Most popular young Serbian writer; his book 'The Claws' (2004) had four editions in the first year
Marko Vidojković
An only child born into upper middle class Belgrade family, Vidojković graduated from University of Belgrade's Faculty of Law. He describes his university days as "a section of my life which I least remember, probably because it was incredibly boring".
He started writing in 1998, and many of his short stories were published in magazines and story collections. In 1999, his creative output increased and his first novel, Ples sitnih demona (Dance of Small-Time Demons), describing the maturing of a 16-year old punk, was published by a major house Narodna knjiga, as well as its sequel Đavo je moj drug (The Devil Is a Friend of Mine).
Vidojković's popularity exploded with his fourth novel, Kandže (The Claws). Its story revolves around a character who's a law student and a fanatic participant in 1996/1997 protests in Serbia. At the same time he meets a love of his life (which turns out to be a post-modern fairy rather than a real person). The book received "Kočić's feather" and "Golden bestseller" awards. The new publisher, Samizdat B92, reissued Vidojković's old novels in 2005, and they also achieved bestseller status. His latest novel is Sve crvenkape su iste.
He became the editor-in-chief of the Serbian edition of Maxim men's magazine, and in 2006 he became the executive editor of Serbian edition of Playboy. For his direct, frank and often cynical style, he became a popular guest in various talk shows. Vidojković is the lead singer of the punk band "On the Run" and hosts a popular blog on B92.net website.
BOOKS
Ples sitnih demona (The Dance of Small-Time Demons, 2001, 2005)
translation// English, German
Đavo je moj drug (The Devil Is a Friend of Mine, 2001, 2005)
Pikavci na plaži (Butts on the Beach, 2002)
Kandže (The Claws, 2004 - FOUR EDITIONS IN THE FIRST YEAR)
translation// Slovenian
awards// Kočić's feather (Serbian book award) and Golden bestseller (Serbian publishing award)
Sve crvenkape su iste (All Red Riding Hoods Are the Same, 2006 - ALREADY THE FIFTH EDITION CAME OUT)
awards// Vitalova nagrada (Serbain book award)
Editor (novel), coming out 2009.
About 'Claws'//
The plot of this modern fairy tale is placed in Belgrade, in the winter of 1996/97. Vidojkovic's hero is a student of the third year of law studies, a fanatical participant in the protest against the election stealing. Hungry and betrayed by the rest of the world, he goes to the demonstrations every day and rushes headlong into the most dangerous situations resigned with the pointlessness of his life. Everything changes when he meets an unusual girl with her eyelashes cut off...
Claws in a new way speak about the student protest of the nineties reveiling it completely, and cheeky promote a principle of revolutional justice and a rule that in politics and love everything is allowed.
Claws are the best and the most ambitious project of Marko Vidojkovic: a novel written skillfully and seductively, a novel about what is our concern, with heroes made of flesh and blood even when they stray into both sides of «what is real». The asphalt of Belgrade and its kids at the beginning of the 21st century cannot have a better and more precise interpreter and loudspeaker than Vidojkovic. Who cannot recognize the importance of this step forward of his, can only hurt themselves: the author of Claws – with a rare gift within the modern Serbs: hard-working, but not a scriboman; literate, but not boring! – moves forward in any case, so you think what you'll do.
Teofil Pancic
While with almost impossible concentration reconstructs the years of hopelessness, while bringing us back to the grotesque reality-show of grey and, in a carneval way, stirred up Belgrade daily life of the nineties, so that all of that would, in a moment, in the depth of despair, be got over and cleared up by the power of his talent, Vidojkovic reminds us that literature is not just a description and copying of life, but the best way (when it is the right one), to understand life what it really is, however meaningless and dark it seems. In Claws by Marko Vidojkovic presentation of real life (which we don't want to remember, but we have to), and scanning of what is hidden under the visible surface of the world, what I would call demonism of everyday life are equally important. I will say no more, read this book.
Mihajlo Pantic