He was himself
- I prefer those who destroy myths, than those who glorify them! –
Mirko Kovač, one of the greatest Yugoslav virtuosos with words, wanted to write since he was a child. He was not too interested in politics, but somehow it always touched him. To which he, daring and just, always had to react.
Politics first blocked his way at the time of the publication of his first book, the novel "Gubilište", which was accompanied by significant condemnation of the rulers. Back then, the blacksmith was lonely, poor and in fear for his existence. At first he naively defended himself, once he even said in self-defense that it was the duty of a young writer to be a communist. At that, his friend Bošković scolded him and said: - What a communist, he was miserable, what's the matter with you? It is the writer's duty to stay in literature, and let them deal with communism. It will pass them too. And you write and read Dostoyevsky! - Kovač followed his friend's advice. Although labeled as a reactionary, he continues to write.
He never wanted to be publicly involved in politics, but witnessing the rise of fascism, he had to react. During the rise of Slobodan Milošević, he publicly protested against him and his statements. He led public meetings where he advocated against nationalism and nationalist hatred.
In 1990, at a rally in Dom omladine, he was hit in the head by a camera thrown from the hand of one of the supporters of the protested policy. The following year, Milošević fully established his rule over the truth. The vast majority of Kovač's previous friends saw the Messiah in Milošević. Kovač then decided to leave Belgrade and settle somewhere on the Istrian coast.
He lived and wrote in Rovinj until the end of his life. With the founding of the Republic of Croatia, he became a regular writer for "Feral", in which he condemned Tuđman's nationalist policy and warned against corruption and populism. He warned that the two policies of the time - Croatian and Serbian - were flowing into and out of each other.
He diligently wrote literary works until the end of his life. In the work "Writing or Nostalgia" he expressed his opinion on nationalism: – The fact that I was born somewhere is not a matter of my ability. It's just a detail in the biography. A detail that must not determine my fate. –
Mirko Kovač will be remembered for his brilliant writing. With it, he indebted the entire Yugoslav literature and became its modernist classic.
(Vreme, Tačno.net, Yugopapir)
