Marko Miljanov

Marko Miljanov, a Serbian writer from Montenegro, a quite unique personality as he learnt to write as late as in his 60’s. But it did not prevent him from writing his master-piece of Serbian literature, Examples of humanity and Bravery. He was born in 1833 in the Montenegrin tribe of Kuči, at a time when the majority of the Miloš’s Serbian warlords were illiterate. He participated in the fights against Turks. He was even offered the title of a voivode, but eventually, rejecting war and politics, he chose literature about humanity and bravery instead, without putting a single word about himself. And was one of the main traits of bravery – not to boast. The Examples are from real life, short event in the lives of heroic Montenegrins, told in picturesque language of the common people, an educative narrative on important things in life. The narrative start with a short example about how anger is bad for a man, then it goes on about the importance of the given word, of brotherly love, of magnanimity, of duties in the hard times, of blood brotherhood, of honouring an enemy, of true heroism and above all of honour. Marko Miljanov reminds us of the true meaning of the humanity and bravery, lost in our present times. There no true bravery  without a sense of humanity. True bravery is manifested only when it has a higher cause, through which a man realises his humanity. Marko Miljanov died in 1901.

RELIGION AND TRADITION

The late Serbian Patriarch Pavle recently called for humanity, as his whole preaching often boiled down to, “Let’ be human, not inhuman”. Humanity and humanitarianism in its Christian meaning always has its divine dimension, as man was created in the image of God. For Christians, humanity is always the notion of God-Man, as it invites the man to become God, which was realised in God-Man Christ, the Son of God.

HISTORY

Many have written about Marko Miljanov, a Serb from Montenegro, who was mourned by the Albanians who sent a group of professional mourner, lamenting: “Fortunate Mar-Miljan’s, you’ll be living forever!”