Dejan Stojanović (, ; born 11 March 1959) is a Serbian poet, writer, essayist, philosopher, businessman, and former journalist. His poetry is characterized by a recognizable system of thought and poetic devices, bordering on philosophy, and, overall, it has a highly reflective tone. According to the critic Petar V. Arbutina, "Stojanović belongs to the small and autochthonous circle of poets who have been the main creative and artistic force of the Serbian poetry in the last several decades." Early life Dejan Stojanović was born on 11 March 1959 in Peć, Autonomous District of Kosovo and Metohija, PR Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia. In 1972, he moved with his family to Sutomore, near Bar, Montenegro, where he completed his secondary education. He attended the University of Pristina at Kosovo. While he was predominantly interested in philosophy and the arts during his youth, he earned a degree in law. Writing background Poetry He began to write poetry in the late seventies and kept his work private for three to four years, after which he published his poems in literary magazines in the former Yugoslavia. Serbian magazines in which his work was published include Stremljenja (English translation: Trends) and Jedinstvo (English translation: Unity) in Priština, and Gradina in Niš. By 1983, he became a member of a literary club (Karagač) in his hometown of Peć. During this time, he was named as the secretary and later promoted to president of the club. In this role, he conducted interviews with some local artists from Kosovo. In his early adulthood, Stojanović developed a philosophical system of ideas that dealt primarily with metaphysical questions and the structure of the Universe. He wrote several hundred pages in his notebooks exploring these ideas, along with essays on language and literature. In 1999, these manuscripts, along with his library of more than a thousand books (carefully chosen for years), were lost due to fire shortly after the war in Kosovo ended. His books, along with his manuscripts, were held temporarily in his brother's office in the center of downtown Peć. Publishing In 1990, Stojanović established a private publishing firm known as Metoh (English translation: the church's land). While the organization was located in Peć, the firm planned to publish a literary magazine in Kosovo. The firm's staff included writers from Belgrade, one of whom was Alek Vukadinović, a Serbian poet who supported Stojanović's plan to publish a magazine. While Stojanović's first