Jovan Jovanović Zmaj belongs to the literary record as a writer whose work outlasted the moment that produced it.
The record lists Jovan Jovanović Zmaj as Serbian poet, physician (1833–1904).
Jovan Jovanović Zmaj was born at Novi Sad in 1833. His recorded nationality is Kingdom of Serbia.
The nineteenth century was the age of the serialised novel and mass literacy; writers reached audiences of a size never seen before.
He worked as poet, translator and physician.
His name is attached above all to children's poetry. Literature is judged by re-reading, which is a slower and harsher test than acclaim.
That the work was written from Kingdom of Serbia matters: language, censorship and the reach of a publishing industry decide which books travel and which stay local.
Jovan Jovanović Zmaj died in 1904, aged 71. The books remain, which is the only durable form a writing life takes.
