The article deals with the introductory phase in the artistic
development of Aleksandar Tišma, the Serbian writer. The article does this by
reference to his early autobiographical prose works and his recently published
diaries. Tišma’s early literary style and themes are discussed. They run like a
threat throughout his literary career. They were influenced by Tišma’s reading
of German literature and the literature of Socialist Realism, which for a short
time so influenced the Yugoslav literary scene. A central topic of this article
is to show how Tišma’ Jewish background and the question of his identity played
such an important role in his literary work.