Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj one of the most famous lyrics of Serbian romanticism was born in Novi Sad on November 24th 1833. He was descendant of famous family from Novi Sad. He completed elementary school in home town, and Grammar School in Bratislava, and later he studied law in Budapest, Prague and Vienna. 1860 he returned to Novi Sad where he worked as a clerk in magistracy in Novi Sad. There he met his wife Ruza Licanin. They lived happily and in this period he wrote poems Djulici. As he was not satisfied with his job he turned to literature. In 1863 he moved to Budapest where he worked as administrator of Tekelijanum and Matica Srpska and studied Medical sciences. In 1864 he started satirical magazine Zmaj (Dragon), the name in Cyrillic meant May 3rd, the date of May Congress, May 3rd 1848. That inventive name became his nickname.
In 1870, Zmaj finished medical studies and returned to Novi Sad where he began his own medical practice. After a while he had a family tragedy, when his wife and children died. That inspired him to write another cycle of poems "Djulici uveoci". As a doctor he worked in Novi Sad, Pancevo, Belgrade, Zagreb and other places. He edited Magazines Javor, Zmaj, Ziza, Komarac, Starmali and Magazine for children "Neven" He also translated works of famous foreign poets.
What a Wonderful World, School for Ducks, Little Cavalier and other poems for children, are work of Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj.
He died in Sremska Kamenica on June 3rd 1904, but he still lives in memory of all generations as one of the greatest poets for children.
Graphical realization of stamps: Miodrag Nikolic, Banja Luka
Publisher: Poste Srpske ad, Banja Luka
