The Eternal Flame of the Phoenix: About the Editorial Work of Jasmina Musabegović

Abstract

When it comes to the works of the Bosnian novelist, literary critic, translator, and editor Jasmina Musabegović (1941–2023), attention is mostly devoted to her fiction, while her extremely important literary critical and editorial work remains neglected. Jasmina Musabegović edited a substantial number of books within the publishing company "Svjetlost". Based on insights into publications and editions ("Raskršća", "Cijeli svijet/Ceo svet" and "Feniks"), this article aims to shed light on the creativity and innovation of this extremely valuable and important editor. Particular attention in the article is devoted to the "Feniks" library, where some of the major works of contemporary literature were published, and which Musabegović edited for thirty years, from 1976 to 2006. Information about the publications published within this library is given in the bibliography attached to this work. Presenting the complex editorial engagement of this recognized writer from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the article aims to point out how editorial work (often invisible and insufficiently publicly acknowledged) contributes in a crucial way to the development of culture and literature.