“Ekseri Načeti Rđom” by Jovan Kovačević (Rende)

If you hold on for a second and think thoroughly for a second, you’ll realize the art of writing, collecting, discussing, and consuming literature has been considered something less than or more like an ancient practice, often pushed to those darkest corners of culture centers, dive bars, or local gigs, when just a handful of obsessive-compulsive readers maniacally talk about it. In an era where trends are imposed by various influencers, tastemakers, and social media masters who do not even remotely care about promoting one of the most significant and truly beautiful forms of artistic expression, it’s easy to feel deceived and forget about purchasing a book now and then. As someone who spent over three decades reading literature almost every day, it feels so unfortunate that people have lost even a tiny bit of interest in discovering new books and authors. But thankfully, every once in a while, I have sheer luck in discovering an author hailing from my hometown, who also happens to have released a debut piece of art that unquestionably demands your utmost attention. Jovan Kovačević, known as a lead guitar player for Midlseks, a very active alternative/emo band operating in both Čačak and Belgrade, has recently published “Ekseri Načeti Rđom,” a comprehensive collection of stories that not only showcases his tremendous knack for writing but also explores the hardships of life like only a few contemporary local authors can.

Situated between the future, present, and past, his stories deal with all those obstacles, problems, circumstances, situations, moods, and sentiments mankind has faced since the dawn of time, spoken in a way only those who have spent years discussing with like-minded correspondents, willing to trade listening apparatus for a bottle of a cold one. Whether listening to those stories at the local dive bar or somewhere while meeting friends or acquaintances on the streets, those stories seem so sincere, real, profound, and narrated by a storyteller who spent life experiencing those events or listening to all those stories by much older like-minded people who wanted to ease their souls and unleash a piece of hard-boiled truth that beared their hearts and minds. In this case, Jovan Kovačević is not a bystander witnessing as modern society crumbles before his very eyes, but someone who is a chronicler of his time, willing to write, compile, reshape true or untrue events to his liking, and then share with the world, preserving them from the test of time. The best part about it is how he leaves readers questioning whether those stories were just part of his tremendous imagination, some parallel universe where the same actors play different roles compared to this reality, or they are real-life events adorned with new, reshaped characters, for the sake of anonimity. In both cases, Jovan Kovačević’s sense for depicting, chronicling, and preserving those stories is more than a full display of literary power.

Another thing worth pointing out is his perfectly calculated sense for developing readers’ interest in diving deeper into the essence of this collection. Instead of giving you the time and space to consume and digest each story separately, he gradually builds a literal universe where those characters could exist separately, but could also intervene together in some of those events. This sense for keeping readers tied to their cahri and turning pages is something writers and authors often overlook while writing their works, but Kovačević probably thoroughly thought about it. The sense of pacing is, besides the content, of course, what gradually builds a reader’s interesting to investigate, examine, and dive even deeper into every upcoming story, until it reaches the last page. And the strategy of pulling the listener into his universe by offering shorter outbursts of events and then gradually building greater slabs of perfectly assembled wordplay gives more depth to “Ekseri Načeti Rđom.” Instead of tucking readers in with a warm blanket named short answers, he grabs you by the collar with more profound, almost philosophical standpoints, questioning the very existence of morality, family values, relationships, love, life decisions, and all other particles that make life so complex, captivating, and emotive. But these thoughts, although sometimes candy-wrapped and sugarcoated to deceive you into thinking that the author will immediately give easy answers, usually come out bittersweet and difficult to bear, which is definitely a fact that will force you to contemplate your life decisions and actions. If that was Kovačević’s intention, then he successfully created a universe where each word comes lightheartedly and departs with such heaviness. Something every true author should aim for.

Although his prose and writing style might seem similar to many underground writers whose books are, sadly, not available in Serbia or the Balkans, or to those authors who explore the depths of humanity through philosophical lenses, comparing him to the greats like Bukowski, Salinger, Kafka, Harms, or many others willing to dig beneath the surface and explore the hardships of life, please bear in mind that Kovačević writes these stories in his genuine style, like a dear friend who has something to confess, and you need to keep your ears peeled in those stories. His narration is something many local authors lack, and it should be greatly praised in literary circles. Of course, good literature always embraces styles from all the continents, so everyone who picks this book will find similarities with European, American, or Asian authors, but Jovan Kovačević’s prose stands out because it explores those real-life stories that could only happen here, forty years ago or a couple of days ago. The weight of the words remains for decades, even centuries, and Kovačević proves his characters and stories are willing to take a punch in the chin or create tremendous impact. It’s up to you to decide what it’s going to be once you grab and start reading this exceptional debut. Head to Rende or your local bookstore and purchase “Ekseri Načeti Rđom” now.