Lejla Kalamujic

Lejla Kalamujić is a queer writer from Bosnia and Herzegovina. She writes prose, essays and reviews with central topics of sexuality, madness, and death. Her Call me Esteban short stories collection received the “Edo Budisa” literary award of Istria region in 2016 and it was the Bosnian-Herzegovinian nominee for the European Union Prize for Literature in the same year.

Biography Kalamujić was born in Sarajevo in 1980. She graduated from the Department of Philosophy and Sociology at the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo. In 2015 she published her second short stories collection Zovite me Esteban (“Call me Esteban”, published by Dobra knjiga, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina). Zovite me Esteban was later published in three more countries: by Red Box, Belgrade, 2016, Sandorf, Zagreb, 2017 and by Blesok, Skopje, 2017 -Викајте mе Естебан (Call Me Esteban) translated by Goko Zdraveski. Kalamujic is inspired by the combination of her personal experience, social environment, and women authors throughout the history of literature:

The Anatomy of a Smile ("Anatomija Osmijeha") The Anatomy of a Smile is a short story collection where Kalamujic writes about human suffering and human happiness. “The Anatomy of a Smile” is Naklada Zoro first prize winner for collection of unpublished stories in 2008. Vladimir Arsenic describes the collection:

Call me Esteban ("Zovite me Esteban") Call me Esteban is a short stories collection that won “Edo Budisa” literary award of Istria region – Regione Istriana in 2016 and it was Bosnian-Herzegovinian nominee for European Union Prize for Literature in 2016. With her story collection “Zovite me Esteban” (engl. Call me Esteban), Kalamujic won the literary scene in the country and in the region. Sandorf publisher describes the book : Short story Call me Esteban was translated into English language by Jennifer H. Zoble:

Awards and scholarships Kalamujic received the following scholarships and fellowships: Landis & Gyr Stiftung (Fellowship), Zug (Switzerland) May/October 2017 Writers’ House Residence, Pazin (Croatia), February, 2017 Krokodil – Artist in Residence, Belgrade (Serbia), January 2017 Pristina has no River, Pristina (Kosovo), October 2015 DAAD Foundation (one-month scholarship at Ruhr University), Bochum (Germany) 2006. Kalamujic won the following awards: Best short story Regional “Write Queer” contest by Queer Montenegro award (2016) – short story Nesretni život Sofije R / The miserable life of Sofija R Nominated for European Union Prize for Literature in 2016 award – collection of short stories Zovite me Esteban / Call me Esteban Edo Budisa literary award of Istria region / Regione Istriana (2016) – collection of short stories Zovite me Esteban / Call me Esteban First prize Susreti Zija Dizdarević award (2015) – short story Dolce Vita First prize Vox Feminae award (2011) – short story Žena zvana čežnja / Woman called Desire Second prize Susreti Zija Dizdarević award (2009) – short story Povratak među zvijezde / The return to the Stars First prize Naklada Zoro award (2008) – collection of short stories Anatomija osmijeha / The Anatomy of a Smile Second prize Susreti Zija Dizdarević award (2005) – short story Oči smrti / The eyes of the Death Super Cyber Story Pincom award (2005) – short story Sanduq el dunya

Selected works Short stories (in Bosnian language):

Sneg je opet, Snežana Ljeto kratke priče Četiri godišnje doba Dolce Vita Priča o sevdahu Čarobnjak From the collection "Call me Esteban" Bella Ciao Buka, bijes i ona Zovite me Esteban Nesretni život Sofije R