MILICA STOJADINOVIĆ SRPKINJA She was a lady poet in a patriar- chal world, the first female war cor- respondent in a bombed Belgrade, a princess not fated for the Mon- tenegrin bishop, and the only Ser- bian woman for her beloved man. Milica Stojadinović Srpkinja (1828– 1878) was among the rare women in Serbia who wrote poetry at the time. She filled the pages of literary magazines of the time, with Jovan Skerlić noting that the world would come out just to see her; to check if the so-called Vrdnik Fairy was re- al. Born as the fourth of five chil- dren to a priest’s family, she was so talented that her teacher lamented the fact that she wasn’t a boy and thus wouldn’t be able to continue her education. From her first poem published in 1847 in the Serbski narodni list [Ser- bian National Newspaper], her name would appear in all domestic publi- cations, after which she published three collections of poems. Genera- tionally closer to the second roman- tic generation marked by Jakšić and Zmaj, Milica chose patriotism as the sacrosanct theme of her poetry. Her indestructible nationalist sentiment also led her to add the word Srpkin- ja to her name. An educated poly- glot who was well-acquainted with the ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Milica didn’t accept the heritage of the West and was proud of her or- igins and her life as a country girl. Having received a compre- hensive education, she was heavi- ly engaged in all European cultural trends and met Vuk Karadžić. Their acquaintance was strong enough to last a lifetime, and was also extend- ed to include Vuk’s daughter Mina. Milica played a major role in the creation of Vuk’s “Dictionary”. She conveyed folk songs and Srem cus- toms to him... Montenegrin Bish- op King Petar II Petrović Njegoš was enchanted by her beauty: “I am a poet, she is a poet, if I were not a monk, she could be a Princess of Montenegro.” The fate of this love is explained by this statement of the handsome bishop.
MARIJA BURSAĆ (1920–1943) prva je žena koja je dobila titulu narodnog hero- ja u Jugoslaviji. Članica Narodnooslobo- dilačkog pokreta postaje 1941. godine, a naredne je primljena u Komunističku partiju Jugoslavije. Aktivno je doprinosi- la radu NOP-a i Antifašističkog fronta že- na. U ratu je bila bolničarka, da bi kasnije postala bombaš. Poginula je u borba- ma 1943. KATARINA IVANOVIĆ (1811–1882), prva je srpska slikarka. Slikala je portrete, mr- tvu prirodu, istorijske kompozicije. Ne- ke njene slike su među najboljim primeri- ma srpskog klasicizma, poput „Portreta kneginje Perside Karađorđević“, „Auto- portreta“, „Korpe s grožđem“... Svoje sli- ke zaveštala je Narodnom muzeju u Be- ogradu. Godine 1876. izabrana je za prvu počasnu članicu Srpskog učenog druš- tva (danas SANU).
MILICA STOJADINOVIĆ SRPKINJA
the state administration, having been hired as a draftsman at the Ministry of Construction in 1901. Her exper- tise could not compensate for the fact that she was a woman and state reg- ulations did not permit her to work in the profession, so Jelisaveta took the state exam in 1902. Continuing to work patiently as a draftsman, she nonetheless grabbed her first chance to advance. She applied for a contest to create a conceptual solution for the project of the church of St. George in Topola, securing third place. That was her first victory and she went on to become one of the chief architects of the then Municipality of Belgrade. It was as though the Belgrade of the early 20 th century had been wait- ing only for her. Jelisaveta enthusias- tically accepted her first job, design- ing a solution for Mali Kalemegdan based on the conceptual sketch of famous architect Dimitrije Lek. She created the Small Staircase that to- day leads from Pariska Street to Kala- megdan Park. The neo-baroque stairs are made of greenish granite from Ripanj and represent her first gift to Belgrade. This woman who designed a school, a hospital, a square, repre- sentative parts of the Belgrade for- tress, private houses and apartments, died in Dubrovnik on 6 th May 1955.
MARIJA BURSAĆ (1920-1943) was the first woman to receive the title of a na- tional hero in Yugoslavia. She became a member of the National Liberation Move- ment (NOP) in 1941, and the following year was accepted into the Communist Party of Yugoslavia. She contributed actively to the work of the NOP and the Women’s An- ti-Fascist Front of Yugoslavia. Serving as a nurse in the war, she later became a bom- bardier, only to die in battle in 1943. KATARINA IVANOVIĆ (1811-1882) was the first Serbian painter. She painted por- traits, still life and historical composi- tions. Some of her paintings are among the best examples of Serbian classicism, such as her Portrait of Princess Persida Karađorđević, Self-Portrait, Basket with Grapes etc. She bequeathed her paint- ings to the National Museum in Belgrade and in 1876 was selected to become the first honorary member of today’s SANU.
Women’s Day » Dan žena | 79
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