Grozdana Olujić

Contributions to culture and science:

Grozdana Olujić was a Serbian writer, essayist, translator and anthologist. Her works have been published numerous times in Serbia and translated into 36 world languages. She won numerous literary awards and recognitions, both domestic and foreign.

Short biography:

She finished elementary school in Erdevik and high school in Bečej. She graduated and obtained her master’s degree from the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade. She started her literary work in high school. When she was only 19, her first short story to be printed won the Borba competition. She published her first novel about and for young people, An Excursion to the Sky, at 22. Her rich opus, in addition to fairy tales and novels, includes numerous essays on writers. She was the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Charter of the Serbian Writers’ Association and the Nin Award for Best Novel (Voices in the Wind), the first prize of Politikin Zabavnik, the Young Generation Award and even three Awards at Zmaj’s Children Games. She passed away in 2019, at the age of 85, in Belgrade.

Interesting facts (Storytelling):

Her novel An Excursion to the Sky, published in 1957, was praised, criticized and censored for alleged immorality. However, it has been translated into several languages and adapted for performance in the theater.
She was awarded the Order of Dannebrog (31. 8. 1977) for her literary work. She was also the honorary member of the University of Iowa (USA) since 1970 and the honorary citizen of the city of Oslo.
Today, the Grozdana Olujić Foundation promotes her literary work by supporting gatherings, symposiums, publications focusing on her literary (creative, critical and translation) work.