As part of the "Mostar Summer 2025" event, two events were held on July 3, 2025: a literary evening with Svetislav Basar organized by the Mostar National Library and a DJ Dance Party with Amir Groove organized by the Pavarotti Music Center.
In the beautiful surroundings of Aleksa Šantić park and with a large number of interested citizens of Mostar, a literary evening was held with one of the most original contemporary writers - Svetislav Basar. The interview with the author was conducted by Petar V. Arbutina, writer, literary critic, essayist, editor and publisher.
"My creativity is quite extensive, it's all there - I've gone through various themes and phases, changed styles, and yet somehow remained the same. This is my first visit to Mostar after almost 40 years, and it's a special honor for me to be part of this traditional event," said Svetislav Basara at the very beginning.
Svetislav Basara is a two-time winner of the NIN Prize for novels The rise and fall of Parkinson's disease and Counterendorphin, winner of the "Isidora Sekulić" award and the "Biljana Jovanović" award of the Serbian Literary Society for the novel Angel of Assassination, and the first recipient of a scholarship from the "Borislav Pekić" Fund for a manuscript in progress. When asked how he perceives literary awards, he answered in his own way:
"When I started writing, the NIN award wasn't even considered until 1955. I think I was awarded according to that old awards calendar. Of course I like winning awards, but that was never my motivation for writing."
The author particularly highlighted the "Ćamil Sijarić" literary award, saying that Sijarić's work is one of those that he likes to read the most.
They talked about literature, politics, and the general state of the society we live in. The evening's moderator, Petar V. Arbutina, reminded the audience of the statement "that everything happened first in literature, and later in reality", to which Basara added: "Writers sense something, they have a great intuition - it's not a prophecy, they simply feel it. I hope I'm not one of those anticipators."
In the second part of the evening, organized by the Pavarotti Music Center, a DJ Dance Party with Amir Groove was held. Amir Groove is a DJ, producer and radio host from Mostar, who has established himself on the international electronic scene, especially in London, where he has lived for more than 20 years. He has played throughout Europe and Asia - in Serbia, Croatia, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden and Georgia.
"First of all, I would like to thank the organizers and emphasize how honored I am to perform here at the Pavarotti Center and be part of the Mostar Summer. I am happy to be able to share my passion with people. Tonight, the audience will be able to hear house sound, which I specially adapted to the Mostar ambiance - I can safely say that it is house with a touch of sevdah and the Orient," said Amir Groove.
He added: "The problem with my profession today is that music is available to absolutely everyone. It's hard to stand out, show knowledge and be unique. Being a DJ is not the same now as it was then. However, I managed to become recognizable in this genre, perform in many European and Asian countries, and tonight I'm here, in Mostar, because the audience here knows how to enjoy music. So I thank the organizers once again for the invitation."
The next content within the "Mostar Summer" event is the exhibition Anarchy in photography by Faruk Kajtaz, organized by the Museum of Herzegovina. The exhibition will be held on July 4, 2025 in the Svetozar Ćorović Memorial House starting at 9:00 p.m.
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