Showing results by author "Dejan Stojanović" in All Categories

The fifth and last book in the series, The Embrace of Light and Darkness, is The Light of the Mind. This poetry collection concludes the series' exploration of the complex relationship between light and darkness. It is philosophical, lyrical, meditative, melodious, and easy to understand. Throughout the collection, the poet combines unique imagery with philosophical musings. Like the previous volumes, this collection explores the unusual aspects of the human experience. The poems exude a flair of ethereality and spirituality. The strong philosophical dimension typical of Stojanovic is also ...

The Embrace of Light and Darkness series consists of five books: Dance of Sounds, The Matter of Matter, The Home of the World, All Women in One, and The Light of the Mind. It offers a diverse exploration of poetry focused on themes of emotion, existence, and the human experience. This series marks a critical period in Stojanović's transition to writing in English. These books reflect a unique approach to poetry. Dance of Sounds reflects personal and universal interaction. This collection enhances the reader's understanding of complex human relationships and the emotional universe we ...

Strange Thoughts is a collection of prose poems, short stories, epigrams, aphorisms, vignettes, and mini-essays. This book is the final installment in the pentalogy titled The Embrace of Light and Darkness. It is unique in that it consists predominantly of prose rather than poetry. The collection combines various aspects of existence, perception, and the relationship between oneself and the world. Every piece is a philosophical and artistic contemplation, comprising abstract thoughts and stunning imagery into a reflective cascade effortlessly flowing through various forms of expression. ...

The World and Humans is an unusual collection of poetic reflections and philosophical insights that try to decipher the relationship between nature and humanity. This thought-provoking work centers on the essence of being human, exploring profound themes such as thought, language, truth, madness, and the constructs of society. Through a series of reflective pieces, the book may inspire readers to reflect on their own lives and grapple with existential questions. Structured into six poetic sequences—“Meditations,” “Toys and Machines,” “Thought and Touch,” “Traps,” “...

The Possibility of Cognition is the English translation of the last section of the second part of the third book in the pentalogy titled The World in Nowhereness. Originally written in Serbian, this work is a long, philosophical, and reflexive poem. It features a variety of unique sestinas, including some that have never been used before, such as the quatro sestina, which consists of 588 verses, organized into 24 stanzas with 24 verses each, plus an envoi with twelve verses. This is the first sestina of its kind. This complex and philosophical poem explores truth, knowledge, and ...

The second collection of Dejan Stojanovic's verse, The Sun is Watching Itself, is covered by a metaphysical and philosophical veil. Eleven segments are connected by these two abstract approaches and key images, such as a circle, suggesting infinity, and silence, reflecting space and eternity. The circle serves as a powerful symbol and a device of the perpetual in this poetry: "The end without endlessness is only a new beginning," claims the poet. Thus, one of the poems bears the title "God and Circle," symbolizing the perennial search for an exit and the eventual finding of one, which only ...

Upon reading Dejan Stojanović’s philosophical book Absolute, two imposing assertions resonate the most: “Reality is an illusion” and “God is the Universal mind of the Absolute.” In his outstanding book, Stojanović offers a masterful examination of these ideas and concepts from different perspectives. Stojanović’s book, in its scope and complexity, is the pinnacle of achievement in the field of philosophy; it is an overview of historical and philosophical standpoints dating back from ancient philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle to the modern metaphysical thoughts and ...

Upon reading Dejan Stojanović’s philosophical book Absolute, two imposing assertions resonate the most: “Reality is an illusion” and “God is the Universal mind of the Absolute.” In his outstanding book, Stojanović offers a masterful examination of these ideas and concepts from different perspectives. Stojanović’s book, in its scope and complexity, is the pinnacle of achievement in the field of philosophy; it is an overview of historical and philosophical standpoints dating back from ancient philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle to the modern metaphysical thoughts and ...

The book is in the form of the so-called prosimetrum—a combination of poetry and prose. It contains different poetic forms, predominantly sestinas, which have never been used in Serbian poetry, and quatro sestina has never been used anywhere in the world. The book characterizes epic momentum and various themes, including the Earthly dimension interwoven with extra-terrestrial and otherworldly dimensions embodied by the Cosmos and God. Also, the book contains elements of an epic work, essay, novel, drama, and a dominant line of pure philosophy.

All Women in One is the fourth installment of The Embrace of Light and Darkness series, in which we discover new ideas about femininity and women's often overlooked and undervalued essence. The poems are a delicate collection of imagery, juxtaposing light and darkness, longing and belonging, and evoking personal and collective memory. The book starts with the poem "I Smell You Everywhere," which establishes the tone for the whole book and emphasizes the hidden powers of womanhood that transcend mere physicality, capturing its ethereal quality. This power mainly consists of the feminine ...

The Home of the World is an exquisite poetic and philosophical journey through the perplexities of existence in relationship with the natural world and the divine. Each poem blends unique imagery with philosophical reflections that resonate deeply. The first poem in the collection, "Song of Light," explores themes of loss and longing through the symbolism of the Sun and nature. The poignant plea for restoration motivates readers to examine their relationship with the world. In the "Song in the Garden," the poet's voice is gentle and encourages appreciation of life's little pleasures that we...

Dance of Sounds is a collection of poems that offers readers a unique poetic universe reflecting the complexities of the world and the poet's emotional depth. Rich with wonders, the book is organized into five sequences: “Forgotten Home,” “Forgotten Sounds,” “Forgotten Serenades,” “Dictionary of Sounds,” and “Beauty Never Dies.” The transition from the inner to the outer world is subtly built in the poems “Forgotten Home” and “Being Late.” Unique imagery is especially evident in “Sounds of Imagination,” which casts light on amazing celestial wonders, while ...

This collection of poems expresses some grains of timeless wisdom in a simple yet full-of-wit language in its five distinct cycles: “Brain Universe,” “The Museum of Wax Figures,” “Waiting Room,” “Crystals of Fire,” and “A Flower in Emptiness.” Each cycle provides a unique perspective for readers to explore themes of existence, memory, creativity, and emotions. Images, metaphors, and philosophical reflections abound in this book, offering unique perspectives on the complex nature of life. Each section contributes to a broader exploration of the human condition, making it ...

Poetry in translation. Translation of Tvoritelj (Serbian edition: 2000) The Creator (Tvoritelj, 2000) is a collection of poetry by the Serbian-American poet Dejan Stojanović (1959). The book, originally written in Serbian, contains 62 poems in nine sequences: "The Light-Bearer," "Forest of the Universe," "A Talk of Fire," "The Whisper of Eternity," "A Smiling Sky," "Thought and Flight," "Same and Change," "The Dream Chamber," and "Nostalgic Elements." THE WHITENESS OF THE WORLD AND PAPER After three poetry books, Circling (1993, 1998, 2000), The Sun Watches the Sun (1999), and The Sign and...

Circling is the book that I thoroughly enjoyed. Many fine little poems. – Charles Simic In a colorful landscape of contemporary Serbian poetry, a careful reader can recognize that one of its branches, with a decidedly reflective experience of the poetic tradition and heritage, corresponds with a Serbian medieval age, opens up for its Byzantine chords, and, in the context of contemporary poetry, is closest to Modern Classicism. In the first wave of Serbian post-World War II poetry, this stream was at the very foundation of a revival, which is almost suppressed today. Today, in the ...

POETRY IN TRANSLATION The Shape (Oblik, 2000) is a collection of poetry by the Serbian-American poet Dejan Stojanović (1959). The book contains 46 poems in six sequences: "Home of the Shape," "Happiness of Atoms," "Bells," "Pit of the Stone," "Wonders," and "Big Chamber." The primordial existence of the shape, summed up in Dejan Stojanović's poems, does not rest on historical and mythical tradition. However, it indirectly relies on it. The poem is deeply plunged into the darkness of the primordial form and its countless allotropic forms depicted in the natural cycle. It establishes a ...

Ozar is the first book in the pentalogy, The World in Nowhereness. The book's first part, titled OZAR, is the voyage toward God, but the voyage starts with the journey inward through the mystical traveler himself. After the mystical traveler encounters Homer and speaks to him, Homer advises him to continue his voyage in the direction of Shakespeare. Thus, the book's second part, Shakespeare in Cosmos, continues this voyage. The travelers in a cosmic ship land on Planet Zena, where children of 10 years are more intelligent than the most outstanding geniuses on Earth. Eventually, they meet ...

Poetry in translation. Translated from the Serbian (Znak I njegova deca). The Sign and Its Children (Znak i njegova deca, 2000) is a collection of poetry by the Serbian-American poet Dejan Stojanović (1959). The book contains 43 poems in five sequences: "The Supreme Sign," "The Sign and Nothing," "Sign Face," "A Word and a Sign," and "The Sign and the Dream." The search for more compact and essential relations between the poetic statement and the image (symbol) conditions new qualitative and creative accents in Dejan Stojanović's writing compared to his previous poetic work. Loyalty to ...

This mesmerizing book provokes readers to reflect on the foundational principles of reality, existence, and the eternal dance between light and darkness. The book contemplates the nature of existence and invites readers to ponder the forces that govern the Universe. The book's main philosophical ideas and messages revolve around the universal dualisms between mind and matter, darkness and light, God and the Devil, and good and evil. The book examines collisions and harmonies of reality, complexities of life, suffering, and paradoxes relating to the physical nature of the Universe, society, ...

Stojanović wrote his first pentalogy between 1978 and 2000. This pentalogy represents a unique poetic universe of five collections reflecting his artistic evolution and distinctive vision. It begins with Circling: 1978-1987, published in 1993, where Stojanović lays a foundation that connects his later works. The philosophical tone introduced in his first book of poetry will resonate throughout his subsequent writings. In The Sun Watches the Sun, published in 1999, Stojanović broadens the field of inquiry, contemplating the relationship between existence and perception. He explores how ...