Bar stories - resistance to oblivion

"Bar stories", by journalists and publicists, Milan Vujović, received their story the night before last at the promotion of the book as part of the bARS "Bar Chronicle" program on the plateau of the House of Revolution in Bar. So the evening about them became a kind of anecdote about anecdotes. In addition to the author, a professor of literature and a literary critic spoke about the book Maja Simović, professor of mathematics and computer science Rajko Rajo Ćalasan, both professor and former diplomat Miodrag Ćaki Lekić.

"We can see Bar stories as one Bar genealogy, as one, first of all, resistance to oblivion," explains Simović.

"On the one hand, we have that one eternal upbringing in the province, but on the other hand, we have this bar coast teeming with different histories, cultures, religions, and we have that sea, which Andrić very nicely remarked is not only a "beautiful horizon", but and that coast, and that sea, somehow do not allow us to see this city as a province", she added regarding the fourth book.

Simović believes that Vujović's "Stories" run through a Mediterranean sign, and this reminded him of the writer Fernand Brodel and his "Mediterranean Riviera".

He explains that everything here is a sign of one Bar counterpoint - eternally between east and west - and what, as Simović states, Professor Lekić also noticed on one occasion: the move between Staro Bar's "merhab" and Pristan's "ke nova" with the unrepeatable, above all , Mediterranean effect.

"The first time, somehow that and somewhat ironic remark Umberto Eco, that literature is too important to be left to literary critics, tonight I take it seriously, because it is more important for me to hear these stories and, of course, wisdom and experience from my left and right side", said Simović, referring to Vujović and Ćalasan on that occasion between which she sat.

Vujović, answering Simović's question, said that the idea came from Cedomir Cedo Ratković who called him more than ten years ago and said that he had about fifty stories that he would like him to cover.

"Somehow it happened at the same time that he was deceased Mitar Pavlovic had 250 pages of his notes in the manuscript of events from Mrkojević and Dobra Voda and, therefore, they are the backbone of the bar stories", recalled Vujović, who does not hide that he is most responsible for the fact that we have the fourth book of these stories Vlado Luksic.

Vujović said that many Barans approached him, when word got out about "Bar stories", to tell him a story from their childhood and youth, and, as he points out, they knew without fail that the story they were telling would find its place in the book.

"In the eye and pen of Milan Vujović, times change easily, and wars, revolutions, occupations are replaced by new titles, but each great historical movement ends in the hands of some Bar 'pie' through whose hands history passes," Simović chose a part from preface Boris Liješević, which he says is a nice framework for stories.

Then Vujovic took over for a moment the management of this evening and recited the lyrics of the song "A ja joše sanjam" by Katapult and thus introduced the moment in the evening when a well-known face appeared in front of the guests Goran Pejović called Gluttony who performed a song whose lyrics were previously spoken by Vujović.

After the musical intermission, Gula together with Vujović shared several anecdotes in front of the audience. As Vujović said, he appears in all four books.

Then Ćalasan addressed the audience, who described the experience of reading "Bar Tales", describing how as readers we laugh and cry, peek into houses, yards, gossip and discover the fate of the city.

"And we, as readers, where are we, in the present, past or future city? How do we treat him", asked Ćalasan and said: "Let's read these goats, because they are us - we are them, always and forever. Let's talk about Bar through the works of Milan Vujovic - we will read old stories and live new ones".

Then Vujović and Ćalasan, through a friendly conversation, looked back on some of their experiences turned into anecdotes and entertained the audience, and after that Simović invited Vujović to read some anecdotes from her book and make a selection.

Those were stories about the prince nikoli and the women of Spičanka who drove their donkeys "ouch, ouch", and how this led to the creation of a road behind the castle; about the elementary school in Starobar Camila who made his "nana" happy by saying that he will not have any expenses in September because "he will have the same books"; about the trade Omer Mustafic and two interesting buyers; on Nik Bijov who returned from Constantinople and a warm "ekmeku" that was not allowed to "cool down"; and others.

The story that took place at the beginning of the Second World War, in the village of Mikulići in Rumija, is particularly touching. As stated in the story read by Vujović from his book, Hasan Jusuf came to the house with his army Perazić. Jusuf asked Perazić how many Orthodox houses there were in the village, to which he replied "three".

"There won't be any more," said Jusuf Perazić.

However, Perazić replied: "By God, you will have a lot of work today. First you must kill me, then mine, and everyone from the Muslim houses, of which there are dozens, and finally those from those three houses." With his determination, he made Yusuf leave "unfinished business", because even after repeating the gun, when asked if he would do it again, he said "I would".

"And that's Bar!", concluded Vujović.

The evening was closed by Lekić, after the author invited him to the microphone.

"This promotion tonight, and these books that Milan published, these stories... some will say that they are ordinary with a humorous point. I think it is serious literature. The bar, which has this impressive material growth, must follow its spirit and these stories help us somehow connect earlier times and all these lessons", said Lekić and pointed out that the German historian, Leopold von Ranke, said that the past and the present hold hands.

During the evening, the audience remembered, shared smiles and emotions, and became nostalgic. People greeted each other, talked. This "familiarity" began even before the promotion itself, which continued in that spirit, because there were faces who exchanged thoughts, ideas, stories in a friendly spirit... and all those who did not know each other could in this one bar moment connect in your love for this city and through stories that are inseparable from humans, and which are a natural part of us people and our history - both in storytelling and in the pleasure of listening. In addition to reminiscing, everything told during the evening also offered a deeper understanding of Bar. Through old stories, everyone could learn something new, meet faces that they had not had the chance to meet, or that they had never heard of. But, through stories and anecdotes, those faces become somehow close to everyone.

"These stories are messages. I can end with just one message, which is the mother of all Bar messages and all stories, that is - there is no Bar until the emperor", Lekić concluded.