27.10.2014
Book Fair promotion of publications about warrior saints and rulers of Serbian countries
In the course of the 59th International Belgrade Book Fair, today, at the booth of Media Center Odbrana, two books were presented – “Rulers of Serbian Countries” by Colonel Milivoje Pajovic, MSc and “Hagiographies of Warrior Saints” by Colonel Borislav Grozdic, PhD.
On behalf of Media Center Odbrana, the visitors were addressed by Director Colonel Stevica S. Karapandzin and Head of the Publishing Activity Dragana Markovic. Colonel Karapandzin stressed that the military publishing house, with numerous issues, in the period between two book fairs, has given a contribution to marking of the jubilee – one hundred years since the Great War and that, although “they were not specifically included in the jubilee, the books we are presenting today complete the publishing activity of Media Center Odbrana in the year of the jubilee”.Colonel Grozdic, presenting 182 hagiographies of warrior saints, revived the pearls of Orthodox spirituality, ethos, wisdom and strength that had guided our saint ancestors. The author focused on hagiographies of warrior saints of various nationalities: Russians, Greeks, Serbs, Ukrainians, Georgians, Persians, Lithuanians and others. For the first time, hagiographies of several Romanian warrior saints have been presented in Serbian.
- A question imposes itself of what the relation is between the book about warrior saints and soldiers today, and whether the book is, and to what extent, relevant in this day and age. I believe that it is and I feel the need to reveal it every day. The book displays in one place the greatness of the power of spirit and morale, prevailing in the clashes of today – the author said, adding that the line of warrior saints has for centuries, since the time of Christ to this day, been a confirmation that the Christian Orthodox religion, which stresses peace as one of highest values is not a completely pacifist standpoint.
The bilingual publication by Colonel Pajovic, in Serbian and English, represents biographies of Serbian rulers from the settlement of Serbs to the Balkan Peninsula until the historical end of kingdoms in Serbia, Duklja and Bosnia. These biographies also describe the history of Serbia in the times of dynasty changes, predominant political influences and trials.
According to the author, writing about the rulers of Serbian countries is “nothing new, nor is it the book’s ambition to display exclusive discoveries from these rulers’ biographies.”
- This book’s ambition is to be a permanent reminder and to tell about more than a millennium of Serbian statehood in two languages; also, to remind of ruling dynasties, to draw and remind of the lines of Serbian territories, to tell about the culture, legacy, toponyms and so on. I wanted to use several “backbone pillars” to illustrate over a thousand years on the territory between the Adriatic Sea and the Danube, to the Pliva and the Cetina in the West, to present the heroism and the idealism of sacrifice of our people – Colonel Pajovic said, reminding that the book also presents genealogical schemes of the Viseslavic, Vukanovic, Nemanjic, Lazarevic, Brankovic, Karadjordjevic and Obrenovic family.On Tuesday at 17.00, at the booth of Media Center Odbrana, promotions will be held for books “Young Bosnia” by Radoslav Gacinovic, PhD and “Military Commander Petar Bojovic – Between Appraisal and Criticism” by Bozidar Jovovic.
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