Jakov Ignjatović

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Jakov Ignjatović (Serbian Cyrillic: Јаков Игњатовић) (1822-1899) was a famous Serbian 19th century novelist and prose writer from Hungary.

[edit] Biography

Jakov Ignjatović was born in Szentendre on December 8, 1822. He finished elementary school in Szentendre and studied at gymnasiums in Vác, Esztergom and Pest. He studied law in Pest, but left the university and joined the hussars. Later, he graduated law in Kecskemét. He worked as a lawyer for a short time, but during the Hungarian revolution of 1848 he joined Hungarian forces in fighting against Austrians. After the Hungarian defeat, he fled to Belgrade. He worked there as a journalist till 1850, and later, he traveled the world. He returned to Hungary in 1853 and took an active part in the cultural life of Serbs in Vojvodina. He was the editor of Letopis Matice srpske between 1854 and 1856, and worked as a clerk in Sremski Karlovci and Novi Sad. He joined Svetozar Miletić's People's Party in its political fight against Austria and was member of the Hungarian parliament in two terms. After the People's Party split with Hungary, he remained loyal to the Hungarian authorities, unlike most of the Serbs. Because of that, he was seen as a traitor by Serbs, and lived in isolation until death. This had a bad influence on his writing career.

Ignjatović was elected a member of the Serbian Royal Academy in 1888. He died in Novi Sad in 1899.

[edit] Bibliography

Novels:

"Đurađ Branković" (Đurađ Branković)
"Kraljevska snaha" (Royal Daughter-in-law)
"Deli-Bakić" - unfinished
"Čudan svet" (Strange World)
"Vasa Rešpekt"
"Večiti mladoženja" (Eternal Bridegroom)
"Stari i novi majstori" (Old and New Masters)
"Patnica"
"Trideset godina iz života Milana Narandžića" (Thirty Years of the Life of Milan Narandžić)