PETAR KOČIĆ - WRITER AND TRIBUNE OF THE PLEBS

BIJELJINA, AUGUST 26 /SRNA/ – Great Serbian writer, poet and tribune of the plebs, Petar Kočić /1877–1916/ died on August 27, 1916.

Kočić was born in the village of Stričići near Banja Luka and attended elementary school at Gomionica Monastery, where his father became a monk and lived as the abbot.

He enrolled in Grammar school in Sarajevo, but the authorities expelled him for his "displaying Serb national pride," after which he moved to Belgrade.

Kočić studied philosophy in Vienna and worked as a clerk in Sarajevo, but was expelled again because he took part in a workers' strike.

He was one of the most prominent writers of Serb realism and a national activist who opposed the Austro-Hungarian occupation of BiH.

After returning from his Slavic studies in Vienna and serving in Serbia and Skopje, Kočić was unemployed for a long period and was also convicted and imprisoned in Banja Luka and Tuzla.

He could not tolerate the occupation and social injustice and openly advocated for Serbs' national interests.

In Banja Luka, Kočić launched the newspaper Otadžbina /Fatherland/, which was frequently banned. Through his vivid and concise storytelling and fresh poetic language, he powerfully portrayed his mountainous homeland, life there and the fate of the peasants, while in his satires he sharply criticized the conditions in which peasants lived under the Austro-Hungarian occupation of BiH.

In addition to The Badger Before the Court, Kočić's most significant works include Poems, the collections of short stories From the Mountain and Below the Mountain, and Cries from Zmijanje.

Another important satire of his is Sudanija.

Besides his writing, Petar Kočić remained forever connected with the Serb peasant of Krajina, toward whom he expressed both affection and understanding.

He was a fighter not only against the occupiers but also against economic oppression.

As a tribute to this great figure of Serb literature, the Kočić's Pen and Kočić's Book awards are presented annually in Republika Srpska, while the Kočić's Assembly cultural event is held every August.