How to Pronounce Milovan Đilas

Meaning and Context

Milovan Đilas was a pivotal and controversial intellectual figure in 20th-century Balkan history, whose trajectory from revolutionary insider to prominent dissident encapsulates the ideological struggles of communist Yugoslavia. Born in Montenegro in 1911, he rose to become a central member of the Yugoslav Communist Party's Politburo and a close confidant of President Josip Broz Tito, playing a crucial role in the Partisan resistance during World War II and in establishing the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. However, his increasing criticism of the party's bureaucratic elitism, most famously articulated in his 1957 work The New Class, led to his expulsion from the party, multiple imprisonments, and his transformation into a symbol of anti-communist dissent. Đilas's legacy is thus dual: as a key Yugoslav communist politician in the regime's formative years and later as its most famous intellectual critic, whose writings on totalitarianism and the nomenklatura provided a foundational critique for understanding Eastern Bloc systems. His life remains a essential study for historians of the Cold War, Yugoslav history, and the dynamics of political dissent under authoritarian socialism.

Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings

The name "Milovan Đilas" presents several common challenges in transliteration from the Serbian Cyrillic script (Милован Ђилас). The most significant variation involves the letter "Đ" (Ђ), a voiced alveolo-palatal affricate. It is correctly rendered with a Latin "D" topped by a stroke (Đ). However, due to typing constraints, it is frequently anglicized as "Djilas," which is the most widely recognized alternative spelling in English-language publications. Common misspellings and typos include "Dilas" (omitting the diacritic entirely), "Djillias," or "Milovan Djilas" (using 'Dj' but maintaining the correct 's'). The surname is sometimes incorrectly written as "Gilas," stemming from a misreading of the Cyrillic Ђ. The correct pronunciation approximates "JEE-las," with the "Đ" sounding like the "j" in "juice," which leads some to erroneously spell it "Jilas." When searching for his works or historical references, using both "Đilas" and "Djilas" is advisable for comprehensive results.

Example Sentences

Historians often cite Milovan Đilas's The New Class as one of the most penetrating critiques of communist bureaucracy ever written by a former insider.

After breaking with Tito, Milovan Đilas spent years in Yugoslav prisons, where he continued to write clandestinely.

In his early career, Đilas was entrusted with sensitive diplomatic missions, reflecting his high standing within the Communist Party's inner circle.

The ideological evolution of Milovan Đilas from a staunch revolutionary to a liberal philosopher remains a fascinating subject for political scientists.

Many of Đilas's later essays, advocating for democratic socialism and human rights, were published in Western journals while his work was banned in his homeland.

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