
The music of Charming Hostess primarily springs from three women with an emphasis in the body—voices and vocal percussion ...
CD Jewlia Eisenberg continues her tradition of arranging music and text from the Jewish, African, and Bosnian Diasporas. This time setting the text of Mehmedinović, Charming Hostess sings of genocide and nationalism, freedom under siege, the nature of evil, and resisting war by any means necessary. The work explores Mr. Mehmedinović's text through a lens that includes Jewish, Balkan and Sufi musical influences.
External links
English edition of the bookGerman edition of the bookCharming Hostess / ''Sarajevo Blues''
1992 poetry books
Poetry collections
Postmodern novels
Siege of Sarajevo
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