Wartime literature: poets among fighters

Two young SKOJ members and poets from Mostar, Velimir Kovačević (1919-1941) and Svetislav Mandić (1921-2003), published their first verses before the war in 1940 in a joint collection titled “Dvojica” (“The Two”). The printing was supported by the SKOJ organization, and their poems were eagerly read at SKOJ meetings. Svetislav survived the war and became a painter-conservator and poet, while Velimir was killed in the massacres of Serbs in July/August 1941. His biography is provided below. You can read the collection “Dvojica” here.