STORYTELLER

STORYTELLER

STORYTELLER

About the author

Dejan Krstić

He worked as a teacher, journalist, and banker — the only widely disliked profession he hasn’t tried yet is politics. He wrote for the magazines Nezavisna Svetlost (“Independent Light”), Kišobran (“Umbrella”), and Bankar (“The Banker”). He currently publishes articles in Kragujevačke novine (“The Kragujevac Gazette”). He is the author of short story collections Zid (“The Wall”) and Tri (“Three”), as well as the novels Zimnica (“Winter Stores”) and Mentalna vodenica (“The Mental Watermill”).

  • NATURAL STUPIDITY, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
    The year 2026 may not bring a major, symbolic rupture, but it will confirm what has already become obvious: processes set in motion ten or more years ago have entered a phase in which they can no longer be stopped, only managed through their consequences. The world is not entering a new crisis, but a… Read more: NATURAL STUPIDITY, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
  • CALIGULA’S SENATE
    In recent months, the American lower middle class (those who, as a rule, love guns, go to church, and worry about the nation’s gynecological condition) have increasingly been thinking back to last November, when they filled in the bubble next to Trump and his satraps. Average Americans living paycheck to paycheck are struggling to make… Read more: CALIGULA’S SENATE
  • STRICTLY CONTROLLED DREAMS
    At different ages, people dream of different things.Teenagers, for instance, dream of sex and that elusive freedom of libido slipping out the window of the classroom or the bedroom. Men in their thirties dream of cars, motorcycles, speed—and most often of the busty neighbor on the third floor.Some dream of weapons, power, self-assertion. The “softer”… Read more: STRICTLY CONTROLLED DREAMS
  • Order in the Chaos of Routine
    There comes a moment in life when a person realizes they no longer wish to change their habits, because those habits long ago ceased to be small rituals and have turned into the structure of their everyday life. After sixty, it’s no longer the adrenaline of new beginnings that moves us, but the serenity of… Read more: Order in the Chaos of Routine
  • MAY WE LIVE AND BE WELL
    Sarajevo, January 1914. Vukašin, a merchant in Baščaršija, sat with his morning coffe and leafed through the papers. On the front page: news of the Balkan Wars, a new model of French airplane, the British kingdom and industrial strikes. Near the bottom—strained relations between Austria-Hungary and Serbia. Vukašin read, sighed, and said aloud:“War? Ah, no… Read more: MAY WE LIVE AND BE WELL
  • THE ANATOMY OF MEDIA PROPAGANDA
    FROM BROKEN EGGS TO GLOBAL CATASTROPHE During a guest appearance on a morning talk show, a well-known psychologist shared a story: one of his patients said, “Doctor, I read the news ten hours a day and I feel like the world is ending tomorrow. Is that normal?” The doctor replied: “It’s not normal to read… Read more: THE ANATOMY OF MEDIA PROPAGANDA
  • THE PARDONING OF INJUSTICE
    On the Brioni islands, in the summer of 1978, Josip Broz showed U.S. President Jimmy Carter an ancient olive grove that had outlived invaders, regimes, and systems. The seasoned statesman told his younger colleague: “Trees endure for centuries, politicians only until the end of their term.” Malicious tongues would add that it’s easy for Tito… Read more: THE PARDONING OF INJUSTICE
  • A Barber’s Holiday in Arizona
    It was Saturday, early morning, when customers discovered that Slava’s barbershop was closed. Next to the sign with working hours stood a short, bilingual message: “This Saturday, due to marital obligations, I will not be working!”No, no—it’s not what you think, mischievous reader. This Arizona barber is an honest Serb with permanent residency in the… Read more: A Barber’s Holiday in Arizona
  • Summer Stories from Arizona-Tucson: PUMPING IN A-117
    At the far south of Arizona, Mount Lemmon and the Santa Catalina range formed a natural wall, reminiscent of an ancient time when people moved freely, loved openly, and lived together. All was peaceful until the day some gringo decided to draw a border with a ruler. North of the mountains lies Tucson, and to… Read more: Summer Stories from Arizona-Tucson: PUMPING IN A-117
  • Summer Tales from Arizona: Scottsdale TH E W A L L
    Scottsdale is a city where the wealthiest residents of Arizona have found refuge. The owners of enormous houses are doctors, jewelers, engineers, and political functionaries. Although it borders Phoenix, the people of Scottsdale are proud of their ZIP code and look down with disdain at the “poor folks” from the neighboring city. Desert Peace is… Read more: Summer Tales from Arizona: Scottsdale TH E W A L L
  • Tales from Arizona: Tombstone – THE LAST GUNSHOT OF WYATT EARP
    In the lovely town of Tombstone, where the Santa Cruz River no longer flows due to drought, only one memory remains — a daily show in the center of town, nearly every evening. In the theatrical reenactment of the historic gunfight at the OK Corral, for two decades the role of Wyatt Earp was played… Read more: Tales from Arizona: Tombstone – THE LAST GUNSHOT OF WYATT EARP
  • Summer Stories from Arizona – Sedona: THE CACTUS THAT REMEMBERS
    The Desert Silhouettes profile had just gained its milestone follower. Exactly ten thousand people on Instagram were enjoying Lena’s artistic photographs. Red rocks, canyons, open skies, and desert serenity—her eternal inspiration—were now capturing the attention of other lovers of landscape. The beauty of nature had long since crossed all borders, bringing joy alike to a… Read more: Summer Stories from Arizona – Sedona: THE CACTUS THAT REMEMBERS
  • Summer Stories from Arizona – Phoenix LIFE LOTTERY
    Every morning, exactly at nine o’clock, a short, slender man with a hat on his head and stiff shoulders would slowly open the door and head toward the right corner of the store, where the take-out coffee was served. Into the steaming liquid, he’d first pour a little milk, then sugar, snap on the lid,… Read more: Summer Stories from Arizona – Phoenix LIFE LOTTERY
  • A THIN BLACK LINE
    We were once taught to seek the truth in newspapers, on the radio, and on television, and to develop our imagination through literature, theater, and film. But experience tells us that reality is quite the opposite: truth is elusive, and the world is upside down. Today, the media feed us fairy tales and shiny lies,… Read more: A THIN BLACK LINE
  • Egg-Shaped Reality: UP AND DOWN
    A careful analysis of the political situation in the world—focusing primarily on Serbia and the USA, as the author of these lines is most interested in these two—leads to the impression that everything somehow revolves around eggs! Namely, at the dawn of the twilight of the Progressive Party government, the former minister in the late… Read more: Egg-Shaped Reality: UP AND DOWN
  • VOLUNTARY COLLAPSE OF DIGNITY
    “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN”? By Dejan Krstic Scene One – Berlin, February 27, 1933: A massive fire broke out in the German Parliament building (Reichstag) in Berlin, causing enormous material damage. The Nazis immediately blamed the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and used this event as an excuse to persecute communists and other opposition forces.… Read more: VOLUNTARY COLLAPSE OF DIGNITY
  • STORY OF FORGOTTEN PEOPLES
    Native Americans in the USA and Serbs in Kosovo By Dejan Krstic I asked my friend, the artificial intelligence ChatGPT, to help me with a chronic health problem. Namely, after repeated media bombardment from domestic and international TV channels, acute symptoms appear regularly, giving me no peace. I describe them in detail, and after about… Read more: STORY OF FORGOTTEN PEOPLES
  • ONE FOR A HUNDRED, MISERY FOR ALL
    By Dejan Krstic “Human madness is often clever, and like a cat, a cunning thing. When you think it has fled, it may have only transformed into an even more refined form.”   Herman Melville: “Moby Dick” The captain of the ship Pequod, Ahab, undergoes a personal tragedy when the white whale, Moby Dick, inflicts a… Read more: ONE FOR A HUNDRED, MISERY FOR ALL
  • THE MORAL SEWAGE OF GLOBAL “HUMAINITY”
    by Dejan Krstić *** These days, a witty joke is making the rounds on the Internet, and it accurately mirrors the world we are living in today.  “Is the war between Russia and Ukraine because of religion?”   “No, both are Christian Orthodox.”   “Does America support Ukraine, while China supports Russia?”   “That’s correct.”   “Were the ancient… Read more: THE MORAL SEWAGE OF GLOBAL “HUMAINITY”
  • LOVE ANCHORED IN FRENCH PARADAISE: THE DESTINATION WEDDING SAGA
    Although several decades have passed, the people of my hometown still talk about that event. Raya and Tosha, longtime residents, peers, and best friends, lived in my neighborhood. They went to school together, their military days passed similarly, they experienced their first loves together, and they both got married in the same year. As fate… Read more: LOVE ANCHORED IN FRENCH PARADAISE: THE DESTINATION WEDDING SAGA
  • BREAD, MILK, AND… KALASHNIKOV
    If you are caught with a Kinder egg in your luggage when entering the United States, you can be fined $2,500. The sale of this popular candy has been banned in America since 1997 due to the risk of choking on the plastic toy inside. Americans who want to purchase Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) at the pharmacy… Read more: BREAD, MILK, AND… KALASHNIKOV
  • THE PROCESS TO THE THIRD EMPIRE
    THE PROCESS TO THE THIRD EMPIRE OPENING STATEMENT IN THE COURTROOM “No one accused Henry K. of the many evils he had done, if there had been luck, he would have been arrested long ago.” When he was little, Henry K. loved fairy tales and picture books, but he always despised art. In high school,… Read more: THE PROCESS TO THE THIRD EMPIRE