Hidden Treasures, Pregnant Men and Consular Sadism.

Back in 2001 my boss (an Irishman) planned a visit to Belgrade from Brussels. As was the custom, he sent me a list of names ahead of time so that I could arrange meetings for him. Among this list were all the usual suspects….government ministers, political party leaders, people from the NGO sector, journalists, officials from OSCE, Council of Europe, the EU, etc. As I went down the list I came across the name Zoran Živković.

I called my boss and asked him why he wished to meet with the Minister of Defence, when we are already meeting with Djindjić and people from Koštunica's cabinet. His answer surprised me. He said: "Oh, have they made him Minister of Defence? That's rather unusual but very encouraging. It shows that the new DOS government is thinking along innovative lines."

I scratched my head with bewilderment and noted that his appointment as Minister of Defence was very unusual, particularly since Zoran Živković allegedly had no college education and many people made fun of him because he was from Niš.

"I didn't know he was from Niš," my boss replied.

"Oh yes," I answered. "And he was the mayor there."

"Are we talking about the same Zoran Živković?" he asked.

"How many Zoran Živkovićs are there," I responded.

"The world famous science fiction/fantasy author," he answered.

"Huh?" I wondered out loud. "Is there a world famous science fiction/fantasy author from Serbia?"

My boss is a respected science fiction/fantasy literary critic and frequently speaks at literary conventions. His on-line book reviews of sci-fi/fantasy works are widely followed and his knowledge on the matter is extensive. And now he was telling me telling me that a major science fiction author lived and worked in Serbia.

"Živković is quite famous outside Serbia and his books have been published in numerous languages. He is considered innovative and cutting edge in science fiction /fantasy circles." My boss then launched into a detailed description of Zoran Živković's works and achievements. I listened in amazement.

"But no one here has heard of him," I protested. "He seems to have received little or no recognition from Serbia's official literary circles, from the government or from ANUS (or is that SANU?). The only authors in Serbia who seem to receive any real publicity are people who are 'world famous in Belgrade' and who are lucky if they sell 10,000 copies of a book. Watching the official ANUS-backed literary scene is similar to watching a competition to determine who is the tallest midget."

"Well," he answered emphatically, "there is a legitimate, world-renowned author living in Serbia. I'm, surprised no one has heard of him." Since that time my boss has met with Serbia's greatest living author every time he visits Belgrade. And in 2003 his novel The Library won a World Fantasy Award for best novella, firmly establishing his reputation.

But being world famous doesn't mean that you are treated any better when you try to get a Schengen visa. In 2005 we were researching a report that examined the EU visa regime for Balkan countries, and we paid particular attention to the consular sadism that is practiced on people trying to get visas. At that point Serbia's most famous living author told us of an experience he had while attempting to get a Schengen visa. The consular staff insisted that he provide a medical certificate showing that he was not pregnant…

To the best of my knowledge he is not pregnant, except with brilliant ideas that he continues to regularly publish, to the acclaim and praise of the entire world.