{"id":247165,"date":"2026-03-27T08:49:03","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T07:49:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nenasilje.org\/?p=247165"},"modified":"2026-04-09T14:02:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T12:02:06","slug":"biber-06-short-story-collection-presented-in-breza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nenasilje.org\/en\/biber-06-short-story-collection-presented-in-breza\/","title":{"rendered":"Biber 06 Short Story Collection presented in Breza"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Thursday, 26 March 2026, the Muhamed Kantard\u017ei\u0107 Library<\/strong> in Breza (BiH) hosted a presentation of the multilingual regional Biber Short Story Contest<\/a> and its latest short story collection<\/a>. Edin Sal\u010dinovi\u0107 was the host and moderator, and the discussion included:\u00a0 Slobodanka Boba \u0110uderija<\/strong>, author from \u0160ibenik\/Split whose story Me\u0161tar<\/em><\/a> was included in the Biber 06<\/em> Collection, Marija Star\u010devi\u0107, <\/strong>author from Belgrade whose story Treba ne\u0161to da uradim sa cipelama<\/em><\/a> was also selected for publication in the Collection, as well as Almin Kaplan <\/strong>from Stolac, who was a member of the jury, and Radomir Radevi\u0107<\/strong> from Belgrade, who is on the Biber Team.<\/p>\n

Almin Kaplan, who was on the jury for the sixth Biber Contest together with Tanja Stupar Trifunovi\u0107 and Jasna Dimitrijevi\u0107, was asked about what that was like and said that the jury received some 120 stories and spent a few months exchanging impressions: \u201cWhen you read 120 stories, that\u2019s 120 different moods. I thought, since there were three of us, there would be three subjective experiences. When we made the decision and the names of the authors of the stories were revealed, I felt a bit nervous, did I make a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since she was a participant in the protest in Serbia, Edin asked Marija Star\u010devi\u0107 for her thoughts on the current situation and she said: \u201cThe current government is incapable of living in peace, of governing in peace. I\u2019ve been going to protests ever since I can remember. I recently spoke at a gathering in the same spot where I came out to protest as a secondary school pupil. It\u2019s like re-living the same day over and over again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Slobodanka Boba \u0110uderija remembered the time when the tensions started: \u201cEveryone wanted to separate and be different, but it seems to me that we have never been more the same.\u201d She grumbled about having to live next to Hajduk\u2019s stadium and that she almost had a panic attack when she saw a group of young people raising their right hand in the air. It seems to her that things are worse today than they were 4 or 5 years after the war. And she believes this definitely has to do with centres of power because \u201cno tyrant can survive if there\u2019s reconciliation and forgiveness. The biggest problem is that no side is willing to kneel before the victims and bow their heads.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edin pointed out that the Biber Team believes in literature and its role in society, and he asked the guests whether they think literature should be socially engaged. Almin responded: \u201cI\u2019ve come to terms with the fact that nothing in life has to be. But I think literature can\u2019t help but be socially engaged.\u201d He added that work needs to be done not only on international understanding, but understanding in general, because people don\u2019t seem to understand each other well. Marija believes that writers do not live in a vacuum, but here and now, and that they write about their experiences or the experiences of people close to them.<\/p>\n

Slobodanka said of her story Me\u0161tar<\/em><\/a> that it was a true event that moved her: \u201cIt really moved me. I was having coffee with my enemy. And I grew through that experience. People should welcome and look forward to things that make us grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Radomir Radevi\u0107 from the team organising the contest said that Biber acted like a generator of empathy, that these were stories about the little people.<\/p>\n

There was a lot of talk about reconciliation. Slobodanka believes that every little bit helps, and that if one person is moved by just an inch, it matters. Almin talked about how he has come to the conclusion that you should speak out against \u201cyour own\u201d, because that way \u201cthe others\u201d who are still afraid to do so will be less afraid. He came to this conclusion after following web portals in Stolac and the comments people leave under news articles.<\/p>\n

At the end, Radomir announced the seventh Biber Contest<\/a>, which is under way and will be open until 24 May. This time, in addition to traditional Biber topics, the contest is dedicated to the students in Serbia and will also accept stories about them and their struggle for justice, freedom and equality.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Authors writing in Albanian, Bosnian, Montenegrin, Croatian, Serbian or Macedonian are welcome to send in their short stories for the Biber Contest. The published stories deal with reconciliation in the context of the aftermath of the wars and violence in the countries of former Yugoslavia, including stories that can contribute to better understanding among people, reducing hatred and dismantling prejudice, anti-war stories, stories about dealing with the past, deconstructing images of the enemy, about empathy, brave stories that dare walk in the \u201cenemy\u2019s\u201d shoes, stories that push boundaries and open up the way to build a more stable, safer and freer future for all. The contest is organised by the Biber team of the Centre for Nonviolent Action<\/a> Sarajevo|Belgrade.<\/p>\n

The Biber 06<\/em><\/a> Collection was published in March last year. It includes 25 stories from the region selected from 490 that were entered in the contest.<\/p>\n

Electronic editions of all Biber Collections<\/strong> can be downloaded for free from this website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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