Ljiljana Habjanović Đurović | |
|---|---|
| Љиљана Хабјановић Ђуровић | |
 Ljiljana Habjanović-Đurović at the book fair in Belgrade on 22 October 2007 | |
| Member of theNational Assembly of the Republic of Serbia | |
| In office 3 June 2016 – 3 June 2016 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1953-09-06)6 September 1953 (age 72) |
| Alma mater | University of Belgrade |
Ljiljana Habjanović Đurović (Serbian Cyrillic:Љиљана Хабјановић Ђуровић; born 6 September 1953) is a Serbian author.
Habjanović Đurović was born inKruševac, in what was then thePeople's Republic of Serbia in theFederal People's Republic of Yugoslavia. She was raised in the community and later graduated from theUniversity of Belgrade Faculty of Economics. She worked as a bank clerk, a promoter in the field of foreign tourism, and a journalist forDuga before devoting herself to a full-time literary career in 1996. Habjanović Đurović is the owner of the publishing houseGlobosino Aleksandrija, which she founded in 2003.[1]
She has written fifteen published novels, many of which have been best-sellers in Serbia. Her honours and recognitions include the prestigiousZlatni beočug award (2008) and theVukova nagrada award (2009), the latter of which she received for her contributions to Serbian culture. She has been recognized by theSerbian Orthodox Church for the role of spirituality in her works.[2]
Habjanović Đurović's works have also gained a following in other countries. She received theZlatni Vitez (Golden Knight) literary award inRussia in 2011 and has won a significant following inItaly.[3][4][5]
In 2008, Habjanović Đurović defended the response ofMuslim organizations in Serbia to Sherry Jones's novelThe Jewel of Medina. Jones's book was widely criticized by Muslim groups internationally for its depiction ofMuhammad's wifeAisha; in Serbia, Muslim community leaders requested and received an apology from the book's publisher. The Muslim leaders emphasized that they had no interest in banning literature but wanted to draw attention to the desecration of their faith that they identified in the book. Some Serbian writers, includingAleksandar Čotrić, described the publishers' apology as "excessive." Habjanović Đurović disagreed, saying, "An author that writes about true actions and events has a responsibility to travel and investigate these events' historical background. This is especially important when one writes about the heritage of a nation that one does not belong to. [...] When I was writingAn Observation of the Soul, in the segment where I wrote aboutSkanderbeg, I had to studyAlbanian history of the fifteenth century."[6]
Habjanović Đurović was a close friend ofMirjana Marković, the wife ofSlobodan Milošević. In 1994, she wrote an article describing the initial meeting of Milošević and Marković athigh school inPožarevac, while Marković was readingSophocles'sAntigone. In Habjanović Đurović's account, Marković's sorrow from the early death of her mother attracted Milošević to her, as he "felt the need to relieve her pain, to protect and cherish her."[7] A May 1999New York Times article described Habjanović Đurović as Marković's "hagiographer" and quoted her as saying that Marković "always openly and boldly claimed that [Milošević] would have been quite different without her, worse in every respect."[8]
In February 2008, after theKosovo government'sunilateral declaration of independence, she wrote an article forNovosti with the title, "Kosovo's non-oblivion: Occupation will pass." This piece included the statement, "[N]o official of the state of Serbia must ever accept the secession of part of our country. Or succumb to delusions based on promises. Or get scared by threats. Each and every one of us must keep awareness inside us and pass it onto our descendants - thatKosovo-Metohija is a Serb land and that this which has happened is occupation that will end, just like any other occupation."[9]
Habjanović Đurović appeared in the ninth position on theSerbian Progressive Party (SNS)'sFuture We Believe Inelectoral list as a non-partisan candidate in the2016 parliamentary election. This wastantamount to election, and she was indeed elected when the list won a majority victory with 131 out of 250 seats.[10] She declined her mandate, saying that she was grateful to have contributed to the SNS's victory but wanted to devote her full attention to writing.[11] TheSerbian national assembly considers her to have briefly served as a deputy on 3 June 2016, before her resignation took effect.[12]
Her novels include:
Habjanović Đurović has also written a book on publishing calledСрбија пред огледалом (Serbia in Front of a Mirror) (1994), written five stories for children, and published anthologies of devotional poetry.[13][14][15]
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