Jasna Šamić

In 2017, Jasna Šamić has signed the Declaration on the Common Language of the Croats, Serbs, Bosniaks and Montenegrins.

Jasna Šamić is a winner of the Stendhal French Literary Prize (Lauréate du programme Missions Stendhal) in 2008.and Literary Prize Gauchez- Pillippot 2014, winner of Prize of Public at the Balkans Book Fair (Salon du livre des Balkans), Paris 2018, winner of international Naji Naaman Honorary Prize for all of her work in 2018, winner of several bosnian literary prizes, namely those of the Publishing Foundation (Fodancija za izdavaštvo), Bosnia, 2015 - 2018... She gave Interviews in different countries (for example at France Culture, France Inter, RFI, Belgium TV, Austrian TV, French TV and radios, etc.). Bosnian TV dedicated to her a 55 minutes broadcast (2001).

She collaborated at revues in former Yugoslavia and Europe; she participated at International Conferences in Paris, Munich, Belgrade, Istanbul, Princeton, Philadelphia, Strasbourg, Venice, Jerusalem, Bamberg, Vienna, Tel Aviv, Berlin, Tunis, Sarajevo, etc. She gave Lectures at the Universities of former Yugoslavia (until 1992); University of Utrecht (1993); University of Strasbourg for the III cycle students of Turkology and History (2000–2003); University of Grenoble (2000); University of Brussels (2006); French Culture Centre of Luxembourg (2005), The Senate, in Paris (2007). Director of a literary review Književna sehara (www.balkan-sehara.com)

Started as an Assistant and Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo, she was Professor of Oriental Literatures at the same Faculty, University of Sarajevo, 1988–1992 (she was expelled from the Faculty without reason). She was also Director of Research associated to the CNRS (French National Centre of Research) in 1992, and Professor of Languages, Literatures, History and Civilisation of the Balkans at the University Marc Bloch of Strasbourg; 2000–2002. She collaborated with French radio programs: Radio France Internationale, 1986–1993; France Culture, 1992–1996.

She is Member of The Asian Society (Sociétéasiatique), Paris, from 1984, Member of the Union of Writers of Bosnia, from 1974, Member of the international PEN Club, Bosnia and Herzegovina, from 2006, Member of the Union of Writers of France, from 1996, member of the international PEN Club of France.

Since 1977, Jasna Šamić has been living between Sarajevo and Paris, but since the war in the Balkans of 1992–1995, mostly in Paris, now as a freelance writer.

In Sarajevo, Jasna Šamić was Director of the literary Revue «Književna riječ», Sarajevo (1973), Vice President of the Department of Oriental Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy, 1980–1984; Vice President of the Union of Translators of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1982–1985); Member of the Reading Panel or Editorial Board in the Veselin Masleša, publishing house, Sarajevo (until 1992); Member of the Editorial Board of the Revue «Kulture Istoka», Belgrade (until 1992).

Jasna Šamić (born 1 April 1949) is a Bosnian and French writer, author of books (poetry, novels, short stories, essays, research work, theater plays) written both in the French and Bosnian language.

Jasna Šamić was born on 1 April 1949 in Sarajevo, FPR Yugoslavia (modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina), where she graduated from elementary school and high school (Sarajevo High school -lyceum- and Conservatory - School of music, and from the University of Sarajevo, where she studied oriental languages and literatures, Turkish, Arabic and Persian; also University of Sarajevo: Third Cycle or Post-graduated Thesis in General Linguistics and Turkology, PHD degree at The Faculty of Philosophy of Sarajevo in 1977; at the University of Paris – Sorbonne Nouvelle, she did the Thesis of National Doctorate (Doctorat d' Etatès Lettres) in 1984, on Sufism and History.