ПЕВЦИ: (АУТОПОЕТИЧКИ) РОМАН БОРИСАВА СТАНКОВИЋА О САМОУКИДАЊУ1

Abstract

This paper analyses the unfinished novel Pevci (Singers), written by Borisav Stanković, one of the most important Serbian writers of the XX century. Following a short review of the former approaches to this work and a critical reassessment of the novel’s editors’ proceedings, the article offers a semantic analysis of the text. The hero’s attitude towards the norms of patriarchal culture, i.e. the difficulties in establishing a masculine identity, is emphasized as a dominant trait of this novel. Related to this is the protagonist’s feeling of shame and a need for self-annihilation. The paper also discusses poetic similarities with other works of the same author, particularly the novel Gazda Mladen (Master Mladen) and the short story “Oni” (“Them”).