Miljenko Smoje, a renowned Croatian writer and journalist, was born on February 14, 1923, in Split, Kingdom of Yugoslavia, to a family of poor laborers. Growing up in a neighborhood known for its support of anarchism, socialism, and other left-wing ideologies, Smoje's work would later reflect his strong dislike of authorities and the establishment.
Smoje completed high school in Split in 1941, but his further education was interrupted by the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia and Split's occupation by Italy. He joined the Communist Party of Yugoslavia and participated in the local resistance movement, but was eventually expelled due to his rebellious nature. Despite this, Smoje survived both the war and brief incarceration by Italian authorities.
After the war, Smoje finished college and worked as a teacher before taking a job as a reporter for the Split daily newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija in 1950. He would write for the newspaper until his formal retirement in 1979.
As a reporter, Smoje developed a unique style that incorporated the use of the Čakavština dialect in his articles. He specialized in writing about ordinary people and chronicling various aspects of Dalmatian life, often injecting his work with humor and elements of everyday tragedy. This approach helped Smoje become one of the most respected and popular writers in former Yugoslavia, as well as arguably the greatest humorist in Croatian literature.
Smoje's rise to fame was largely due to his work in television. In 1970, he wrote the script for the mini-series Naše malo misto, which chronicled three decades of life in a small Dalmatian coastal town. The series featured memorable characters that would later become part of local culture and was an instant hit, growing in popularity over the decades.
In 1980, Smoje attempted to repeat his success with Velo misto, a more ambitious project that chronicled life in Split between 1910 and 1947. Velo misto also became very popular and developed a cult following of its own.
After his retirement, Smoje continued to write for Slobodna Dalmacija and Nedjeljna Dalmacija weekly. However, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, he opposed Croatian nationalism and was subsequently snubbed by the media controlled by Franjo Tuđman and his ruling Croatian Democratic Union.
Smoje began writing for the satirical weekly Feral Tribune in the early 1990s, after Miroslav Kutle, a supporter of Tuđman, took over Slobodna Dalmacija in 1993. Smoje's semi-official snub ended in the late 1990s, when his shows were allowed to be aired on Croatian Radiotelevision.
Smoje was married twice and is buried in Žrnovnica near Split.
