The transculturality in the artwork of Josip Osti

Abstract

Josip Osti (1945–2021) was a poet, a novelist, an essayist, a literary critic, a translator and an editor. He also wrote over twenty poetry collections. Born in Sarajevo, since 1990 he lived and worked in Slovenia. After he became a recognized poet in his homeland and one of the most important translators of Slovenian literature into Serbo-Croatian, since 1997 he began to write in Slovenian. Soon after, he receives most prestigious awards in Slovenia. The transcultural aspects of Josip Osti’s literary works, both poetry collections and novels, are in the scope of our attention. The author not only lyrically reflects on his transition from one language to another, what this process was like, what influenced him and found its expression in memorable artistic images, but also assesses his literary bilingualism in his prose texts and interviews. Our analysis of his poetry, especially taking into analysis his haikus, makes it possible to understand the peculiarities of Osti’s poetic work in a non-native language, that is, Slovenian. Another important component of the transculturality of Osti’s work is his comprehension of the spaces of Bosnia and Slovenia and of their unique interconnection.