As part of the “Konjic Book Days 23′ ” event, the book “Pod prstenom na dvoru djevojka” by Nusret Omerika was promoted last night in the Bosnian room of National University Konjic.
The book was published at the end of August, and it was promoted for the first time in Konjic. The promotion began with an instrumental performance of the sevdah line “Čudna jada od Mostara grada” performed by Merjem Žiko, a student of the First Primary School in Konjic.
The author of the aforementioned book, a Herzegovinian writer, poet, essayist, literary critic, expert in oral folk literature and oral tradition, told for radiokonjic.ba that the book is dedicated to the Ljubović family sung in Bosniak oral lyrical songs, sevdalinka, ballads and romances.
“The book tells about the Ljubović beys of Nevesinje, who ruled Nevesinje for about four hundred years. The Ljubović’s are one of the most sung Bosniak, Beg families in our folk lyrical and epic songs. It is one kind of my native debt to my native land, for the reason that the Ljubovići, in addition to being sung in songs, were great warriors. There was almost no significant battle and conquest in the time of the Ottoman Empire when they lived, if they were not at the imperial court, if they were not people who asked questions and decided. In an epic poem, there is a line that best describes the character of Ljubović, which reads “Three hundred begs in Herzegovina, three hundred begs, two hundred alaibegs. And when Ljubović bey came, there were no evil bey’s” – said the author of the book.
The book was titled “Pod prstenom na dvoru djevojka” as an association with the poem “Marriage of Ljubović”, and it consists of two chapters.
“The first chapter of the book brings us the Ljubović family in historical documents, traditions and legends. That is the history of that family, and there are no comments from me in that chapter. There are excerpts from the sidjila of the Nevesinje, Mostar and Stolac kadija, as well as legends in which the Ljubovićs are the main characters. In the second chapter, there are about seventy lyrical songs, sevdalinka, ballads and romances in which the Ljubovići are sung as beys and their wifes” – said Omerika.
With this book, the author also announces a new work about Ljubović in epic poems. A new book in print, on 600 pages, will be available next year.
The promoters of the book were Džemal Juklo and Amela Kozić. Professor Džemal Juklo stated that the writer Nusret Omerika, a man who lives the moment both in science and in poetry, adding that the work “Pod prstenom na dvoru djevojka” is an anthology, which is not finished, because the author is working hard on it.
“Through the book that is dedicated to the Ljubović family, it seems to me that we have found ourselves somewhere, that we also have an aristocracy among Bosniak families. This is important to me, because every day we suffer and this value complex of ours comes to the fore more and more. Everything that professor Omerika does, writes, presents, in a way wipes the dust off old books, which is important in building our identity. Personally, his works reminded me of a part of identity, first of all, literary creativity, that is, history, which is our most important identity,” – said Professor Juklo.
Students of Konjic First Primary School brightened up tonight’s gathering at the promotion of the book. Thus, in addition to the aforementioned student Merjem Žiko, Erol Begić played sevdalinka on the guitar, and students Davud Mušinović, Imran Velagić and Asja Halilović recited the verses of several lyrical songs from the promoted book.
Text source: www.radiokonjic.ba
Photo source: Benjamin Mušinović
