Vladimir Nazor

Vladimir Nazor was born in Postira on the island of Brač on May 30, 1876. A schoolteacher by profession, Nazor wrote sweeping allegorical tales and lyrical poetry celebrating Istrian and Dalmatian mythology, most famously his 1908 novel Veli Jože about the gentle Istrian giant who yearns for liberty.

In late 1942, despite his frail health and advanced age of sixty-six, Nazor escaped Zagreb to join the anti-fascist partisan struggle, crossing frozen rivers and mountains. Elected President of ZAVNOH, he laid the constitutional foundations of modern federal Croatia.