Sima Milutinović - Sarajlija | Origin of Street Names

Simeon "Sima" Milutinović (1791 - 1847), known to the people as "Sarajlija," was a Serbian poet, rebel, chronicler, Njegoš's teacher, and arguably one of the most intelligent Serbs of his time.

Originally from the vicinity of Užice, Sima Milutinović was born in Sarajevo, where his parents fled after the outbreak of the plague in their homeland. With the spread of the epidemic in Bosnia, the family moved to Zemun, where Simeon embarked on an interesting educational journey that would eventually take him, via Sremski Karlovci, to Szeged.

Like his school days, marked by rebellion and adventure, the majority of Sima Sarajlija's life was spent "searching" for himself, engaging in various occupations and traveling a significant part of the Balkans and Europe. An extraordinarily unusual and unconventional figure for the time and environment in which he lived and created, Sima Milutinović was a man of serious intellectual breadth.

In the early 19th century, literacy was a rare trait among the Serbs and highly valued as a result. As one of the few literate individuals of his time, Sima Milutinović was appointed as a scribe of the Governing Council and, on behalf of the Council, appealed to the Russian Tsar for assistance in the liberation of Serbia.

At the young age of 22, he replaced the great Dositej Obradović as the teacher at the Belgrade Liceum (predecessor to the Grand School, i.e., the University of Belgrade).

Being of an amorous nature and restless spirit, he traveled through Hungary and Bessarabia (Romania) and wrote poems, mostly lyrical, although his full poetic maturity would come a little later, along with his maturity in life.

While traveling, he reached Budapest, Vienna, Prague, and Leipzig, where he met prominent German writers, including arguably the greatest of them all, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Serbian poetry, which had been introduced to the world earlier by Vuk Karadžić, was a revelation to German writers, who saw in Simeon not only a fellow poet but also an embodiment of the people celebrated in folk songs.

After returning from Germany, Sima Milutinović spent several years in Cetinje, where among others, he taught the young Petar II Petrović Njegoš, whose poetic talent and depth of thought he is believed to have strongly influenced.

He traveled extensively, lived in different places, wrote, taught, and engaged in diverse professions (from a rebel and farmer to a teacher, secretary, and diplomat). In addition to the mentioned Bishop Petar II, he was an inspiration to many future intellectuals such as Branko Radičević, Đura Jakšić, Laza Kostić, and others.

Sime Milutinović's literary work made this unique poet, known not only for his extraordinary approach to life and people but also for his collections of epic poems, including the significant works Serbijanka (the so-called Serbian "Iliad"), Trojebratstvo (The Three Brothers), and Trojesestarstvo (The Three Sisters), as well as his historical chronicles Istorija Srbije (History of Serbia) and Istorija Crne Gore (History of Montenegro), the drama Dika crnogorska (The Glory of Montenegro), and collections of lyrical poems.

Having settled in Belgrade in the last few years with his wife Marija, Sima Milutinović Sarajlija died at the age of 57. He was buried in a cemetery that was located at the site of present-day Tašmajdan Park, but due to neglect, his grave quickly became abandoned and unrecognizable.

During the excavation and relocation of the old city cemetery, the remains of Sime Milutinović were found, one could say, by sheer luck, thanks to a preserved icon placed on his chest, with which the poet was buried according to his own wishes.

After the exhumation, the remains were transferred and reburied at the current New Cemetery, where they rest today in a family tomb.

Symbolically, the name of Sima Milutinović Sarajlija now graces several streets in cities across Serbia.