The Association of Serbian writers has started an initiative that famous Serbian poet and academician Vasko Popa gets a monument in Belgrade. The proposal was supported by the city manager, Goran Vesic, who stated that in the future there would be more such actions aimed at promoting personalities that have done a lot for the Serbian society. Tasmajdan Park is a logical choice for a monument, considering the fact that he lived near the park where he spent most of his time. He is the only local poet whose complete work was published in America and England.
Vasile Vasko Popa (1922-1991) is one of the most famous Serbian academicians and poets. He was born in the village of Grebenac near Vrsac. After finishing high school in Vrsac, he enrolled as a student of the University of Belgrade at Faculty of Philosophy. He continued his studies at the University of Bucharest and in Vienna. During World War II, he fought as a partisan and was imprisoned in a German concentration camp in Zrenjanin. After the war, in 1949, Popa graduated from the Romanic group of the Faculty of Philosophy at Belgrade University.
Magazines "Borba" and "Knjizevne novine" published his first poems. In 1953, he published his first major verse collection, "Kora" (Bark) and it is considered to be the beginning of Serbian post war modern poetry. It was this book that started a debate among the literary population and left a strong impression on young writers. Later, the following collections of poems followed: "Nepocin polje" in 1965, "Sporedno nebo" in 1968, "Uspavana zemlja" in 1972. In 1975, he was so much inspired that he published three collections: "Vucja so", "Kuca nasred druma" and "Zivo meso". He continued working in 1981 when "Rez" and "Mala kutija", cycle of poems were published. Vasko never finished part of the collection "Gvozdeni sad". The unfinished whole "Lepa varos V" and five poems named "Ludi Lala" were found in his legacy. Another 19 poems came from his legacy as well as the book of notes about artists and art "Kalem". "Rumunske i druge pesme" book was published in 2002 and it contained poems, published for the first time, that the writer had created in his youth.
From 1954 until 1979 he was the editor of the publishing house "Nolit" in Belgrade. He created a unique poetic language, mostly elliptical, that combines a modern form, often expressed through colloquial speech and common idioms and phrases, with old, oral folk traditions of Serbia – epic and lyric poems, stories, myths, riddles, etc. In his work, earthly and legendary motifs mix, myths come to surface from the collective subconscious, the inheritance and everyday are in constant interplay, and the abstract is reflected in the specific and concrete, forming a unique and extraordinary poetic dialectics.
He was married to Jovanka Singer Popa, called Hasa, a professor at the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade.
His books are one of the most translated works of art from our region, and what is interesting is that he himself translated many editions from the French language. On May 29, 1972, Vasko Popa founded The Literary Municipality Vrsac and originated a library of postcards, called "Slobodno lisce". In the same year, he was elected to become a corresponding member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Vasko Popa is one of the founders of Vojvodina Academy of Sciences and Arts in Novi Sad. His works were translated into more than 50 world languages and he is considered to be one of the biggest Serbian poets.
Vasko Popa is the first laureate of the Branko’s award - "Brankova nagrada" for poetry, established in honour of the poet Branko Radicevic in Sremski Karlovci. In the year of 1957, Popa received another award for poetry, "Zmajeva nagrada". In 1968, Popa received the "Austrian state award for European literature". In 1976, he received the "Branko Miljkovic" poetry award, in 1978, the Yugoslav state Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia Award - "AVNOJ" Award, and in 1983, the literary award "Skender Kulenovic".
In 1995, the town of Vrsac established a poetry award named after Vasko Popa. It is awarded annually for the best book of poetry published in Serbian language by the Association of friends of Vrsac "Vrsac lepa varos" in partnership with Hemofarm company and Djordjevic agency. The award ceremony is held on the day of Popa’s birthday, 29 June.
Vasko Popa passed away on January 5, 1991 in Belgrade and is buried in the Aisle of the Deserving Citizens in Belgrade’s New Cemetery.
