Abstract: In the first half of the 20th century, after the end of the Second World War, Serbian literature intensively dealt with the war theme, analyzing historical realities most oft en from an ideological point of view. The narrative of the victims of war and their suffering remained, most often, were part of the general intention of socialist literature. The second half of the 20th century, with different poetic changes, used the theme of the Second World War less and less. Along with Danilo Kiš, Tišma, Ćosić, the problem of the victims was dealt with by a small number of authors. Recently, two literary texts appeared, that explicitly treated the same topic of the suff ering of the civilian population in Kragujevac, in October 1941. Enes Halilović wrote the poem Zemlja (Land), and Mirko Demić wrote the play Igra brojeva (Th e Game of Numbers). Demić’s drama Th e Game of Numbers is the sum of the voices of those who were executed in Kragijevac in October 1941. The author chooses heroes from different backgrounds, professions, nations and religions: the girl Milica, an Orthodox Serbian; Mosha, a Jew, a doctor; Kalanjos, head of the gipsy orchestra... Streljani Đak, poet Sveta, and journalist Gandhi, speak from the dark side, from the grave. All the victims, in long monologues, question their existence and try to understand what was their fault. It is impossible to kill a person without reason, without guilt, without trial. The mathematics Professor, one of those who did not abandon his students in the march towards death, tries to explain “the integral calculus of misfortune that man inflicts on another man”, as an eternal emanation of evil, which only seeks as many victims as possible. Thenumber is important, “to settle the debt of evil.” Halilović’s poem Zemlja is a precise allegory, in which the voices of the Father, Mother, Boy and choir alternate with Horovođa. The author’s intention is clear: this poem, in terms of theme and structure, resembles a Hellenic drama. It is a tragedy, in which the tragic conflict and the tragic hero are necessarily in a situation of mortal danger. They are under the wing of the Black Stork, an evil fate that cannot be escaped. And as in the Hellenic drama, fate cannot be escaped. Crime is ubiquitous. But, says the author, “it is a crime to keep silent about a crime.” In different genres and different approaches, both authors opted for the same way of saying about suffering: about the execution of innocent people, and witness the victims. Based on the researched historical material, with a strong imagination and empathy, the authors in these works have reached the universal idea of the omnipresence of evil and the necessity of remembering the victims, as a way of fighting for humanity. Key words: Kragujevac, civilian victims of war, Enes Halilović, poem Zemlja (Land), Mirko Demić, play Th e Game of Numbers. https://unilib.phaidrabg.rs/o:5000 cobiss:148726281 ISBN: 978-86-6102-110-7 Kragujevac’s October in the drama "The game of numbers" by Mirko Demić and poems "Land" of Enes Halilović application/pdf 354339 bytes eng Stišović Milovanović, Ana All rights reserved 2023 info:eu-repo/semantics/conferenceProceedings Zbornik apstrakata Naučna konferencija sa međunarodnim učešćem Stradanje Srba, Jevreja, Roma i ostalih na teritoriji bivše Jugoslavije (10; 2023; Beograd) str. 181-182