Italijan sa srpskom dušom

Gradske priče / City Buzz - MARIO LIGUORI
Pisac / Writer

Italijanski pisac Mario Liguori slovi za jednog od najomiljenijih stranaca koji žive u Srbiji. Kako ga je put naveo u zemlju o kojoj je tako malo znao, još uvek mu se i samom čini nestvarnim. Dok je svetska medijska propaganda godinama kreirala ružnu sliku o srpskom narodu zbog ratnih sukoba tokom devedesetih godina, osećao je da u toj zemlji koja je preživljavala najgora moguća razaranja žive ljudi koji su duboko osetili patnju i bol, ljudi za koje je verovao da imaju svoje strahove i osećanja, ljubavi i tuge... Iako se ni u njegovom rodnom Napulju nije mnogo lepog znalo o srpskom narodu, to ga nije pokolebalo u želji da kroči na tlo Srbije i lično upozna taj narod o kojem se tako malo lepog moglo čuti. I desila se ljubav na prvi pogled. Obostrana. Svojstvena najlepšim životnim pričama. Pronašao je novi dom, gde se već godinama uspešno profesionalno ostvaruje. Njegove knjige se prodaju u velikim tiražima, čime je potvrdio da je svojim književnim delima uspeo da pronađe put do srca srpskog naroda. Ko zna, možda se baš u tome i krije ta tajna nit koja spaja ovog Italijana sa Srbijom.

Kako ste vi kao Italijan odlučili da se nastanite u Srbiji?

Život je zaista nepredvidiv. Ne možemo reći da sam imao plan da se nastanim u Srbiji. Ipak, slučajnost me je dovela u ove krajeve i ovde od prvoga dana pokušavam maksimalno da se angažujem kako bih ostvario opipljive rezultate. Obično ne razmišljam kao Italijan, više volim da razmišljam kao čovek. Možda je lakše tako.

Šta vam se dogodilo te ste toliko zavoleli Srbiju?

Oduvek sam želeo da putujem. Sama pomisao na inostranstvo izaziva izvesno uzbuđenje u meni. Međutim, svakodnevni život u tuđini ume da bude težak, jer položaj stranca nije nimalo prijatan. Bez obzira na to, postoji put do sloge i saradnje, kojim stranac mora da putuje ako želi nešto da uradi. Uveren sam da i u Srbiji ima mesta za valjanog čoveka od dela. U mom slučaju stvar je jednostavna, zato što me Srbija zanima i smatram da je moj boravak u njoj posve uzbudljiv.

U Novom Sadu predajete kao profesor na dva fakulteta. Kako vas je put doveo do tog grada?

Slučajno sam upoznao rukovodstvo Filozofskog fakulteta u Novom Sadu. Ti dobri ljudi su učestvovali na naučnom skupu u Napulju, a ja sam tada završavao studije. Bili su oduševljeni i pozvali su me da dođem u Novi Sad. Ja sam, kao što vidite, tu ponudu prihvatio, rukovodeći se izrekom: „Ko te neće – pusti ga, ko te hoće – ne reci mu neću”.

(Nastavak teksta u štampanom izdanju)

An Italian With Serbian Soul

Italian writer Mario Liguori is deemed as one of the most favorite foreigners living in Serbia. How has the road (way?) brought him to the country he knew so little about, he still feels as unrealistic. For years, propaganda of the world media was creating an ugly picture about Serbian people for war conflicts during the 1990s. During that time, he felt that in this country, which had gone through the worst possible devastations, live the people who, deep down, felt suffering and pain, the people, as he believed, that had their fears and feelings, of love and sorrow… Even though people of Naples, his hometown, did not know many nice things about Serbian people, that did not stop him in his wish to set foot on Serbian ground and personally meet those people, which only a few nice things could have been heard about. (can we keep it long, somehow… these writers here like to keep it loooong and as complicated as possible that’s why my thesis was complimented, and thank you for that. And love at first sight happened. Mutual. Characteristic for the nicest life stories. He found a new home, where he reaches successful professional accomplishments for years now. His books are sold with/in large/high print-runs?, which is a confirmation that he and his literary works have found their way to Serbian people’s hearts. Who knows, maybe that is exactly the place where this secret thread, that connect this Italian with Serbia, is hidden.

How come as an Italian you decided to settle in Serbia?

Life is unpredictable indeed. I can’t say I planned to settle in Serbia. Still, it was a pure coincidence that brought me to this region, and from the very first day I have been giving my maximum efforts to reach some tangible results. I usually don’t think like an Italian, I prefer thinking like a human. That may be easier.

What happened in your life that made you love Serbia that much?

I always wanted to travel. Only the thought of going abroad makes me excited. However, living in a foreign country can be hard, as the position of a foreigner is not a pleasant one. Regardless, there is a way of harmony and cooperation that a foreigner needs to take in order to accomplish something. I am sure that Serbia has space for a man of good deeds. In my case, it is pretty simple, because I am interested in Serbia and I think my stay here is absolutely exciting.

You work as a professor at two faculties in Novi Sad. What brought you to this city?

I met the management of Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad by chance. Those nice people participated in a scientific meeting in Naples, and I had just finished my studies at that time. They were all thrilled and invited me to come to Novi Sad. As you can see, I accepted the offer, lead by the moto “If they don’t want you, let them go; if they do, don’t say no”.

(Continue reading more in printed edition)