Bora's Week in Vranje | Tourist Calendar of Serbia

Bora's Week (Borina nedelja) is one of the oldest literary events in Serbia, held every March in Vranje and other cities in Serbia.

This week-long event is dedicated to perhaps the most famous resident of Vranje, Borisav Stanković, whose literary works have been an integral part of Serbian high school literature for a century.

The first Bora's Week was organized in 1967 by a group of enthusiasts who personally knew and admired Borisav Stanković's work. Since then, every March, writers gather at Bora's birth home to promote books and literary evenings, preserving the memory of this great figure of Serbian literature and his masterpieces. Over time, the scope of this event has expanded beyond Vranje, and it is often held in parallel in other cities such as Belgrade, Leskovac, and Vlasotince.

The goal of this event is not only to revive Stanković's works but also to value, encourage, and nurture literary creativity in Serbia, as well as preserve cultural identity.

Borisav Stanković was born on March 31, 1876, in Vranje. He graduated from the Law Faculty in Belgrade and passed away on October 22, 1927. This storyteller and playwright is one of the most important representatives of realism in Serbian literature. His works depict the lives of people in Southern Serbia, portraying the social stratification during the Ottoman rule. His hometown, the people who lived there, their character, customs, suffering, and pain, were a lifelong inspiration for the author. His most famous works are "Nečista krv" (Impure Blood) and "Koštana."

It is also worth mentioning Stanković's birth home, which was built in the mid-19th century and belonged to his grandmother, Zlata, after whom a street in Vranje is named today. It is part of the National Museum of Vranje and provides visitors with an insight into the way of life of the Vranje residents at the turn of the centuries, featuring personal belongings of the Stanković family. Additionally, one of the rooms is dedicated to the literary works of this great figure and the recipients of the "Borina nagrada" (Bora Stanković Award).

The "Borina nagrada" is ceremoniously awarded each year during the closing literary evening of Bora's Week to the author of the best prose work in Serbian from the previous year. The award includes a charter, a bas-relief with the likeness of Bora Stanković, and a monetary prize.

Contemporary writers consider it an honor to participate in Bora's Week, having grown up with the works of Borisav Stanković. Each year, the event is dedicated to a different writer. Prominent names of Serbian literature have had the honor of being guests at this event or at least being discussed during one of the literary evenings. Authors such as Ivo Andrić, Meša Selimović, Desanka Maksimović, Matija Bećković, as well as young writers like Ana Ristović and Jana Rastegorac, have left their mark on this manifestation.

For more information about this year's edition of Bora's Week, please refer to the public media and local news outlets.