The exhibition was organized in the Gallery of the Belgrade City Library (February 22 – March 4, 2005) on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the birth of Danilo Kiš. Materials on the life and work of Danilo Kiš are kept in Belgrade in the SASA Archives. The complete documentation, which contains 4800 digitized manuscripts and typed pages, documents and photographs, was used for the research and realization of the exhibition. A selection was made from the abundance of materials related to the writer’s private life, literature and public activity to reconstruct a great work and an exceptional biography. Like every exhibition with a documentary character, this one only indicates and refers to important points and moments of the writer’s life and creativity.

On 30 posters, printed in digital printing, the following is presented: Childhood in Subotica and Novi Sad, high school days in Cetinje, studies in Belgrade, stay in Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Lille, Paris, contracts with publishers, numerous foreign publications, excerpts taken from newspapers from the documentation of Radio Belgrade (book reviews, interviews, news, reports from court proceedings, etc.), literary awards and social recognitions.

The biography and the literature of Danilo Kiš continue to arouse great interest from experts and the wider reading public with its undiminished charisma. Thus, the exhibition dedicated to Danilo Kiš had numerous guest appearances. In addition to larger libraries in Serbia, the exhibition visited Cetinje, Banja Luka and Herceg Novi. During its visit to Budapest, the exhibition and catalogue were translated and published in both Serbian and Hungarian. Kiš (1935-1989) : 7-20 decembre 2005, Central European Cultural Institute, 1088 Budapest, Rakoci ut 15, Hungari : Srpska samouprava u Budimpešti. – Budimpešta, 2005. – (6 str.) : ilustr, 23 cm

Kiš : Danilo Kiš(1935-1989) – Budapest, 2005 – (4 str) : ilustr, 15×21 cm. – Katalog na Mađarskom.

In March 2009, the exhibition was held at the Serbian Cultural Center in Paris. On that occasion, the exhibition posters were translated into French. A French catalogue translated by Pascale Delpeche was also published. Kiš : Al occasion des ving ans de la morte de Danilo Kis : Exposition de la Bibliotheque de la Ville da Belgrade: Centre Culturel de Serbie: 123, rue Saint-Martin-75004 Paris : 13-31 mars 2009. – Belgrade : Ministre de la Culture de la Republique de Serbie, 6 str,. Ilustr, 23 cm

During the hosting of the exhibition at the National and University Library of the Republic of Srpska in Banja Luka, a new, richly illustrated catalogue was created. The exhibition is accompanied by a video presentation, which was presented at the Serbian Cultural Center in Paris.

“Why do I write?”

“Writing is a vocation, a mutation of genes, chromosomes; one becomes a writer as one becomes a strangler.

I write because I don’t know what else to do; because of everything I could do, I do this best and (I hope) better than others.

Writing is vanity. A vanity that sometimes seems to me less void than other forms of existence.

I write, therefore, because I am dissatisfied with myself and the world. And to express that dissatisfaction. To survive.”

Danilo Kiš’s quote featured on one of the exhibition’s posters

The exhibition can be viewed here.

The catalogue can be viewed here.