The novel Metohija Sfumato by Dušica Filipović was presented today at the stand of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija as part of this year’s Book Fair. Speakers included writer Vesna Kapor, research associate Luna Gradinsćak, Marija Vasić from the Kosovo Pomoravlje humanitarian organization, and the author herself.
At the Fair about Metohija Sfumato
“Today’s promotion of Metohija Sfumato at the Book Fair was, I must say, another joyful and moving gathering with colleagues and readers who seek a new voice about Kosovo and Metohija in contemporary Serbian literature. The voice carried by this book comes from the people who remained on the margins of our southern province, searching for a way to reach us. This book doesn’t let us drift off. It is made of outlines: landscapes and people intertwine with history, myth, and tradition, with love and death, the transient and the eternal. It is also a story of the contest between poetry and painting, art and life. Like all of Kosovo and Metohija, this book is both a wound and a comfort, our crucifixion and our resurrection. That is why I see it not only as a book of deep devotion to Kosovo, as Marija Jeftimijević Mihajlović beautifully noted in the Afterword, but also as my vow-book. And such a book, like true Love, comes only once in a lifetime,” said Filipović.
A Spiritual Pilgrimage
This deeply meaningful literary work abounds with spiritual messages and testimonies about the Christian rootedness of the Serbian people as a way of life and survival in Kosovo and Metohija through the centuries, as noted by Luna Gradinsćak.
“It was an honor to have the chance to speak about a groundbreaking book of exceptional importance. Dušica showed that one can write about a harsh reality in a victorious way, restoring hope and a sense of belonging to Kosovo and Metohija for us all. That is why we may consider this book a kind of national textbook.”
The Difficult Path of Creation
As a longtime friend and admirer of the author’s work, Vesna Kapor pointed out that this book had a very challenging path of creation and publishing. She emphasized that serious creation requires not only life and spiritual experience, but also reading, research, and a deep rootedness in identity and faith—foundations from which great works are born.
Subscriptions as Support for Publishing
This was the fourth major promotion of Metohija Sfumato, published by Prometej Publishing House from Novi Sad and the Kosovo Pomoravlje Humanitarian Organization from Gnjilane. The publication involved many Serbs from both Serbia and abroad, as well as members of the diaspora, with the idea of reviving the tradition of subscription-based publishing as a form of support. The initiative came from the Koreni Association, founded in Sremski Karlovci.
The program was hosted by Dragana Rajović.
