"The Kragujevac October" – A Symbol of Serbian Suffering (Desanka Maksimović's poem, book, film, commemoration)

"The Kragujevac October" – a symbol of Serbian suffering

21 October 1941 – the Germans execute 2,778–7,000 Serbian civilians in Kragujevac.

"The Kragujevac October" – it has become a symbol of Serbian suffering in WWII:

• A symbol of German terror against the Serbs
• A symbol of innocent children killed by the war (300+ grammar-school pupils executed)
• A symbol of impunity (the Germans never answered for it)
• A symbol of remembrance (we will never forget)

"The Kragujevac October" = more than a historical event – it is part of the Serbian identity.

📖 The poem "A Bloody Fairy Tale" – Desanka Maksimović (1945)

Desanka Maksimović (1898–1993) – the most famous Serbian poet of the 20th century.

1945 (after the liberation) – Desanka writes the poem "A Bloody Fairy Tale" (dedicated to the pupils of the Kragujevac Grammar School executed on 21 October 1941).

The poem "A Bloody Fairy Tale" – excerpts:

"It happened in a land of peasants..."

"It happened in a land of peasants
in the hilly Balkans,
a class of schoolchildren
vanished in a single day.

They vanished from their school desks,
a class of schoolchildren;
twenty of them, their brows shining,
bore a mark of promise at their root.

They had learnt that the rays of the sun
are the gold of the earth and words of flame,
and that the treasure nature gives us
returns to us again in happiness.

But jackboots came into the school,
jackboots accompanied by bayonets,
they led the pupils to Šumarice,
and shot them, one by one.

Twenty of them fell all at once
onto the grass covered in blood,
and the sky above Kragujevac
looked on in horror at their death."

– Desanka Maksimović, "A Bloody Fairy Tale" (1945) – excerpts

The theme of the poem:

• Grammar-school pupils (children aged 11–18) executed on 21 October 1941
• The Germans took the children from the classroom to Šumarice – and shot them
• Innocence destroyed by war
• The grief of mothers who lost their children

The significance of the poem:

• The most famous Serbian poem dedicated to WWII
• It is read in all Serbian schools (compulsory reading)
• Every year (21 October) – pupils recite the poem at Šumarice
• "A Bloody Fairy Tale" = a symbol of Serbian suffering – every Serb knows it by heart

📚 The book "A Diary about Čarnojević" – Mihailo Lalić (1981)

Mihailo Lalić (1914–1992) – a Serbian writer.

1981 – Lalić publishes the novel "A Diary about Čarnojević" (dedicated to the Kragujevac massacre).

Plot:

• Protagonist: Čarnojević (a fictional person – a symbol of the people of Kragujevac)
• Story: Čarnojević's diary during 19–21 October 1941 (from the Partisan attack to the German reprisal)
• Ending: Čarnojević is executed at Šumarice (21 October)

The theme of the book:

• How did the ordinary citizens of Kragujevac experience the massacre?
• Fear, grief, despair
• German terror – collective punishment (civilians executed for the deeds of the Partisans)
• Humanity in a time of evil

The significance of the book:

• The best-known novel about the Kragujevac massacre
• Translated into 15 languages
• Compulsory reading in Serbian schools

🎬 The film "The Kragujevac October" (1980)

1980 – the Yugoslav film "The Kragujevac October" (directed by Momčilo Ilić).

Plot:

• A documentary drama about the massacre (21 October 1941)
• A story of grammar-school pupils, factory workers, peasants – all executed at Šumarice
• The film depicts: the German attack, the arrests, the executions, the families searching for the bodies

Scenes that have entered history:

• Teacher Miloje Pavlović – standing with his pupils as they are executed
• Mothers – coming to Šumarice, finding their children (weeping, despair)
• Pupils – holding their school books as they are executed

The significance of the film:

• The first Yugoslav film dedicated to the Kragujevac massacre
• Watched by 3+ million people (Yugoslavia)
• Shown at film festivals (Moscow, Berlin)
• Symbol: The film made the Kragujevac massacre known to new generations

🕊️ The Day of Remembrance – 21 October (every year)

21 October – the Day of Remembrance for the victims of the Kragujevac massacre.

Every year (21 October) – citizens of Kragujevac and of all Serbia come to Šumarice:

• Commemoration: Officials, families of the victims, citizens
• Laying of flowers: On the monuments (Monument to the Executed Pupils, V-3, the Memorial Ossuary)
• Reading of the names: 2,778 names read aloud (lasting 2 hours)
• Recitation of the poem "A Bloody Fairy Tale": Grammar-school pupils recite Desanka Maksimović
• Minute of silence: At 12:00 (the time when the massacre began in 1941)
• Grammar-school pupils: They come every year – commemorating the executed pupils

Atmosphere:

• Thousands of people (5,000–10,000)
• The weeping of the victims' families (descendants of the executed)
• Flowers everywhere (the monuments covered in flowers)
• Silence (the minute of silence – the only sound: the wind through the trees)

🎓 "The Kragujevac October" in Serbian schools

Every pupil in Serbia learns about the Kragujevac massacre (compulsory reading in schools):

• Primary school (7th grade): The poem "A Bloody Fairy Tale" (Desanka Maksimović) – compulsory reading
• Secondary school (2nd grade): The novel "A Diary about Čarnojević" (Mihailo Lalić) – compulsory reading
• History (WWII): The Kragujevac massacre – a separate chapter in the textbooks
• Excursions: Thousands of pupils come to Šumarice every year (school excursions)

Aim: A new generation must know what happened – lest it be forgotten.

🌍 The international perspective – Kragujevac vs. Lidice

Lidice (Czechoslovakia, 10 June 1942) – a German massacre (340 Czechs killed):

• Became a SYMBOL of German terror in the Western world
• Memorials around the world (USA, UK, Brazil)
• Films in the West (Hollywood)
• Lidice = known throughout the world

Kragujevac (Serbia, 21 October 1941) – a German massacre (2,778–7,000 Serbs killed – 5–20× more than Lidice):

• The West kept silent (almost no one in the West had heard of Kragujevac)
• No films in the West (Hollywood)
• No memorials outside Serbia
• Kragujevac = unknown in the Western world

The Serbian perspective:

• A double standard: The West cared more about the Czechs (340 victims) than about the Serbs (2,778–7,000 victims)
• The West forgot Kragujevac – but the Serbs WILL NOT
• "The Kragujevac October" = a symbol of Serbian suffering – even if the West ignored it

🇷🇸 The Serbian perspective – "The Kragujevac October" = part of our identity

"The Kragujevac October" – more than a historical event. It is part of the Serbian identity:

• 21 October 1941 – the darkest day of Kragujevac (2,778–7,000 Serbs executed)
• The poem "A Bloody Fairy Tale" (Desanka Maksimović) – every Serb knows it by heart
• The novel "A Diary about Čarnojević" (Mihailo Lalić) – compulsory reading in schools
• The film "The Kragujevac October" (1980) – watched by 3+ million people
• The Day of Remembrance (21 October) – every year citizens come to Šumarice
• A new generation – learns about the massacre (excursions, reading)
• Symbol: We will never forget – even if the whole world forgot

A young Serb's testimony (Marko Jovanović, 18 years old, Belgrade):

"I learnt about the Kragujevac massacre at school. I read 'A Bloody Fairy Tale' (Desanka Maksimović). I came to Šumarice with my school. I saw the names – 2,778 names on the wall. Many were children (11–18 years old). 'Milan Jovanović, 16 years old, grammar-school pupil.' The same surname as mine. The same age as me. I wept. How is it possible that the Germans executed CHILDREN? Only because they were Serbs? I will never forget. Never. 'The Kragujevac October' = part of me. Part of every Serb."

– Marko Jovanović, pupil (18 years old)

"'The Kragujevac October' – a symbol of Serbian suffering in WWII. The massacre of 21 October 1941 (the Germans executed 2,778–7,000 Serbs). The poem 'A Bloody Fairy Tale' (Desanka Maksimović) – dedicated to the grammar-school pupils (every Serb knows it by heart). The novel 'A Diary about Čarnojević' (Mihailo Lalić) – compulsory reading. The film 'The Kragujevac October' (1980) – watched by 3+ million people. Every year (21 October) – the Day of Remembrance: citizens come to Šumarice, lay flowers, read the names (2,778 names), recite the poem, a minute of silence. A new generation learns (excursions, reading). The West forgot Kragujevac. But the Serbs WILL NOT. 'The Kragujevac October' = part of our identity. WE WILL NEVER FORGET."