The Victor monument at Kalemegdan fortress, Belgrade (Photo: Bogdan Spasojevic); Arial view of Belgrade (Tourist Organization of Serbia)
Contemporary Serbia’s inheritance from both the East and the West is rooted in its location: the Balkan nation sits astride the ancient “catena mundi,” the road tying Constantinople to Rome. This heritage is reflected in everything from the country’s flag to dual alphabets based on Latin and Cyrillic models, and from music and literature to culinary traditions.
Serbian-born Vladimir Pistalo provides a cultural and historical overview of a nation that might be described as “the East of the West and the West of the East.” He reviews the war torn-history of Serbia, including the country’s colonial subjugation by the Ottoman Empire; the “baroque wars” among Austria, Venice, and the Ottomans in the 17th and the 18th centuries; decolonization in the 19th century; and the nation’s experiences in two world wars. He covers the contributions of notable Serbs, including Nobel Prize-winning author Ivo Andric and inventor Nikola Tesla, and offers considerations about Serbia’s present and future.
After the presentation, an art exhibit and reception follows, featuring Serbian wines and food by Ambar restaurant. The exhibit showcases The Magic of Glass, a collection of glass jewelry by Milanka Berberovic, Aleksandar Lukic, and Ruzica Ristic. Costume drawings by Berberovic and traditional Serbian costumes collected and restored by Biljana Regan are also on view.
Pistalo is a professor of liberal arts at Becker College in Worcester, Massachusetts, and a writer whose novel Tesla: Portrait Among the Masks, was recognized with Serbia’s NIN Literary Award as best novel of 2008.
Images of Serbia
