Vladan Desnica
Encyclopedia
Vladan Desnica was a Croatian
and Serbian
writer.
, then part of Austria-Hungary
. His father Uroš Desnica (von Desnica) was politician from noble Serbian orthodox
family from Obrovac
and Islam Grčki, descendant of Stojan Janković
, and his mother Fani Desnica was from catholic family Luković from Prčanj
near Kotor
in what is today Montenegro
He wrote poems, short stories and novels, usually dealing with the life in cities and villages of Northern Dalmatia
. His best work is novel Proljeća Ivana Galeba (Springs of Ivan Galeb), published in 1957, in which he gives first-person account of an intellectual lying in hospital bed and meditating about illness and mortality. He died in Zagreb
.
Like many writers who used to work in Yugoslavia
, he is claimed both by Croatian and Serbian literature. In 1980s it was discovered that he had made literary contributions to a newspaper run by Chetniks
during World War II
.
His talents were also used for the medium of film. In 1954 he wrote the script for Koncert
, one of the most important titles in the history of Yugoslav cinema.
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
and Serbian
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
writer.
Life
He was born in ZadarZadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
, then part of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
. His father Uroš Desnica (von Desnica) was politician from noble Serbian orthodox
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
family from Obrovac
Obrovac, Croatia
Obrovac is a town located in northern Dalmatia, in the Zadar County of Croatia. Town population is 1,500 people , and the whole Obrovac municipality has a population of 4,000 people. The town is located in the canyon of the river Zrmanja....
and Islam Grčki, descendant of Stojan Janković
Stojan Jankovic
Stojan Mitrović Janković, also known as Knight Janko was the commander of the Dalmatian Serb army, in the service of the Republic of Venice, from 1669 until his death in 1687. He participated in the Cretan and Great Turkish War, as the supreme commander of the Venetian Serb troops, of which he is...
, and his mother Fani Desnica was from catholic family Luković from Prčanj
Prčanj
Prčanj is a small town in Bay of Kotor, Montenegro. According to the 2003 census, the town has a population of 1244 people.It is located 3 miles west of Kotor, opposite Dobrota and between the settlements of Muo and Stoliv. All its history has been written at sea...
near Kotor
Kotor
Kotor is a coastal city in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative center of the municipality....
in what is today Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
He wrote poems, short stories and novels, usually dealing with the life in cities and villages of Northern Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
. His best work is novel Proljeća Ivana Galeba (Springs of Ivan Galeb), published in 1957, in which he gives first-person account of an intellectual lying in hospital bed and meditating about illness and mortality. He died in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
.
Like many writers who used to work in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, he is claimed both by Croatian and Serbian literature. In 1980s it was discovered that he had made literary contributions to a newspaper run by Chetniks
Chetniks
Chetniks, or the Chetnik movement , were Serbian nationalist and royalist paramilitary organizations from the first half of the 20th century. The Chetniks were formed as a Serbian resistance against the Ottoman Empire in 1904, and participated in the Balkan Wars, World War I, and World War II...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
His talents were also used for the medium of film. In 1954 he wrote the script for Koncert
Koncert (film)
Koncert is a Yugoslav film directed by Branko Belan. It was released in 1954.Oktavijan Miletić was the cinematographer for the film....
, one of the most important titles in the history of Yugoslav cinema.