Mehmed Meša Selimović, born on April 26, 1910, in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, was a prominent Bosnian-Herzegovinian writer. Growing up in Tuzla, he completed his primary school and gymnasium education. In 1930, he enrolled in the study program for Serbo-Croatian language and Yugoslav literature at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade. He graduated in 1934 and worked as a professor at the Civic School from 1935 to 1941.
Shortly thereafter, Selimović became a substitute teacher at the Real Gymnasium in Tuzla. During the first two years of the war, he lived in Tuzla, where he was arrested for collaboration with the People’s Liberation Partisans. In May 1943, he moved to the liberated territory, joining the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (KPJ) and becoming a member of the Agitprop for Eastern Bosnia. He later served as the political commissar of the Tuzla detachment, and in 1944, he moved to Belgrade, undertaking political and cultural roles.
After the war, Selimović settled in Sarajevo, where he held various positions, including a professor at the Higher Pedagogical School, associate professor at the Faculty of Philosophy, artistic director of Bosna Film, director of drama at the National Theatre, and chief editor of the publishing company Svjetlost. In 1971, he retired and moved to Belgrade. Selimović left an indelible mark on literature, and his legacy encompasses a wide range of cultural contributions.
