Abdulah Sidran


Abdulah Sidran was a Bosnian poet and screenwriter. He is considered to be one of the most influential writers in both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Yugoslavia.
Sidran is best known for writing the 1993 poetry book Sarajevski tabut, as well as the scripts for Emir Kusturica's films Do You Remember Dolly Bell? and the Academy Award nominated When Father Was Away on Business. He was a member of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Early life and family

Abdulah Sidran, the second of four children, was born in Sarajevo during World War II, on 2 October 1944. He was born to Bosniak parents; father Mehmed Sidran was born in Kiseljak and worked as a locksmith at a railway workshop, while his mother Behija was a housewife. Sidran had three siblings Ekrem, Nedim and Edina. He was named after his paternal uncle, a typographer and compositor, who perished in 1943 at the Jasenovac concentration camp. The Sidran family roots trace back to the hamlet Biograd near Nevesinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Abdulah's paternal grandfather Hasan Sidran relocated to Sarajevo from Belgrade in 1903.

Personal life

After spending most of his life in Sarajevo, Sidran lived in Goražde before moving to a small village near Tešanj.
In 2019, Sidran, together with some thirty world intellectuals met with French president Emmanuel Macron. A meeting of world intellectuals with Macron was initiated by the prominent French philosopher, writer and journalist Bernard-Henri Lévy.
Sidran died in Sarajevo on 23 March 2024, at the age of 79 following a period of poor health. Shortly after, many prominent Bosnian politicians and public figures reacted to his death and offered their condolences. He was buried in the courtyard of the Ferhadija Mosque in Sarajevo on 27 March.

Works

Major works of Sidran include Šahbaza, Bone and Meat, The Sarajevo Tomb, Why is Venice Sinking, several books of poetry, and screenplays for films from Yugoslavia, such as Do You Remember Dolly Bell? and When Father Was Away on Business, directed by Emir Kusturica, and Kuduz, directed by Ademir Kenović. When Father Was Away on Business was awarded a Palme d'Or at Cannes, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 58th Academy Awards.

Selected works

  • Šahbaza
  • Potukač
  • Kost i meso
  • Dječija bolest: Otac na službenom putu: theater piece,
  • Otac na službenom putu: screenplay
  • Bolest od duše
  • Sarajevska zbirka, izabrane pjesme
  • Sarajevski tabut
  • Planeta Sarajevo
  • Zdravo Bosno, stižem iz Sarajeva: travelogue
  • Zašto tone Venecija
  • Sarajevska zbirka i druge pjesme
  • Sarajevska zbirka
  • U Zvorniku ja sam ostavio svoje srce: theater piece
  • Kuduz, screenplay
  • Sjećaš li se Doli Bel
  • Tvrđava Meše Selimovića: dramatization and screenplay
  • Izabrana djela 1-5
  • Morija,
  • Pjesme poslije rata,
  • Izabrane pjesme,
  • Dobročinitelj
  • Suze majki Srebrenice,
  • Otkup sirove kože,
  • Oranje mora: journalistic texts,
  • ''A Nurija veli: journalistic texts''

Awards

Literary awards and recognitions

Film awards and recognitions