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Uglješa Šajtinac

ウグレシャ・シャイティナツ

Uglješa Šajtinac

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1971-10-01
Nationality
Serbian
Languages
Serbian
Residence History
Novi Sad → Zrenjanin → Belgrade

Career

Occupations
novelist, playwright, children's author, screenwriter, university professor, dramaturge
Active Years
1993-
Affiliations
Serbian National Theatre (Novi Sad), Academy of Arts, University of Novi Sad (professor)

Education

Faculty of Dramatic Arts, University of Arts in Belgrade
Faculty of Dramatic Arts / Dramaturgy
Year of Graduation: 1999
Country: Serbia
After graduation worked as a dramaturge and in theatre dramaturgy/screenwriting

Awards

Sterijina (Jovan Sterija Popović) Award
2005
Work: Huddersfield (play)
Organization: Sterijino pozorje festival
Result: 受賞
Biljana Jovanović Award
2007
Work: Walk on! (short stories)
Organization: Biljana Jovanović Award organization
Result: 受賞
Ivo Andrić Award
2014
Work: Banatorium (short stories)
Organization: Ivo Andrić Foundation
Result: 受賞
European Union Prize for Literature
2014
Work: Quite Modest Gifts
Organization: European Union Prize for Literature
Result: 受賞
Isidora Sekulić Award
2017
Work: The Woman from Juárez (short stories)
Organization: Isidora Sekulić Award organization
Result: 受賞
Second Award for Best Screenplay
2007
Work: Co-written screenplay (short film)
Organization: Film Screenplay Festival Vrnjačka Banja
Result: 受賞（2位）
Best Screenplay Award
2007
Work: Screenplay for short film
Organization: Prvi Filmski festival Srbije (Novi Sad)
Result: 受賞
Distinction of the Jury for Best Screenplay
2008
Work: Screenplay for short film
Organization: Wiosna Filmów (Warsaw)
Result: 特別賞
Sima Cucić Award
2018
Work: Gang of Undesirable Pets
Organization: Sima Cucić Award organization
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Huddersfield

2004 play

An ensemble play addressing community, migration and belonging. Inspired by the author's visit to Huddersfield in 2000; the play had its world premiere in English.

migrationborderscommunityalienation
Adaptations
  • [theatre] Huddersfield (World Premiere at Leeds Playhouse) / 不明 (2004)
  • [theatre] Huddersfield (Yugoslav Drama Theatre) (2005)
  • [theatre (English adaptation)] Huddersfield (TUTA Theatre, Chicago) / Caridad Svich（翻案担当） (2006)
Translations
  • French translation by Yves-Alexandre Tripković (2018)
  • English stage edition (world premiere)

Quite Modest Gifts

2011 novel

A novel/collection exploring migration and marginality, quietly portraying how political and social forces shape individual lives.

migrationmarginalizationindividual and state
Translations
  • Translated into Italian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Slovenian, Macedonian, Ukrainian and others

Banatorium

2014 short stories

A collection of short stories portraying diverse characters and regions; borders and regional history intersect with personal memory.

regional historymemoryborders

The Woman from Juárez

2017 short stories

A short-story collection containing narratives about people affected by global migration and its political causes; notable for its international perspective.

global migrationviolence and displacementhuman resilience

Gang of Undesirable Pets

2017 children's literature

A children's book mixing creativity and humor while gently addressing social themes.

friendshipimaginationinclusion
Translations
  • Selected for the White Ravens List (International Youth Library) 2019

Bibliography

  • Čuda prirode: Miracles Of Nature (1993)
  • Čemer (1998)
  • Nada stanuje na kraju grada (2002)
  • Vetruškina ledina (2005)
  • Walk on! (2007)
  • Quite Modest Gifts (2011)
  • Čarna i Nesvet (2013)
  • Banatorium (2014)
  • The Woman from Juárez (2017)
  • Gang of Undesirable Pets (2017)
  • It Will Be Once (2020)

Adaptations

  • The play 'Huddersfield' premiered in English at Leeds Playhouse and was later staged in Serbia, Germany, the USA and other countries
  • Huddersfield was adapted to film (he participated in the screenplay)

Translations of Works

  • Sasvim skromni darovi: Italian (Doni modesti, 2016)
  • Sasvim skromni darovi: Bulgarian (2013)
  • Sasvim skromni darovi: Hungarian, Slovenian, Macedonian, Ukrainian, etc.
  • Huddersfield: translations/performances exist in English, Russian, Polish and others

Style & Themes

Literary Style
concise, restrained proserealism that calmly depicts social realitiesnarration that often includes humor and irony
Recurring Motifs
migration and bordersregion and memoryalienation and belongingcoexistence of humor and pathos

Legacy

An important contemporary Serbian writer and playwright whose works have been translated and staged across Europe. He is a recipient of several prizes including the EU Prize for Literature and is noted for his treatment of migration and regional memory.

In Popular Culture

  • His play 'Huddersfield' had an English world premiere and he participated in the film adaptation's screenplay, giving him visibility in both theatre and film.

Trivia

  • He is one of the rare Serbian playwrights whose play 'Huddersfield' had its world premiere in English.
  • 'Gang of Undesirable Pets' was selected for the International Youth Library's White Ravens list in 2019.
  • He lives in Zrenjanin and is noted for using public transport.