Stanislav Krakov ( sr-Cyrl, Станислав Краков; 1895–1968) was a Serbian officer, Chetnik guerrilla, journalist, writer and film director. He participated in the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

and

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he supported his maternal uncle, General Milan Nedić, and was the editor of Nedić's newspapers '' Novo vreme'' and ''Obnova''.

Early life

Krakov was born in

Kragujevac Kragujevac ( sr-Cyrl, Крагујевац, ) is the List of cities in Serbia, fourth largest city in Serbia and the administrative centre of the Šumadija District. It is the historical centre of the geographical region of Šumadija in central Se ...

Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Principality was ruled by the Obrenović dynast ...

. His father, Sigismund, was a doctor of Polish

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

origin, and his mother Persida was a granddaughter of Nikola Stanojević, a lord from Zeoke and nephew of voivode

Stanoje Mijailović Stanoje (Cyrillic script: Станоје) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin. The name may refer to: *Stanoje Glavaš (1763–1815), Serbian military commander *Stanoje Jocić (born 1932), Serbian footballer *Stanoje Stanojević (1874–193 ...

, who was killed during the

First Serbian Uprising The First Serbian Uprising (; sr-Cyrl, Први српски устанак; ) was an uprising of Serbs in Orašac (Aranđelovac), Orašac against the Ottoman Empire from 14 February 1804 to 7 October 1813. The uprising began as a local revolt ...

Military service

Not being able to enroll in the regular army, since he was only 17 years old, he joined the volunteer guard of Vojvoda Vuk, a

Chetnik The Chetniks,, ; formally the Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army, and also the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland; and informally colloquially the Ravna Gora Movement, was a Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav royalist and Serbian nationalist m ...

unit, in the war against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

in 1912. The following year he was back on the frontline of the Serbian defence, this time against

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

, where he was wounded near

Kriva Palanka Kriva Palanka ( ) is a town located in the northeastern part of North Macedonia. It has 13,481 inhabitants. The town of Kriva Palanka is the seat of Kriva Palanka Municipality which has 18,059 inhabitants. The town lies near the ''Deve Bair'' ...

. Together with the last class of cadets-corporals, he left the military academy in 1914 and went straight to the front to fight the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

. For much of 1914 he, much to his frustration, was assigned to

Pirot Pirot ( sr-Cyrl, Пирот) is a city and the administrative center of the Pirot District in southeastern Serbia. According to 2022 census, the urban area of the city has a population of 34,942, while the population of the city administrative are ...

which was far from the front. In 1915 he participated in many battles, survived the

Serbian army's retreat through Albania The Great Retreat, also known in Serbian historiography as the Albanian Golgotha ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Албанска голгота, Albanska golgota), refers to the retreat of the Royal Serbian Army through the mountains of the Principalit ...

, and was one of the first who reached the top of the impregnable

Kajmakčalan Kajmakčalan (Kaimakchalan), Kaimaki, Kaimaktsalan or Voras ( or or , ), is a mountain on the border between Greece and North Macedonia. It is the southernmost and highest peak, ,

. During these wars he was wounded seventeen times and was awarded eighteen times. In 1937 Krakov became chief of Propaganda for

Zbor The Yugoslav National Movement (), also known as the United Militant Labour Organization (, or Zbor / ), was a Yugoslav fascist movement and organization led by politician Dimitrije Ljotić. Founded in 1935, it received considerable German financ ...

thanks to

Dimitrije Ljotić Dimitrije Ljotić ( sr-cyr, Димитрије Љотић; 12 August 1891 – 23 April 1945) was a Serbian and Yugoslav fascist politician and ideologue who established the Yugoslav National Movement (Zbor) in 1935 and collaborated with N ...

and subsequently, the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

of the pro-Nazi ''Obnova'' newspaper, hailing from Belgrade.

Literary and film career

After the

, from 1919 to 1931, he published prose in almost all newspapers and magazines in Serbia. He wrote novels: "Kroz buru" (1921), "Krila" (1922), travel guide "Kroz južnu Srbiju" (1926), memoirs "Naše poslednje pobede" (1928), a book of short stories "Crveni pjero". When it comes to historical-fiction works, he wrote "Plamen četništva" (1930), "Prestolonaslednik Petar" (1933) and "General Milan Nedić" (1963-1968). "Život čoveka na Balkanu" ("Life of the Man from the Balkans") was his autobiography. Stanislav Krakov was a director of the film "Za čast otadžbine i požar na Balkanu", which premiered on 25 March 1930, and also "

Golgota Srbije Calvary ( or ) or Golgotha () was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, Jesus was crucified. Since at least the early medieval period, it has been a destination for pilgrimage. ...

" (The Calvary of Serbia) in 1931, which is still regarded as the best Serbian documentary film account of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

ever. He was editor of "

Politika ( sr-Cyrl, Политика, lit=Politics) is a Serbian daily newspaper, published in Belgrade. Founded in 1904 by Vladislav F. Ribnikar, it is the oldest daily newspaper still in circulation in the Balkans. Publishing and ownership is publ ...

" and "Vreme", and CEO of Radio Belgrade (1940-1941). While working for ''Vreme'' magazine, Krakov traveled to

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), better known as Fritz Lang (), was an Austrian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety Obituari ...

's house in 1932 and interviewed him. During the

he supported his uncle, General Milan Nedić, and the rest of his life he spent in exile. He died in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

.Stanislav Krakov: "Život čoveka na Balkanu", Naš Dom, Beograd In his autobiography "Život čoveka na Balkanu" ("Life of a Man from the Balkans"), which was published posthumously, Stanislav wrote:

I felt all the high points of success and all the bitterness and humiliation when you reach the bottom of human society. If the adventure is always an unexpected twist, always a surprise, most commonly a danger, usually a dazzling success, and even more hursh fall, then I lived a crazy, often brilliant and painful adventure of my time and my native soil...

Bibliography

* "Kroz buru" (1921) * "Krila" (1922) * "Kroz južnu Srbiju" (1926) * "Naše poslednje pobede" (1928) * "Crveni pjero" * "Plamen četništva" (1930) * "Prestolonaslednik Petar" (1933) * "General Milan Nedić" (1963-1968) * "Život čoveka na Balkanu"

Early life

Military service

Literary and film career

Bibliography

References

Further reading

Books

Scholarly articles