author
Woislav M. Petrovitch
1884–1934
A Serbian diplomat, translator, and folklorist, he helped bring Serbian history and heroic legend to English-language readers in the early 20th century. His books mix patriotic feeling with a lively interest in folklore, language, and national tradition.
2 Audiobooks
Hero Tales and Legends of the Serbians
by Woislav M. Petrovitch, Vuk Stefanović Karadžić
Heldensagen en Legenden van de Serviërs
by Woislav M. Petrovitch, Vuk Stefanović Karadžić
About the author
Born in the mid-1880s and dying in 1934, he is best known as the author of Hero Tales and Legends of the Serbians and Serbia: Her People, History and Aspirations. Contemporary book records describe him as an attaché to the Serbian Royal Legation to the Court of St. James, and also as a translator.
His writing introduced English-speaking readers to Serbian epic poetry, legends, and national history at a time when Serbia was drawing intense international attention. Alongside his folklore collections, he also worked on language materials, including a Serbian conversation grammar, which suggests a practical interest in helping readers engage directly with Serbian culture.
Because detailed biographical information is limited in the sources available here, the outline of his life remains somewhat sketchy. Still, his surviving books show a clear purpose: to explain Serbia to a wider audience and to preserve the stories and traditions he believed mattered most.