BJELOŠEVIĆ: POETS FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES JOIN TOGETHER TO SEND A MESSAGE OF PEACE

BANJA LUKA, NOVEMBER 1 /SRNA/ - The International Literary Meetings opened this evening at the National and University Library of Republika Srpska in Banja Luka.

Through November 4, the program will feature presentations by poets from abroad, the works of Serbian poets and poets from Republika Srpska, as well as authors whose books have been published in Hungarian. Predrag Bjelošević, President of the Association of Writers of Republika Srpska, said that the essence of the International Literary Meetings in Banja Luka was to bring together poets from different nations and cultures, who send a message of peace to the world through an exchange of ideas and poetry. Bjelošević stressed that the special value of the festival lies in bringing together poets from different countries, allowing them to exchange ideas and discuss different poetic approaches. "We live in a terrible time marked by hate speech and wars, and for the 11th time, we are organizing literary meetings in Banja Luka in the hope of showing that poets from different cultures and nations can spend time together and send a message of peace to the world, a message that is becoming increasingly necessary every year," Bjelošević told reporters in Banja Luka. He said that this year's recipient of the Open Book International Literary Award will be Greek poet Antonis D. Skiathas from Banja Luka's sister city of Patras. The award ceremony will be held tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. at Banski Dvor. Bjelošević stressed that Skiathas was selected for the outstanding literary merit of his work and his distinctive poetic style, and that he would read a message of peace traditionally issued at the festival during the ceremony. He added that the Ambassador of Greece to BiH would also attend the award ceremony. "Also as part of the gathering, a book by last year's award recipient will be presented, as the Association is obliged to publish a collection of selected poems by the laureate," Bjelošević said. Armenian poet Babken Simonyan, last year's recipient of the Open Book award, said that he had been working for five decades to foster ties between Serbian and Armenian culture and literature. "I am trying to bring the two countries, two cultures and two literatures closer together, because that is the shortest path to getting to know and truly understanding a people," Simonyan said. He said that he had returned to Banja Luka for the promotion of his book, published as part of the award, and that through it he wanted to highlight to Serbian readers the similarities and close ties between the two peoples. "We are very similar and close to one another. We are comrades-in-arms and must fight, because we must defend what is ours ourselves. We do not need what belongs to others, and we will not let anyone take what is ours," Simonyan said.