Borisav Stanković | Origin of Street Names

Borisav Bora Stanković (1876 - 1927) was one of the most significant Serbian writers and storytellers at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, a realist literary figure who vividly and uniquely portrayed the soul and sensibility of his fellow Vranje citizens, making him synonymous with his homeland to this day.

He was born in Vranje, into a prominent čorbadžijska (wealthier) family, but tragically lost both parents before attending school. With the liberation of Vranje and the abolition of the Turkish regime, the status of čorbadžijska declined in significance, and Bora, besides being orphaned, grew up without money, in deep poverty.

He was raised by his grandmother Zlata, who filled his childhood with stories about old Vranje, its distinctive people, and events from southern Serbia, which would later become the main motif of Bora's dramas, novels, and stories.

Being extremely introverted, silent, and withdrawn, he completed his primary and secondary education in his hometown, graduated in Niš, and then enrolled in and graduated from the Faculty of Law in Belgrade, where he spent the rest of his life and started a family. Nevertheless, Vranje remained his everlasting inspiration.

Bora Stanković's first literary works were elegiac poems published in literary magazines of that time, but it was only after the publication of the legendary play "Koštana" that he caught the attention of literary critics, marking the beginning of a great literary career, as acclaimed by the respected Jovan Skerlić.

Inspired by real characters and events from the bazaar of Vranje, "Koštana" is just the first of around fifty plays, novels, and stories in which Stanković delved into the deepest depths of human existence and the southern sensibility filled with suffering, sadness, or the so-called "dert," love fervor, passion, and lamentation over the transience of life.

Besides "Koštana," excellent reviews were also received for "Božji ljudi" (God's People), "Tašana," "Gazda Mladen" (Master Mladen), while "Nečista krv" (Impure Blood) was considered a masterpiece of modern Serbian literature even during the author's lifetime.

In addition to his skill in conveying the deepest emotions and delving into the psychology of his characters, Bora Stanković was completely authentic because he did so in the vernacular language, with the recognizable Vranje dialect, which was not a common practice in literary circles at the beginning of the 20th century and for which he faced certain criticisms.

However, his literary genius was not enough for the author to live carefree, so he earned a living working as a customs officer and tax collector, and at the peak of his career, he served as an official in the Ministry of Education in the Kingdom of SHS.

It is little known that Bora Stanković was captured during his retreat across Albania in 1915 and spent a year in captivity in Derventa. After his release, he returned to Belgrade, where he wrote his famous war memoir "Pod okupacijom" (Under Occupation). By openly writing about the moral decline of his compatriots under Austro-Hungarian occupation, Bora Stanković earned the displeasure of many who came to occupy important social and state positions after the war.

Introverted by nature, adhering to traditional values and deeply patriarchal, this giant of Serbian literature died estranged from the world and lonely. He was buried at the New Cemetery in Belgrade.

Today, numerous streets and schools in Serbia bear the name of Bora Stanković, and his birth house in Vranje has been transformed into a memorial museum and is one of the major tourist attractions in the city.