Love is universal and erases all boundaries

Spiritual, patriotic, love, thought, satirical songs Edita Dautović were presented in her new collection of poetry "Našli smo jedno droge" which was recently published, and was promoted on Thursday in Podgorica, at the Cultural and Information Center "Budo Tomović".

The collection includes 58 poems of different themes, styles, but also of love and beauty, Dautović points out in an interview with "Vijesti" and adds that her poetry is intended for an adult readership.

"Everyone can be found in this collection, because it is life-like. About the song 'I only loved you', which will be found in this new collection, so far a dozen writers who had the opportunity to hear it have told me: 'That's my poem, it was written for me, how you read my mind'. Always, and especially when it comes to love poetry, everyone can find themselves at some point, in some situation or verse. And that is enough to trigger an avalanche of emotions , as well as empathy and sympathy for a song," she says.

The book received the support of the Fund for the Protection and Realization of Minority Rights, it was also published for the Serbian market by Arte from Belgrade, so it was already presented at the book fair in Novi Sad, and the author reveals that a Bulgarian translation is being prepared.

"This literary venture has not only regional importance, but also importance in the Balkan framework, and even in Europe - the collection is being translated into Bulgarian. It was published for the Serbian market and I achieved a nice collaboration, and on April 18, a promotion is planned in Belgrade All this means a lot to me. I am aware of the written word, woven through verses, and the Fund supported me as a poet and writer of the minority people in Montenegro, and in this connection I also received a great challenge, opportunity and honor. We artists, creators cry out and we are looking for a space for our creativity and action, and that is certainly a quality tool of culture in every society. This should be especially emphasized in every opportunity and action of minority peoples, their representatives and cultural practitioners," Dautović points out.

In addition to what is the basis of support, which is the quality and originality of the lyrics, Dautovič also finds love as a motive and driving force, both for numerous projects and for her poetry.

"Love is universal, it permeates and touches all religions, races, nationalities and erases all borders, because the world works much better when we ignore territorial borders at least for a while and return to the essence of living that is common to all. Love as a common all-pervading human force never it discriminates and divides, but unites and neutralizes differences," she says.

The title itself suggests that it is (perhaps) predominantly love poetry, which Dautović confirms in "Vijesta" and explains what place love occupies in her poetic being, but also how much, as an inexhaustible motif in art, it has changed over time when poetry in question.

"Love is inexhaustible, so it is also the trigger in my creativity, whether I write happy, sad, wistful, emotional, painful songs... It is love that inspires me, moves me, inspires me. Through lyrics I present love, traditions, customs, homeland, family, friendship... I also present my deepest feelings of nostalgia, longing, sorrow, sadness, happiness, regret..." she says.

Love poems are often (auto)biographical, which is also the case with some from the collection "Našli smo jedno droge" in which the author brings a certain confessional tone and writes in the first person. But it is quite complex, considering that poetry always comes to the judgment of readers in the end.

"The problem of a real poet is almost always the same: if he is happy for a long time and writes poems on that subject - he becomes pathetic, if he is too unhappy and writes on these variations - he becomes boring, so in everything there should be moderation... As a child, and now, my poems were based on true stories and events, either mine or my friends'. However, I don't write poetry only about myself, but in general about society, friends, some phenomena, about my homeland, about that certain separation on to the Prijepolje-Podgorica relationship, that kind of nostalgia, memories. Not all songs are autobiographical, but I'm the type of creator who still wants to mature. I jealously keep it only for myself, and then I release it to others," Dautović admits.

Reviewer dr Milutin Đuričković points out that the title of the collection in a certain way indicates inspirational preoccupation and thought contents, which mostly dominate and represent her relationship to the inner - ethical, psychological, emotional, but also the outer - physical, historical and social world. That's how everything is intertwined with Dautovič and everything that touches it moves her...

"Writing is very important and precious for me. Writing is my catharsis. I am driven by the love of my neighbors, and it implies their absolute trust. I realized that when I do what we fear the most, we gain the most in life. Fear came from uncertainty, and courage from challenges. My wishes and dreams often become reality," she says.

Reviewer Veljko Veljović points out that "Našli smo jedno rudero" represents songs that have their own time, but also all of them have a touch of modernity. The originality of the poetry, the style of writing, but also keeping up with the times, is the key to that, says Dautovič, and clearly specifies that love in the broadest sense is the primary motive.

"Love as a motive clearly dominates in many poems. Love as the purest, most exalted feeling in man, and the special one when one loves a man or a woman, writing about it, has been the broadest theme since time immemorial, including in my collection. I give you a storm, blue heaven through verses, endless love and the house of nonsense, without touching the dormant lines, the lines that unite us, and sometimes separate us. This is what the songs "Storm", "Rains", "House of Meaning", "Tears of Plenty" and others. In them we can recognize a clear poetic representation of love itself, presented as evidence, gentleness, a twinkle, and it is both sadness and joy," explains the author.

She recalls that poetry is not her primary vocation, but it has been her love since early days.

"My love for poetry started very early. The first thing I wrote was the poem 'Blue tuft' for a boy I had a crush on in nature school. Which means, I've been writing poetry since childhood, and I published my first collection of poetry 'Čula' in 2002 In my first collection of poems, there are also poems from elementary school, which I wrote then... Then came the poems 'Ophelia's tears' and 'The saga of Pava and Ahmet', and the fourth collection 'We found each other' On March 21, on World Poetry Day, and that symbolism means to me... Some dice fall into place and it will be nice that I made my contribution to poetry," says Dautović.

She points out that, although poetry came first, she devoted herself to entrepreneurship, which overpowered her poetic urges, which she still cherishes.

"I started in entrepreneurial waters early. Over time, entrepreneurship overpowered my poetic creativity, but I like to write and it is a great fulfillment for me, because in this way I get rid of the accumulated business stress that accumulates every day. Writing is a form of purification for me, and it makes me satisfied... On the other hand, being an entrepreneur implies a certain role, position and responsibility, but also someone who is an innovator, someone who is ready to take risks, so that's where my character, that inner part of me breaks down," she explains. Dautović, who concludes the interview for "Vijesti" with a nice message:

"A Chinese proverb says: 'Don't read books for three days and your words will lose their beauty'. The richness of a beautiful word lies in constant search and inspiration".

Readers appreciate honesty

Given that hyperpublishing is a frequent topic in literary circles, Dautović points out that he does not belong to that group of poets.

"I'm one of those authors who publishes one book every ten years. I hope it won't be like that in the future, but due to circumstances, it happened like that. I have a lot of unpublished manuscripts, because the process of publishing and going to the market requires a lot more work than just writing and of creation," she says.

Nevertheless, he points out that he greatly appreciates everyone's effort and work, "if it is of good quality and sends a good and healthy message".

"I work to make the written word gain a little more importance and value and I encourage unestablished creators to be recognizable and reach the audience. There are too many different associations and activities that do not have a value system... I believe that we need to work on this so that quality comes to the fore." , she points out and adds that she values ​​honesty the most.

"Literature is the art of words accompanied by emotion, love and hard work and effort. I myself write poems and short stories. I think honesty is the most important, because it touches every real reader for a moment, and they know how to appreciate it," Dautović claims.