Dobrica Ćosić

Dobrica Ćosić (1921–2014) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician and writer. He was twice awarded the prestigious NIN award for literature and Medal of Pushkin for his writing. His books have been translated into 30 languages. He was the first President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia with his tenure lasting from 1992 to 1993. Ćosić joined the communist youth organization in Negotin in 1939. When the Second World War reached Yugoslavia in 1941, he joined Tito's Partisans. After the liberation in 1944, he remained active in leadership positions. Ćosić wrote his first and most popular novel Daleko je sunce (The Sun is Far Away) in 1951. The novel was an instant success andlaunched his literary career. His second novel, Koreni (Roots, 1954), chronicles the establishment of Serbian independence from the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century. In 1956 he found himself in Budapest during the Hungarian revolt; parts of his memories and thoughts on the circumstances were later published under the name Seven Days in Budapest. Tracing characters introduced in Koreni, between 1972 and 1979 Ćosić produced the four-volume World War I epic Vreme smrti (A Time of Death).

Born: December 29, 1921 in Velika Drenova, Kingdom of Serbs Croats and Slovenes [now Serbia]

Died: May 18, 2014 (Age 92)