“In the National Library of Trebinje, the book ‘Serb Surnames’ by Hadzi Djura Kuljanin was promoted, in which he wrote about the people who lived in Konjic, as well as all the specificities of this region.
Kuljanin told journalists that all his books are based on the local context, and he has been writing on this topic for more than 15 years.
“There’s localism in the words, or rather archaic words that Serb in Konjic used, which we hear less today, in songs and expressions—many songs that Serb in Konjic sang, which are no longer heard today because they are scattered around the world,” said Kuljanin.
He added that through the book ‘Serb Surnames,’ he presented Serbian families from the area of Konjic to preserve this for posterity.
Kuljanin mentioned that the book ‘Stone Bridge in Konjic’ chronicles this region’s life under the Ottomans and later.
“Wherever we are, we are displaced. We all carry that Konjic root from Neretva, from the north of Herzegovina, as long as we are alive. That motivated me to write about the homeland,” said Kuljanin.
The President of the Association of Konjic Residents in Republika Srpska, Zoran Pologoš, told journalists that this association cherishes the culture and tradition of this region and has done a lot on a humanitarian level.
According to him, Kuljanin’s work, ‘Serb Surnames,’ describing all Serb surnames from Konjic, their origins, and arrival, holds exceptional significance.
He reminded that in 1991, there were 7,000 Serb living in Konjic, but today there are around 200, mostly elderly, and their number decreases every day.
“The book ‘Serb Surnames’ will rescue all these Serbian families from oblivion and leave a legacy for descendants to know who they are, what they are, and where they come from,” said Pologoš.
The audience was also presented Kuljanin’s historical novel ‘I, Student Vladimir’ and the romantic novel ‘Stefanija.’
During the promotion, in addition to the author and Pologoš, the writer Velibor Shipovac also spoke.”
Source: RTRS
