Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Ekrem Dupanović
On Sunday morning, at five o’clock, I finished writing the book Hotel Yugoslavia – after four full years, of which I spent writing maybe twenty days. All the rest of the time the book was waiting for me to finish it. Last year, I helped Mitja Tuškej prepare a regional edition of his book No Friends, No Brands, by doing a complete translation from the Slovenian language. Mitja went to Novigrad a few days ago to write a new book. Well, I can’t let him write two books while I can’t finish a single one through all these years. True, last year I wrote a book about 26 creative directors, and over the last few months I’ve been very committed to the Creative Portfolio 01, which will feature all the awarded works from national and regional festivals held in the last year. With such books, you depend on materials sent to you by others, and you always have unexpected problems. The Creative Portfolio was supposed to be published in mid-October and be promoted at the Golden Drum. Since the agencies were late with sending materials, the book couldn’t be finished on time. When the Golden Drum 2017 came to pass, I realized that it was not a good idea to publish the works from Golden Drum 2016 so I had to throw them out of the book, although the texts were written, translated into English, and the visuals are neatly arranged. Then I went to ask for works awarded at the Golden Drum this year. Then the works that will be awarded at upcoming Sempler awards were in line for flushing, because the book will not be ready by SEMPL. I am the least to blame for the Creative Portfolio lagging behind, but Hotel Yugoslavia has been waiting for four years exclusively for me. I am my own worst enemy.
Anyway, Hotel Yugoslavia will come out of the press in the first week of December, and not more than ten days later, the Creative Portfolio will follow. It will be out just in time for the award-winning agencies to give it as Christmas and New Year presents to the clients who helped them win.
First I woke Vedrana up at 05:00am to tell her I had finished the book. After I had about three hours of sleep, I sent a message to Zvezdana Žujo and informed her of the book. She had been trying hard to make me finish writing over the last year, constantly checking if I was writing. It was her birthday on Saturday. And while she was partying with her friends, I was writing. Somehow it turned out it would be her birthday present. If it is so, let it be. Zveki is one in a million.
Hotel Yugoslavia is not my farewell letter. Regardless of the fact that I am deep into my seventh decade (67), I think ten of the most creative years are still ahead of me.
People in my age live either in their past, or in their future. It is difficult to predict the future in times fast as this, but I know it will be exciting and dynamic. For what I still want to do, I need ten more years. Technology will certainly change, but the ideas I now have in my head will remain the same and I will not need any artificial intelligence. God grant me health, everything else I have.
As for the past, I prefer to live in it. They say that the more the years pass, the more people return to their youth. It’s the same with me. All that I wrote about in Hotel Yugoslavia is the foundation for my next ten years. A good foundation.
I have to say a load has been lifter from my shoulders. And when the Creative Portfolio comes out, what a relief that will be. This first part warrants a celebration. This weekend I’ll go to Kavadarci (Macedonia), at Tikveš’s winery, for a celebration of young wine. For the third year in a row they send invitations – it’s simply good manners (and I have an itch for it) to go.
November is the most dynamic month for me this year. I’m finishing two books, I’m going to Kavadarci, at the end of the next week I will attend the PR Days Mostareinsis conference in Mostar, and on the last day of the month I travel to Spa in Tuhelj where I will speak at the Focus Conference. And don’t get me going about December. What a “full” month that will be!
