He was born in Tuzla, where he completed both elementary and secondary school. In 1930, he enrolled in Serbo-Croatian language and literature at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy, graduating in 1934. During his studies, he received the nickname “Meša,” which he later began using as his signature. As a student, he lived in the dormitory of the Muslim cultural and educational society “Gajretov dom,” which supported the education of talented Muslim youth. In his free time, he enjoyed playing football and playing the accordion and guitar.
In 1936, he returned to Tuzla to work as a teacher at the gymnasium that today bears his name. At that time, he was also active in the athletic organization “Soko.” He spent the first two years of World War II in Tuzla, until his arrest in 1943 for participating in the partisan anti-fascist resistance movement.
After liberation, he moved to liberated territory, where he became a member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia and a political commissar of the Tuzla Partisan detachment. During the war, Selimović’s brother, also a communist, was executed for alleged theft without trial; Selimović’s letter defending his brother was of no help. This part of his life and the family tragedy influenced the contemplative introduction to Dervish and Death, in which the main protagonist, Ahmed Nurudin, fails to save his imprisoned brother.
Meša Selimović had a difficult life, full of personal tragedies and misfortunes, which led him to make choices that often provoked his surroundings—yet it was precisely in that environment that he found inspiration for his greatest works.
His first wife was Desa, with whom he had a daughter, Slobodanka. However, after meeting Daroslava Božić, he fell in love with her and left his wife and young child. His first wife sued him over the extramarital relationship, which led to his expulsion from the Communist Party and a ban on working in any job in Belgrade. Meša and Darka’s life together in Sarajevo was difficult; they often lived in poverty, but were sustained by great love, from which they had two daughters, Jesenka and Maša.
Fortunately, a time came when Meša achieved great literary success, received awards, and attributed all the credit to his beloved Darka: “Without her, I would certainly have been a minor professor or a mediocre political official.”
“If I knew how to write the most beautiful book in the world, I would dedicate it to my wife Darka. As it is, I will forever remain indebted to her nobility and love. And all I can do is to mention her name with gratitude at the beginning of this story, which, like all others, speaks of the search for happiness.” (Dervish and Death)
