Dragutin Tadijanović (4 November 1905 – 27 June 2007) was a

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

n poet, and in his native Croatia he is referred to as a " Bard." Tadijanović was born in the village of Rastušje close to

Slavonski Brod Slavonski Brod (), commonly shortened to simply Brod, is a city in eastern Croatia, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Being one of the principal cities in the historical regions of Slavonia and Posavina, Slavonski Brod was the 7th large ...

in the region of

Slavonia Slavonia (; hr, Slavonija) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria, one of the four historical regions of Croatia. Taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with five Croatian counties: Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Baran ...

. He published his first poem in 1922. He graduated in literature and philosophy at the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb ( hr, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, ; la, Universitas Studiorum Zagrabiensis) is the largest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of ...

in 1937. He worked as the lector of the official paper

Narodne novine ''Narodne novine'' () is the official gazette (or newspaper of public record) of the Republic of Croatia which publishes laws, regulations, appointments and official decisions and releases them in the public domain. It is published by the epony ...

(1935–1940), taught at the Academy of Arts in Zagreb (1939–1945). Later he worked at the publishing houses "Zora" and "Hrvatski pjesnici", and Matica hrvatska. He joined the

Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts ( la, Academia Scientiarum et Artium Croatica, hr, Hrvatska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti, abbrev. HAZU) is the national academy of Croatia. HAZU was founded under patronage of the Croatian bishop Jo ...

's Literary Institute, where he became the director in 1953 and served until his retirement in 1973. He was the president of the Society of Croatian Writers in 1964–1965, and he also became an

academician An academician is a full member of an artistic, literary, engineering, or scientific academy. In many countries, it is an honorific title used to denote a full member of an academy that has a strong influence on national scientific life. In syst ...

of the Academy. Tadijanović holds distinction as one of the most popular and most influential Croatian poets of 20th century. His poem ''Balada o zaklanim ovcama'' ("Ballad of Slaughtered Sheep"), written in the 1930s, is one of the most powerful works of

Croatian literature Croatian literature refers to literary works attributed to the medieval and modern culture of the Croats, Croatia, and Croatian. Besides the modern language whose shape and orthography was standardized in the late 19th century, it also covers t ...

. His works were translated into over 20 languages, and he published over 500 poems in some twenty collections. He was crowned by an olive wreath and so became ''poeta oliveatus'' at Croatia rediviva poetry manifestation in Selca on the island of Brač in 2001. His verses are carved at the marble plaque on the Wall of poetry. Before he died at the age of 101, he was among the longest-living writers in Croatian history with generations having to study his poems in school. His last couple of birthdays were marked with reports on national TV, awards and other special events and his commemoration ceremony was held at the Old City Hall on uphill Zagreb attended by the Mayor of Zagreb and other political and cultural officials. His funeral was performed by auxiliary bishop of Zagreb Vlado Košić. An award has been named after him and granted since 2008 by the

Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts ( la, Academia Scientiarum et Artium Croatica, hr, Hrvatska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti, abbrev. HAZU) is the national academy of Croatia. HAZU was founded under patronage of the Croatian bishop J ...

(HAZU) for the life achievement in poetry.

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Further reading