especially high regard. In 1950, he started publishing his essays in Književnost (Literature) and Književne novine (Literary News). In 1951, Matić became an editor in Književnost and a member of the Council for Culture and Art of the city of Belgrade. In March of the following year, he participated in the publishing of a reformed Svedočanstva with most of his former surrealist collaborators. He was elected president of the Association of Writers of Serbia in 1952, after which he joined the League of Communists of Yugoslavia in late December. His application was supported by Aleksandar Vučo and Roksanda Njeguš. In 1953, Matić traveled to Geneva to attend a meeting of European intellectuals. There, he watched an early staging of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, which he brought back to Yugoslavia to be translated into Serbo-Croatian. It was staged the following year at Atelje 212, directed by Pavle Ugrinov. Matić attended the meeting in Geneva more than five times during the following years. In 1956, Matić became co-editor of Književnost alongside Eli Finci, also contributing to Oskar Davičo's newly created modernist periodical Delo (Labor). The following year, he became president of the commission at the first Sterijino pozorje theater festival. That year, he published his collection of essays titled Anina balska haljina (Ana's Ball Gown) for which he received an award from the Association of Writers of Serbia in 1957. Also in 1957, he published his novel Kocka je bačena (The Die is Cast), a sequel of sorts to Gluho doba. Borislav Mihajlović Mihiz was highly critical of Matić's novel, publishing a scathing critique in Politika. In 1958, Matić became co-editor of Književne novine (Literary News) alongside Čedomir Minderović. The following year, he published his book of poetry Buđenje materije (The Awakening of Matter) for which he was awarded the 7th of July Award. During this time, Matić began assembling a group of young poets who became his protégés. The group included Jovan Hristić and Draško Ređep. In 1962, Matić published his novel Laža i paralaža noći (The Lie and Paralysis of Night). His book, written largely as a monologue, was adapted into a play and was put on in Atelje 212, directed by Boda Marković. The following year, Matić traveled to Paris where he stayed as a guest of André Malraux, at the time Minister of Cultural Affairs. He visited the Soviet Union that same year. Final years During the