Dositej Obradovic

(before taking monastic vows, Dimitrije Obradović). Born circa 1742, in Cakovo, Vojvodina; died Mar. 28, 1811, in Belgrade. Serbian educator and writer.

The son of an artisan, Obradović traveled in many European countries, including Russia (he was in Byelorussia in 1787), and studied at German universities. He was the first minister of education in Serbia. Obradović was the author of philosophical and moralistic works, as well as poetry and songs. He translated Aesop’s fables and the works of other fabulists.

Obradović was the first to write in the vernacular Serbian language. His autobiographical novel The Life and Adventures of Dimitrije Obradović (parts 1–2, 1783–88) was the first secular work published in Serbian. Obradović wrote patriotic poetry dealing with the Serbian people’s struggle for liberation.