Andric – the easy way and writing a modern drama inspired by the classical tragedies

Andric’s sermon “About story and telling” was covered in a truly unique way. At the beginning of the Serbian lesson, students discussed the circumstances i.e. the reasons that prompted Andric to write the sermon, which was of course the Nobel Prize. Students also learned about Nobel, his life and what the eponymous award stands for.

Serbian teacher Mirjana Vasić Adžić told the students to read the text at home so that they could discuss and analyse it better in class. With the help of a presentation, and its series of questions students were guided to the correct answers by drawing from what they already knew (like the story of Scheherazade, why it’s powerful etc.) and through associations.

At the end of the lesson, students discussed the Author’s life and work, without focusing on dry information like the list of his works, specific dates etc. The discussion revolved more around what his peers thought of him, what conclusions were drawn based on his writings, and students also asked their Serbian teacher about the details about the Nobel Prize winner’s life that were of interest to them. They were the most curious about his childhood.

In order to bring everything they had learned about come to life, students watched and listened to a number of recordings in which Andric addressed the public after winning the Nobel Prize in Literature. Their favourite part of it was actually getting to see the ceremony and hear Andric speak.

Students also covered Antigone and had to incorporate everything they knew about classical dramas into their own classical drama which is based on a modern myth. The task was by no means an easy one, but our students were able to rise to the occasion. Putting what they know into practice was also the best way for them to truly solidify their knowledge and spark their creativity.