Zorka "Zora" Velimirović (
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 ...
: Зорка Велимировић; 1878 - 1941) is recognised as the first Serbian woman translator, who worked on translating the works of Russian-language writers to Serbian. She was also the first to translate a play from Russian to Serbian.
Early life
Zorka Velimirović was born in 1878 in
Čitluk,
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
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, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
during the period that particular part of Serbia was still under
Ottoman rule. Her father, a
Serbian Orthodox priest in the parish of
Pirot
Pirot ( sr-Cyrl, Пирот) is a city and the administrative center of the Pirot District in southeastern Serbia. According to 2022 census, the urban area of the city has a population of 34,942, while the population of the city administrative are ...
, was one of the co-founders of the ''Srpska kniževna zadruga'' (Serbian Literary Co-operative) and wrote several books and articles in the field of
ethnography
Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. It explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is also a type of social research that involves examining ...
. Her mother, Jelena was a housewife with eleven children (one of them died early), including Zorka, who was the second eldest. The children all grew up in the town and attended the
Pirot Gymnasium before pursuing her education at a Teachers College. She worked in Pirot briefly as a school matron. Her sister was the sculptor,
Vukosava Velimirović.
Career
Velimirović began her first translation whilst at school, working on
Tolstoy
Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy Tolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; ,Throughout Tolstoy's whole life, his name was written as using pre-reform Russian orthography. ; ), usually referr ...
's ''
Anna Karenina
''Anna Karenina'' ( rus, Анна Каренина, p=ˈanːə kɐˈrʲenʲɪnə) is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Tolstoy called it his first true novel. It was initially released in serial in ...
.'' She went on to study Russian literature which enabled her to work on her extensive body of translations of writers such as
Gorky,
Dostojevsky,
Turgenev
Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev ( ; rus, links=no, Иван Сергеевич ТургеневIn Turgenev's day, his name was written ., p=ɪˈvan sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ tʊrˈɡʲenʲɪf; – ) was a Russian novelist, short story writer, poe ...
,
Chekov, amongst others. She is recognised as the first Serbian woman to work as a translator.
Her translation of ''
Uncle Vanya
''Uncle Vanya'' ( rus, Дя́дя Ва́ня, r=Dyádya Ványa, p=ˈdʲædʲə ˈvanʲə) is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897, and first produced in 1899 by the Moscow Art Theatre, directed by Konstan ...
'' is the earliest recorded translation of play from Russian to Serbian. According the Zoran Božović, her translations are praised for their "great accuracy".
See also
*
List of Serbian writers
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Velimirovic, Zorka
1870s births
1963 deaths
Serbian women writers
People from Pirot
Serbian translators