Alija Isaković (15 January 1932 – 14 March 1997) was a Bosnian writer, essayist, publicist, playwright, and lexicographer of the

Bosnian language Bosnian (; / ; ), sometimes referred to as Bosniak ( / ; ), is the standard language, standardized Variety (linguistics)#Standard varieties, variety of the Serbo-Croatian pluricentric language mainly used by ethnic Bosniaks. Bosnian is one of ...

. Isaković studied

Slavic languages The Slavic languages, also known as the Slavonic languages, are Indo-European languages spoken primarily by the Slavs, Slavic peoples and their descendants. They are thought to descend from a proto-language called Proto-Slavic language, Proto- ...

and literature and was a graduate of the

University of Sarajevo The University of Sarajevo (Bosnian language, Bosnian, Croatian language, Croatian and Serbian language, Serbian: ''Univerzitet u Sarajevu'' / Sveučilište u Sarajevu / Универзитет у Сарајеву) is a List of universities in Bo ...

. Isaković was also notable for his works treating Bosnian literary history; asserting the special character and identity of

Bosniaks The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...

Early life

Isaković was born to a

Bosniak The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...

family in

Stolac Stolac ( sr-Cyrl, Столац) is an ancient city located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in the region of Herzegovina. Stolac is one of the oldest cit ...

in January 1932, while modern-day

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

was a part of the

Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...

. He was raised a

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

and, as a child, lived in Bitunja, a village located in his birth city. He attended schools in his native Stolac, as well as

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

Crikvenica Crikvenica () is a town in west Croatia, located on the Adriatic in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. Names The names of the town in various languages include: * * * * Geography Crikvenica is located southeast of Rijeka and is the largest s ...

Pančevo Pančevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Панчево, ; ; ; ; ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the South Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is located on the shores of rivers Timiș (ri ...

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

, and

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

Career

He wrote the screenplay for a 1983 film version of the

folk ballad '' Hasanaginica''. The film's script was turned into a

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

, directed by Sulejman Kupusović, that premiered in 1988. In 1972, he released an anthology of

literature called ''Biserje'' (''Pearls''). Isaković's ''Pearls'', it was said, was a pioneering project in establishing the delicate ethnic Bosniak literature.

Bosnian War

During the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

of the 1990s, Isaković was one of the speakers at the First Assembly of Bosniaks (''Prvi Bošnjački sabor''), one of the most important events in modern political history of Bosniaks, held in the besieged city of

between 27–28 September 1993.

Personal life

Isaković was a friend of the first Bosnian president,

Alija Izetbegović Alija Izetbegović (; 8 August 1925 – 19 October 2003) was a Bosnian politician, Islamic philosophy, Islamic philosopher and author, who in 1992 became the first Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, president of the Presidency ...

, painter

Mersad Berber Mersad Berber (1 January 1940 – 7 October 2012) was a Bosnian painter. Early life Berber was born in Bosanski Petrovac, Kingdom of Yugoslavia. He trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana where he graduated with a BA and MA. In 1978, B ...

and he knew the Yugoslavia prime minister

Branko Mikulić Branko Mikulić (10 June 1928 – 12 April 1994) was a Yugoslav politician who served as Prime Minister of Yugoslavia from 1986 to 1989. Mikulić was one of the leading politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the communist rule in the forme ...

. Isaković died 14 March 1997, at the age of 65 in

and was buried in the graveyard of a mosque there.

Legacy

An elementary school in

Prozor-Rama Prozor-Rama ( sr-cyrl, Прозор-Рама) is a municipality located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its seat is Prozor. Also, Ramsko lake is located in the muni ...

, Bosnia and Herzegovina was named after him.

Works

*''Sunce o desno rame'' (''Sun on the Right Shoulder'', 1963) *''Semafor'' (''Stoplight'', 1966) *''Avdo Karabegović Hasanbegov: Izabrane pjesme'' (1967) *''Prednost imaju koji ulaze'' (''Priority is Given to Those Who Enter'', 1971) *''Građa za bibliografiju Muslimanske književnosti 1883-1971'' (1972) *''Biserje'' (''Pearls'', 1972) *''Hodoljublje'' (1973) *''Građa za bibliografiju bosansko-hercegovačkog (1842-1970)'' (1973) *'' Edhem Mulabdić: Izabrana djela'' (1974) *''Hasanaginica, 1774-1974'' (1975) *''Bibliografija radova o Hasanaginici 1774-1974'' (1975) *''Taj čovjek'' (''That Man'', 1975) *''Osman - Aziz (

Osman Nuri Hadžić Osman Nuri Hadžić (28 June 1869 – 23 December 1937) was a Bosnian intellectual and writer. On 1 May 1900, he co-launched the political journal '' Behar'' with Safvet beg Bašagić and Edhem Mulabdić. Biography Hadžić was educated in Sa ...

i Ivan Miličević): Izabrana djela'' (1980) *''Krajnosti'' (''Extremes'', 1981) *''Hasanaginica'' (1982) *''Pobuna materije'' (''Rebellion Matters'', 1985) *''Nasrudin Hodža'' (1986) *''Jednom'' (''Once'', 1987) *''Neminovnosti'' (''Inevitability'', 1987) *''Ahmed Muradbegović: Izabrana djela'' (1987) *''Lijeve priče'' (''Left Stories'', 1990) *''O »nacionaliziranju« muslimana. 101 godina afirmiranje i negiranja nacionalnog identiteta Muslimana'' (1990) *''Biserje. Izbor iz muslimanske književnosti. Drugo, prošireno, izdanje'' (1992) *''Rječnik karakteristične leksike u Bosanskome jeziku'' (''Dictionary of Characteristic Lexicon of the Bosnian Language'', 1992) ;Screenplays *'' Hasanaginica'' (1983)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isakovic, Alija 1932 births 1997 deaths People from Stolac Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Muslims 20th-century Bosnia and Herzegovina writers Bosniak writers