Josif Milovuk
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Josif Milovuk (
Trpinja Trpinja ( sr-Cyrl, Трпиња, ) is a Settlement (Croatia), village and an eponymous municipality in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in eastern Croatia. The village is located on the D55 road (Croatia), D55 road between Osijek and Vukovar. Landscape o ...
, 10 April 1787 – Pest, 23 August 1850) was a successful merchant, book publisher,
lithographer Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German ...
, and writer in the Austrian Empire. He was one of the founders of
Matica srpska The Matica srpska ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Матица српска, Matica srpska, ) is the oldest Serbian language independent, non-profit, non-governmental and cultural-scientific Serbian national institution. It was founded on June 1, 1826, in Pest, ...
.


Biography

He was born in the village
Trpinja Trpinja ( sr-Cyrl, Трпиња, ) is a Settlement (Croatia), village and an eponymous municipality in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in eastern Croatia. The village is located on the D55 road (Croatia), D55 road between Osijek and Vukovar. Landscape o ...
in
Srem Syrmia ( Ekavian sh-Latn-Cyrl, Srem, Срем, separator=" / " or Ijekavian sh-Latn-Cyrl, Srijem, Сријем, label=none, separator=" / ") is a region of the southern Pannonian Plain, which lies between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is ...
, to father Ilija and mother Pelagija, who died when Josif was nine years old. Even as a young man, he stood out with a strong sense of the cultural and educational progress of the Serbian people. He attended primary school in his native village, and after finishing high school and ''École Polytechnique'' in
Sremski Karlovci Sremski Karlovci ( sr-Cyrl, Сремски Карловци, ) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka Districtautonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is situated on the banks of the Danube, from Novi Sad. According to the 202 ...
in 1814, Milovuk moved to Pest, where he began to trade. After arriving in Pest, he started trading in canvas and then began collecting books, establishing contact with Serbian writers, and opening a bookstore. He published the books at his own expense and then sold them. Due to poor book sales at the time, he published advertisements informing the people about the printing of books, price, length and short contents of books. In 1821, he collected subscribers for
Vuk Karadžić Vuk Stefanović Karadžić ( sr-Cyrl, Вук Стефановић Караџић, ; 6 November 1787 (26 October OS)7 February 1864) was a Serbian philologist, anthropologist and linguist. He was one of the most important reformers of the moder ...
's "Narodne pesme". He married Macarena Božitovac in 1822, who bore him three children, Milan, Dušan and Danica. Their best man was the merchant Georgije Stanković, and the second witness (''stari svat'') was Andrija Jovanović. Only after his marriage did he become a citizen Pest, although he had lived there since 1814. He was a contemporary and friend of
Vuk Karadžić Vuk Stefanović Karadžić ( sr-Cyrl, Вук Стефановић Караџић, ; 6 November 1787 (26 October OS)7 February 1864) was a Serbian philologist, anthropologist and linguist. He was one of the most important reformers of the moder ...
, Sava Mrkalj,
Jovan Sterija Popović Jovan Sterija Popović (; sr-cyr, Јован Стерија Поповић; 13 January 1806 – 10 March 1856) was a Serbian language playwright, poet, lawyer, philosopher and pedagogue who taught at the Belgrade Higher School. He was a reside ...
and
Joakim Vujić Joakim Vujić (Serbian Cyrillic: Јоаким Вујић; 9 September 1772 – 8 November 1847) was a Serbian writer, dramatist (musical stage and theatre), actor, traveler and polyglot. He was one of the most accomplished Serbian dramatists and ...
.


''Letopis'' and Matica srpska

In addition to trading and collecting books, Josif Milovuk helped many writers publish their works. After he was about to shut down his operation owing to low income but instead, he took the ''Letopis''
Matica Srpska The Matica srpska ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Матица српска, Matica srpska, ) is the oldest Serbian language independent, non-profit, non-governmental and cultural-scientific Serbian national institution. It was founded on June 1, 1826, in Pest, ...
over, under the same conditions for its editor
Georgije Magarašević Georgije Magarašević (10 September 1793 in Adaševci – 6 January 1830 in Novi Sad), was a writer, historian, bibliographer, editor and publisher, dramatist, translator and collector of folk proverbs from the Austrian Empire. He was ethnically ...
, under which it was issued until then. Milovuk paid Georgije Magarašević for the first issue of the magazine in 1826 and spent
royalties A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset or ...
for the next two. Due to the weak financial situation, he decided not to publish the
Matica srpska The Matica srpska ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Матица српска, Matica srpska, ) is the oldest Serbian language independent, non-profit, non-governmental and cultural-scientific Serbian national institution. It was founded on June 1, 1826, in Pest, ...
organ ''Letopis'' alone, so together with his brother-in-law Gavrilo Bozitovac, he invested more money. After that, on 18 January 1826, Milovuk invited the participation of traders, buyers, and merchants from Pest, Petar Rajić,
Jovan Demetrović Jovan may refer to: *Jovan (given name), a list of people with this given name *Jovan, Mawal, a village on the western coastal region of Maharashtra, India *Jōvan Musk, a cologne *Deli Jovan, a mountain in eastern Serbia *Róbert Jován (born 196 ...
, Andrej Rozmirović, and Djordje Stanković. Everyone accepted Milovuk's idea but still showed some caution. Although the previous agreement was "that there is no championship over the other", Jovan Hadžić demanded at the founding meeting that "one chairman be appointed". The merchants did not like that, but they did not want to hinder the final formation of that patriotic society. During the meeting, after investing some 700 forints. In a "chest", the company was named
Matica srpska The Matica srpska ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Матица српска, Matica srpska, ) is the oldest Serbian language independent, non-profit, non-governmental and cultural-scientific Serbian national institution. It was founded on June 1, 1826, in Pest, ...
, Jovan Hadžić was elected president, Josif Milovuk was elected general manager, and Jovan Demetrović was elected treasurer (he had a wooden chest, which was opened with two keys), and Gavrilo Bozitovac and Djordje Stanković for "locksmiths of a multi-story chest" (each with one key). At the very beginning of their work at ''Matica'', a problem arose regarding its legal status. Josif Milovuk was in favour of immediately asking for a work permit in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, and Hadžić, as president, was against it. That is why Milovuk, at a meeting on 3 May 1826, with two other founders, "erased himself from the number of contributors." Those who belonged to Matica Hadžić and Andrej Rozmirović returned, and after only three months, although deserving as founders, they stopped being members of ''Matica''. Due to his disagreement with Jovan Hadžić, Milovuk left ''Matica srpska'', turned around and established cooperation with Vuk Karadžić and published his works, "Miloš Obrenović, Prince of Serbia" and "Danica". The disagreement and conflict with Jovan Hadžić became even greater because he was an opponent of "Vuk's reform". Milovuk devoted himself entirely to publishing; he published works by
Sima Milutinović Sarajlija Simeon "Sima" Milutinović "Sarajlija" ( sr-cyr, Симеон "Сима" Милутиновић "Сарајлија", ; 3 October 1791 – 30 December 1847) was a Serbian poet, hajduk, translator, historian and adventurer. Literary critic Jova ...
,
Dositej Obradović Dositej Obradović ( sr-Cyrl, Доситеј Обрадовић, ; 17 February 1739 – 7 April 1811) was a Serbian writer, biographer, diarist, philosopher, pedagogue, educational reformer, linguist and the first minister of education of Se ...
,
Jovan Sterija Popović Jovan Sterija Popović (; sr-cyr, Јован Стерија Поповић; 13 January 1806 – 10 March 1856) was a Serbian language playwright, poet, lawyer, philosopher and pedagogue who taught at the Belgrade Higher School. He was a reside ...
and many others. Together with Gavrilo Bozitovac, who also resigned from
Matica srpska The Matica srpska ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Матица српска, Matica srpska, ) is the oldest Serbian language independent, non-profit, non-governmental and cultural-scientific Serbian national institution. It was founded on June 1, 1826, in Pest, ...
, he published a large number of works by Serbian authors, almanacs, and maps. In 1826, they published "Hristoitija" and "Venac od alfavita" by
Dositej Obradović Dositej Obradović ( sr-Cyrl, Доситеј Обрадовић, ; 17 February 1739 – 7 April 1811) was a Serbian writer, biographer, diarist, philosopher, pedagogue, educational reformer, linguist and the first minister of education of Se ...
, and in 1826, "Characteristics or descriptions of the people living in the whole country of Avram Branković". In addition to all that, Milovuk himself published "Zorica", the book
Sima Milutinović Sarajlija Simeon "Sima" Milutinović "Sarajlija" ( sr-cyr, Симеон "Сима" Милутиновић "Сарајлија", ; 3 October 1791 – 30 December 1847) was a Serbian poet, hajduk, translator, historian and adventurer. Literary critic Jova ...
, ''Imeslov'' or Dictionary of personal names of various Slavic peoples "(1828) Jovan Pačić and
Ján Kollár Ján Kollár (; 29 July 1793 – 24 January 1852) was a Slovak writer (mainly poet), archaeologist, scientist, Lutheran pastor, politician, and main ideologist of Pan-Slavism. Life He studied at the Lutheran Lyceum in Pressburg (Pozsony, ...
, "Prince Lazar, Tsar of Serbia" (1831) by Jefta Popović, "Life and Knightly Wars of the Glorious Prince of Epirus George Kastriot Skenderbeg" (1827),
Jovan Sterija Popović Jovan Sterija Popović (; sr-cyr, Јован Стерија Поповић; 13 January 1806 – 10 March 1856) was a Serbian language playwright, poet, lawyer, philosopher and pedagogue who taught at the Belgrade Higher School. He was a reside ...
, "Vladimir and Kosara" (1829), Laza K. Lazarević.
Vuk Stefanović Karadžić VUK or Vuk may refer to: *Vuk (name), South Slavic given name ** Vuk, Ban of Bosnia (), a member of the Kotromanić dynasty ** Vuk Karadžić (1787–1864), Serbian language reformer and folklorist, often referred to simply as Vuk * ''Vuk'' (film) ...
helped to publish "Danica" in 1829, and he wrote him a dedication in the entertainer as a token of gratitude. As a sign of gratitude, Jovan Hadžić (under the pseudonym " Miloš Svetić") also wrote "Ode to Master Josif Milovuk". In 1833, Milovuk tried to found the "Society Of Serbian Letters" (Literary Society) and on
St. George's Day Saint George's Day is the feast day of Saint George, celebrated by Christian churches, countries, regions, and cities of which he is the patron saint, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, England, Ethiopia, Greece, Georgia, Port ...
gathered a large number of interested people, among whom were Jovan Vilovski, Slovak
Ján Kollár Ján Kollár (; 29 July 1793 – 24 January 1852) was a Slovak writer (mainly poet), archaeologist, scientist, Lutheran pastor, politician, and main ideologist of Pan-Slavism. Life He studied at the Lutheran Lyceum in Pressburg (Pozsony, ...
, Laza K. Lazarević, but they did not get the consent of the Austrian emperor, who estimated that such a society would encourage the awakening of the Serbian national consciousness."Pravda", Belgrade, 29 July 1933 In 1827, he donated a large number of books to the library of the church community in Pest, and was one of the 48 contributors to the Belgrade City Library, which he founded with Gligorije Vozarović in 1832.


See also

*
Matica srpska The Matica srpska ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Матица српска, Matica srpska, ) is the oldest Serbian language independent, non-profit, non-governmental and cultural-scientific Serbian national institution. It was founded on June 1, 1826, in Pest, ...
* Jovan Hadžić


References

{{authority control 1787 births 1850 deaths People from Vukovar-Srijem County People from Pest, Hungary Writers from the Austrian Empire 19th-century Austrian lithographers Merchants from the Austrian Empire Advertising artists and illustrators Businesspeople from Budapest Austrian booksellers