Dragoslav Mihailović (1930) is a writer, free lance artist and academician. He matriculated from the comprehensive high school in Ćuprija, and graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade – Department of Yugoslav Literature and Serbo-Croatian language. He has worked as a junior employee at the Army mass (sacked), company for purchase of animal skins and sugar refinery worker; transcriber, salesman, egg reseller, leather packer, travelling circus manager; he has been a political prisoner (1950-52); editor for Mosaic magazine, publicist for Architecture – Urbanism magazine (sacked), journalist in a journal for technical education (sacked), rewriter, proof-reader and technical editor for Food and Nutrition magazine (sacked), reporter and editor for the Yugoslav News paper and rewriter for Serbian language in Poitiers. He became a distant member of SANU (Serbian Academy of Science and Art) in 1981, and a permanent member in 1988.
Major works: novel and drama Kada su cvetale tikve (When Pumpkins Blossomed), novel, film and TV series Petrijin venac (Petrija’s Wreath), story collections: Frede, laku noć (Good Night, Fred), Uhvati zvezdu padalicu (Catch a Falling Star), Lov na stenice (A Hunt on Bedbugs), Jalova jesen (A Fruitless Autumn); novels: Čizmaši (Boot Wearers), Treće proleće (The Third Spring), Zlotvori (The Fiends), drama collection Uvođenje u posao (Getting into the Business); film scenario Vietnamese (Aller retour); non-fiction three-volume title Goli otok (Goli otok – detention camp); historical study Kratka istorija satiranja (A Short History of Oppression), articles and essays Crveno i plavo (Red and Blue). He has published collected works in 6 and 7 volumes, and received the October Award of the City of Belgrade, the Andrić Award, the Golden Arena Award, the Nin Award, the National Library Award for the most popular book of the year, the ’Bora Stanković’ Award, the BIGZ Award, Vuk’s Endowment Award, and the ’Stefan Prvovenčani’ Award of the Ras Spiritual Festivities.