Veljko M. Milićević (

Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet (, ), also known as the Serbian script, (, ), is a standardized variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language. It originated in medieval Serbia and was significantly reformed in the 19th cen ...

: Вељко М. Милићевић; 14 January 1886 – 5 November 1929) was a Serbian writer, translator, publicist and journalist. He is considered "the first authentic narrator of a modern formal stylistic and thematic orientation in

Serbian literature Serbian literature ( sr-Cyrl, Српска књижевност, ''Srpska književnost''), refers to literature written in Serbian language, Serbian and/or in Serbia and all other Serbian diaspora, lands where Serbs reside. The history of Serbia ...

at the beginning of the twentieth century." A short story (''pripovetke'') writer, Veljko Miličević wrote under a French

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

''L'homme qui rit''.

Biography

Veljko M. Milićević was born in Donji Čaglić in

Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...

, then part of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

, on 14 January 1886, being the son of a rich merchant who travelled and settled in

Lika Lika () is a traditional region of Croatia proper, roughly bound by the Velebit mountain from the southwest and the Plješevica mountain from the northeast. On the north-west end Lika is bounded by Ogulin-Plaški basin, and on the south-east by t ...

when Veljko was still a boy. At the age of ten Veljko was placed in one Lika's better grammar schools in

Donji Lapac Donji Lapac ( sr-Cyrl, Доњи Лапац) is a settlement and a municipality in Lika, Croatia. Geography Donji Lapac is located a region of eastern Lika called ''Ličko Pounje'', by the river Una (Sava), Una that flows near the town in the val ...

and high schools in

Gospić Gospić () is a town in Lika, Croatia. It is the seat of the Lika-Senj County. Geography Gospić is located in the mountainous and sparsely populated region of Lika. It is the administrative center of Lika-Senj County. Gospić is located n ...

and then in

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

. After graduating, he enrolled in the Faculty of Law of the

University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade () is a public university, public research university in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it me ...

. From Belgrade, he continued his law studies in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, but switched over to the Faculty of Philosophy where he studied Romance languages and Literature (1904/1905). Afterward, he went to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

where he studied the French language and literature (1905-1906). He resumed his post-graduate studies in French at the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

(1906-1908), where he graduated with honours. During this time, he was contributing writer for Sarajevo's famed literary periodical ''Srpski riječi.'' Upon his return from abroad, he was contributing to practically every major Serbian newspaper, magazine, and periodical in the country, including Sarajevo's ''Narod''; Zagreb's ''Vremena'', ''Novi List'', ''Epoha''; and Belgrade's ''Politika''. He was a staff writer for the Belgrade daily newspaper ''Politika'' from 1923 until 1929.

Works

His first original works were ''Mrtvi Život'' (Dead Life, 1903), ''Vihor'' (Whirlwind, 1904) and ''Bespuće'' (Wastelands, 1906). He is also known for his "Pripovetke" (Short Stories), compiled posthumously and published in 1930. Milićević published a translation of Claude Farrère's ''La Bataille'' (The Battle; 1909) in Sarajevo in 1912. He also translated the works of classical writers such as

Guy de Maupassant Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (, ; ; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author, celebrated as a master of the short story, as well as a representative of the naturalist school, depicting human lives, destinies and s ...

Stendhal Marie-Henri Beyle (; 23 January 1783 – 23 March 1842), better known by his pen name Stendhal (, , ), was a French writer. Best known for the novels ''Le Rouge et le Noir'' ('' The Red and the Black'', 1830) and ''La Chartreuse de Parme'' ('' T ...

Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay, (; 25 October 1800 – 28 December 1859) was an English historian, poet, and Whig politician, who served as the Secretary at War between 1839 and 1841, and as the Paymaster General between 184 ...

Henry Hallam Henry Hallam (9 July 1777 – 21 January 1859) was an English historian. Educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, he practised as a barrister on the Oxford circuit for some years before turning to history. His major works were ''View of th ...

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

Archibald Reiss Rodolphe Archibald Reiss (8 July 1875 – 7 August 1929) was a German–Swiss criminology-pioneer, forensic scientist, professor and writer. Early life and studies The Reiss family was in agriculture and winemaking. Archibald was the eighth ...

, and several Czech and Slovenian writers as well. His contemporaries were Stevan Bešević-Petrov, Dragomir Brzak, Josip Bersa, Miloš Perović, Vladimir Stanimirović, and

Vladislav Petković Dis Vladislav Petković Dis ( sr-cyr, Владислав Петковић Дис; 10 March 1880 – 30 May 1917) was a Serbian impressionist poet. He died in 1917 on a boat on the Ionian Sea after being hit by a torpedo making him also remembered as ...

. He was not a voluminous writer, and during the latter part of his life produced little of note. He died on 5 November 1929, aged 44.

References

Sources

* Translated and adapted from

Jovan Skerlić Jovan Skerlić (, ; 20 August 1877 – 15 May 1914) was a Serbian writer and literary critic.''Jovan Skerlić u srpskoj književnosti 1877–1977: Zbornik radova''. Posebna izdanja, Institut za knjizevnost i umetnost, Belgrade. He is seen as o ...

's ''Istorija nove srpske književnosti'' (Belgrade, 1914, 1921) {{DEFAULTSORT:Milicevic, Veljko 1886 births 1929 deaths People from Lipik Serbs of Croatia Serbian male writers 20th-century Serbian novelists