Author, poet, newspaper reporter and literary translator

Personal Statement

Duška Vrhovac was born on the 24th March 1947 in Banja Luka (former Yugoslavia). She graduated Common Literature and Theory of Literature at the Philological Faculty of the University of Belgrade.

Her first literary work was published in 1966. She has been a professional journalist since 1971 and was employed by Television Belgrade in 1975 where she became Editor in 1981. As an author, editor, screenplay writer, and interviewer on this national television she has realized a whole range of significant and recognized documentary, contemporary and artistic serials and talk-shows.

Duška Vrhovac is a member of the Association of Writers of Serbia (AWS), of the International Federation of Journalists and of the Association of Literary Translators of Serbia. She is not a member of any political party. She is a mother of three children.

In July 2005, as an editor of complex projects she quitted working for the RTS (Radio television of Serbia) and has been a freelance journalist and writer since. She lives in Belgrade.

Literature:

She started publishing poetry in various journals and magazines (Orfej [Orpheus], Vidici [Horizons], Mladost [Youth], Student, Znak [Sign], Polja [Fields], Putevi [Roads], Odjek [Echo], Lica[Faces], Književna reč [Literary Word], Književne novine [Literary Journal], Jefimija, Pro Femina, Stremljenja [Yearnings], Književna Krajina[Literary Krajina], Politika…)

She received Golden Medal of the Cultural-Educational Assosiation of Serbia for spreading culture and many awards for poetry.

She participated in many literary and other gatherings, festivals and manifestations in the country and abroad.

Published Books of Poetry:

SAN PO SAN [Dream By Dream], Nova knjiga, 1986
S DUŠOM U TELU [With a Soul in a Body] Novo delo, 1987
GODINE BEZ LETA [Years Without Summer], Književne novine i Grafos, 1988
GLAS NA PRAGU [Voice on Threshold], Grafos, 1990
I WEAR MY SHADOW INSIDE ME, Forest Books, London, 1991
S OBE STRANE DRINE [On Both Sides of the Drina River], Zadužbina Petar Kočić, Banja Luka, 1995
ŽEDJ NA VODI [Thirst on Water], Srempublik, 1996
BLAGOSLOV – stošest pesama o ljubavi [BLESSING – onehundredandsix poems of love], Metalograf, 1996
ŽEDJ NA VODI, second revised edition, Srempublik, 1997
IZABRANE I NOVE PESME [Selected and New Poems], Prosveta 2002
ZALOG [Forfeit], Ljubostinja, 2003
OPERACIJA NA OTVORENOM SRCU (Surgery on the open hearth), Alma, 2006.

The poems were translated into English, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Greek, Turkish, Roumanian, Jermenian, Albanian and Macedonian and are contained in the selections of poetry of serbian most significant poets all over the world and in many poetry collection books in country.

Numerous writings and screenplays for children RADIO and TV programmes:
DOBRO JUTRO DECO [Good Morning Children] and LAKU NOĆ DECO [Good Night Children].

Translated Books:

From German: Friedrich Dürenmat, SUDIJA I NJEGOV DŽELAT [Judge and His Executioner], BIGZ 1975
From Italian: Ignatius Ambroggio: IDEOLOGIJE I KNJIŽEVNOST [Ideologies and Literature], Slovo ljubve, 1979

Journalism:

Duška Vrhovac published numerous articles and interviews in a great number of daily newspapers, magazines, journals and periodicals as are: Politika, NIN, Borba, Duga, Književne novine, Književna reč, Intervju, Reporter, Pravda, Glas javnosti, Danas, also various writings and screenplays for radio and television programmes.

She was a permanent associate of the cultural chronicles for the Third Programme of Radio Belgrade over a number of years, writing about literary, theatrical and other artistic events and happenings in country and abroad.

She was also an author, editor, screenplay writer and interviewer of numerous television programmes and serials within the Contemporary Informative Programme in the Editorial of documentary programmes of RTS, involving mainly contemporary and so called taboo-themes in various fields, from politics to culture, within civilisational context. Some of these programmes ended up in a bunker where they lie to this day.

Most significant serials:

IZABRANO IZ DRUGIH TV CENTARA [Selected from Other TV Centres], (1981-83)
TV FELJTON [TV Feuilleton], (1982-84)
DOKUMENTI NAŠEG VREMENA [Documents of Our Times], (1984-87)
SVET TIŠINE [World of Silence], (1987-88)
DIREKTNI PRENOSI [Live Transmissions], (1987-89)
IZVESNA PITANJA [Certain Questions],(1989-1999)
NACIONALNI I KULTURNI PREPOROD – ŠTA TO DANAS ZNAČI [Natonal and Cultural Rennaisance – What Does It Mean Today], (2002-2004)
SVET U KOMUNIKACIJI – INTERNET [World in Communication – Internet],
(2004-2005)