"People don't like to read plays, they like to read prose, where the author will chew and explain everything to them, what who thinks what who says, how it looks, and playwrights are reduced to plot, dialogue and theatrical reading. So printing a play is a feat and the good thing is that this is not the work of a dead classic, nor something published by a failed writer, because no one will play, but this is a play by a relevant, good and contemporary writer and there is a need to leave a mark in time and literary about a writer and a type of literature," concluded director Stevan Koprivica during the promotion of the book "Stub Soli" by playwright and professor Aleksandar Radunović Popaj.
Together with the author of the play and the editor of the book Sanja Vojinović, MSc, he spoke during the second evening of the Contemporary Literature Festival "Booking", which was held on September 12 and 13 at the Book Cafe in Podgorica.
Vojinović reminded that before publication, the drama was presented to the audience in the form of a play that premiered in the "Zetski dom" drama theater.
"Now we got that form through the text and after the performance we have the opportunity to read this play. It is a rare opportunity in Montenegro for plays to be printed, in fact there are none, all that what we see in theaters in Montenegro and in the capital and other theaters, and even alternative theater, does not have this form, that is why this book is significant, and it is even more significant because it comes to us from our dear author Popajo", she pointed out.
According to her, the motive of the drama is a segment from the Bible that talks about Sodom and Gomorrah, that is, the destruction of those cities, and the book is divided into four pictures: "Supper", "Redemption", "Serpent" and "Exorcism".
"All four titles communicate directly with the Biblical or Christian. When we say 'supper' we immediately think of the Last Supper, 'redemption' is something that all humanity strives for, imposed by the dogma dictated by Christianity, the third code sign is the 'snake', the one who deceives according to the Bible, the foolish Eve, the unreasonable Eve, that is the evil that constantly follows us... And the fourth part is the 'exorcism' - the exorcism of the devil," explained Koprivica.
"Those who expect the unity of the plot, the story told in these parts will not get that satisfaction. Radunović makes four separate etudes, this is also called an omnibus in theater and literature. They are different thematically, there are different characters, but the end result is somewhat the same", he added. is he.
The author of the play "Pillar of Salt" spoke more about the motives and what inspired him when creating the play.
"Most people think that life has a meaning, that things happen according to a certain sequence of events that is somewhere normal, predictable. And just as the natural sciences give us the feeling that there are certain laws in nature, literature gives us the feeling that life has a meaning. Especially in in drama, things have to be organized in a meaningful way," concludes Radunović.
"The Bible is one of the most important books in the history of mankind and it had the greatest influence on European literature. It was also written by people, I think so... It was written because, among other things, people could not connect and understand some things. And when you see so much evil around you, death, destruction, that people do to each other, it's kind of strange to say that it's according to God's will...", the author continues.
"I, not only because of this massacre in Cetinje that I attended, which was the initial trigger, wondered how it is possible that there is so much evil in a person. Now you see what is happening in Palestine, a country is being destroyed, genocide is being committed, people are being killed is more than 20 thousand children, there is Ukraine, Sudan... The history of the human race is the history of destruction, anger and revenge. I was actually interested and that is one of the motives - what are we turning into, if Lot's wife turned into a pillar salt watching the destruction of cities? Today we watch the destruction of cities through small screens... How can a man remain a man if he watches everything that is happening around him and continues his life as if nothing is happening?" asked Radunović.
The second edition of the "Booking" festival, with a program that included more than 30 participants from Montenegro and abroad, ended on Friday evening.
"Booking" was supported by the Secretariat for Culture and Sports of the Capital City of Podgorica and the Ministry of Culture and Media, and was organized by the publishing house Fokalizator, in partnership with the NVU Association of Montenegrin Publishers, the Milovan Đilas Academy and the Podgorica Book Cafe.
Bonus video:
