Divna Veković (or Vékovitch) (1886–1944) was the first female medical doctor in

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

, the first woman dentist, and the first to gain a doctoral degree. She was a physician at the

Salonika front The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allied Powers to aid Serbia, in the autumn of 1915, against the combined attack of Germa ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Veković was also a

humanitarian Humanitarianism is an ideology centered on the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotiona ...

and a literary translator. She translated a well-known epic poem ''

The Mountain Wreath ''The Mountain Wreath'' () is a poem and a play written by Prince-Bishop and poet Petar II Petrović-Njegoš. Njegoš wrote ''The Mountain Wreath'' during 1846 in Cetinje and published it the following year after the printing in an Armenian monas ...

'' by

Petar II Petrović-Njegoš Petar II Petrović-Njegoš ( sr-cyrl, Петар II Петровић-Његош, ; – ), commonly referred to simply as Njegoš (), was a List of rulers of Montenegro, Prince-Bishop (''vladika'') of Montenegro, poet and philosopher whose ...

from the

Serbian language Serbian (, ) is the standard language, standardized Variety (linguistics)#Standard varieties, variety of the Serbo-Croatian language mainly used by Serbs. It is the official and national language of Serbia, one of the three official languages of ...

into French (''Les lauriers de la montagne''). She also translated other poems such as that of the

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

poet

Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Jovan Jovanović Zmaj ( sr-Cyrl, Јован Јовановић Змаj, pronounced ; 24 November 1833 – 1 June 1904) was a Serbian poet, translator and physician. Jovanović worked as a physician; he wrote in many poetry genres, including Lo ...

Biography

Veković was born in Lužac, a village in the municipality of

Berane Berane (Cyrillic: Беране) is a town in Montenegro in the northern region. It is former administrative centre of the Ivangrad District. The town is located on the Lim river. From 1949 to 1992, it was named Ivangrad ( cyrl, Ивангра ...

in Montenegro in 1886. She was either the sixth or seventh child of her parents, Uros and Tola Vekovic. Veković had her primary school education at the

Đurđevi stupovi The Đurđevi Stupovi Monastery (, literal translation, lit. "Pillars of St. George") is a Serbian Orthodox monastery located in the vicinity of medieval Stari Ras and today's city of Novi Pazar, in the Raška (region), Raška region of Serbia. ...

monastery in her home village of Luzac, and then continued her education in

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

. She received scholarships to attend the Girls’ Institute in

Cetinje Cetinje ( cnr-Cyrl, Цетиње, ) is a List of cities and towns in Montenegro, town in Montenegro. It is the former royal capital ( cnr-Latn-Cyrl, prijestonica, приjестоница, separator=" / ") of Montenegro and is the location of sev ...

, and spent a year at the Midwifery School in

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...

. She completed her medical degree at the Sorbonne, making her the first Montenegrin female medical doctor. She studied dentistry for two years in Paris, graduating in 1917, and was thus also the first woman dentist in Montenegro. When the Balkan Wars broke out in 1912, she became involved in the

International Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a aid agency, humanitarian organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a three-time Nobel Prize laureate. The organization has played an instrumental role in the development of Law of ...

, and collected supplies for Serbian and Montenegrin prisoners in Hungary and Austria. Veković worked as a physician at the

during

, and was wounded there. Veković was also a

and a literary translator. She was the first to translate ''

'' (''Gorski Viyénatz'') from the

into French (''Les lauriers de la montagne''). The work is a well-known epic poem in

Montenegrin literature Montenegrin literature may refer to: * Literature of Montenegro, the entire (historical and modern) corpus of literature created on the territory covered by modern Montenegro * Literature in Montenegrin language, literature created in Montenegrin ...

written by

. Veković also translated other poems such as that of the

poet

. She attained a PhD in literature in 1926 in Belgrade, the first Montenegrin woman to get a doctoral degree, and wrote two dictionaries of French language and grammar. She lived and worked in France in humanitarian work until the outbreak of the Second World War, at which point she returned to Montenegro. Her death is undocumented, and the date and location are not known, but it is thought to have occurred in 1941 or 1944, possibly in

Zidani Most Zidani Most (; ) is a settlement in the Municipality of Laško in eastern Slovenia. It lies at the confluence of the Sava and Savinja rivers. The area is part of the traditional region of Styria. It is now included with the rest of the municipal ...

in Slovenia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vekovic, Divna 1886 births 1944 deaths Montenegrin physicians Montenegrin women physicians 20th-century translators 20th-century Montenegrin writers 20th-century women writers People from Berane University of Paris alumni 20th-century women physicians