Biography

Ante Slobodan Novak (3 November 1924 – 25 July 2016) was a Croatian writer and novelist. He is best known for his novel Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh (1968), often listed as one of the best Croatian novels of the 20th century. Novak was born in Split on 3 November 1924 to Duje and Marija (née Smoje) Novak. He was baptized in the local church as Ante Slobodan Novak. He finished elementary school in Rab, attended the Classical gymnasium in Split, then graduated in Sušak. During World War II he joined the Yugoslav Partisans, which he described in his autobiographical essays Digresije and Protimbe (2003).

He then attended the University of Zagreb and earned a degree in Croatian and Yugoslav literature in 1953. He worked as an instructor, proofreader, and playwright for the Croatian National Theatre in Split. Later he worked as a journalist and an editor in various publishing houses. In 1983 he became a member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. On 27 July 1999, Novak was declared an Honorary Citizen of Rab. He died in Zagreb on 25 July 2016.