<DIV><p>Inspired by tombstones and their inscriptions, Mak Dizdar&rsquo;s rich and haunting poems in Stone Sleeper&rsquo;, his most famous work, are a journey into the mysterious heart of medieval Bosnia. The poems form a three-way dialogue between the modern poet, the Christian heretics awaiting Judgement Day beneath their enigmatically-carved tombstones, and the heretic-hunters. Beneath the local and temporal, Dizdar explores universal issues: the value of resistance, though it might be futile; of faith, though it might be illusory; and of life, though it ends in death.</p> <p>Francis R Jones&rsquo;s inventive and beautiful translations convey his deep understanding of Dizdar&rsquo;s purpose. In addition a penetrating analysis of Stone Sleeper&rsquo;s historical, religious and spiritual background is given by the distinguished scholar Rusmir Mahmutcehajic, whose book Across the Water: On the Poetry of Mak Dizdar&rsquo; is published by Fordham University Press.</p> <p>Mehmed Alija Mak&rsquo; Dizdar (1917-1971), considered one of the greatest Yugoslav writers, was born in Stolac, southern Bosnia. After the war, in which he was a partisan in Tito&rsquo;s army, he became a prominent figure in Bosnian cultural life, working as newspaper editor, as book publisher and, finally, as President of the Writers&rsquo; Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He died in Sarajevo.</p></DIV>