Abstract:

Nasreddin Hodja was a satirical figure from folk literature. Written Serbian sources began introducing Hodja in the 19 th century. However, in oral literature, Hodja had been introduced much earlier. His jokes and witticisms were welcomed in Serbian literature and were portraying Hodja as a joker and a merry fellow who would never fall into despair, no matter what hardship befell him in life. His humor and satire were always cheerfull and optimistic. Stories and anecdotes about Hodja appeared in many different magazines and collections in Serbian language. However, the first comprehensive collection of Hodja’s jokes and witticisms was published by a famous Serbian writer Stevan Sremac, in 1894. This collection is significant because Sremac not only appears in the role of collector, but also gathers inspiration from folk stories about Hodja. By using Turkish lexicon in Serbian language, he creates an exceptionally expressive language and forms coloring of this humorous hero, whose considerably exceeds the boundaries of Turkey

Keywords: