I was born in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1952.  I have published short stories, plays and radio plays, and was the editor of several literary magazines. My poetry, essays and reviews have appeared in all of the prominent journals of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia, as well as prestigious publications such as The Times Literary Supplement, The Paris Review, and Salmagundi. After the Bosnian war of 1992-95, I immigrated to Canada.

            In 1996 I was a Senior Resident of Massey College, University of Toronto; in 2000 I was Writer-in-Exile at the Banff Centre for the Arts; and in 2006 I was Writer-in-Residence at the University of Guelph. My poetry has been translated into more then 12 languages, and was included in several world anthologies, such as Scanning the Century (Penguin, 2000) and Banned Poetry (Index of Censorship, 1997), and in numerous anthologies in Canada and the former Yugoslavia. I have been awarded the Helman-Hammet award/PEN USA Freedom to Write award (1994), and the People’s Award (2006), as well as numerous literary prizes from the former Yugoslavia. I live and work in Toronto.