Overview

Branko Mikasinovich (born November 6, 1938) is a scholar, editor, and Slavist best known for bringing modern Yugoslav and Serbian writing to English-speaking readers. His work as an anthologist and critic has provided access to prose, poetry, drama and satire produced in the former Yugoslavia during the 20th century. Through edited volumes, introductions, and public commentary he has been a visible mediator between South Slavic literatures and Anglophone audiences.

Education and academic career

Mikasinovich completed a B.A. at Roosevelt University in 1965 and an M.A. at Northwestern University in 1967, later earning a Ph.D. from the University of Belgrade in 1984. He taught Russian and Slavic literatures at Tulane University and at the University of New Orleans, and he served as president of the Louisiana Association of Professors of Slavic and Eastern European Languages. Based in the United States, he combined classroom teaching with literary editing and public-facing commentary on cultural and political developments in Yugoslavia.

Major works and editorial projects

Mikasinovich edited several anthologies that collected and contextualized modern Yugoslav writing for English-language readers. Notable volumes include:

  • Introduction to Yugoslav Literature (Twayne, 1973) — an English-language anthology of prose and poetry from across Yugoslavia.
  • Five Modern Yugoslav Plays (Cyrco Press, 1977) — a collection of post‑1945 drama representative of theatrical trends in the region.
  • Modern Yugoslav Satire (Cross-Cultural Communications, 1979) — an anthology of satirical writing that was selected among Library Journal's "Best Titles of 1979" and included in Pushcart Prize V: The Best of the Small Presses.
  • Yugoslav Fantastic Prose (Proex, 1991) — a compilation devoted to supernatural and fantastical short fiction from Yugoslav authors.
  • Yugoslavia: Crisis and Disintegration (Plyroma Publishing, 1994) — a volume addressing the political and cultural collapse of the Yugoslav state in the 1990s.

Research interests and contributions

Mikasinovich's scholarship centers on twentieth-century Yugoslav literatures and the translation, selection, and framing of texts for readers unfamiliar with South Slavic languages. His anthologies emphasize both canonical and lesser-known writers and genres — from modernist poetry to postwar drama, satire and the fantastic — providing introductions, notes, and selections intended to situate works historically and culturally. By assembling diverse texts in English, he helped shape anglophone perceptions of literary developments in the Balkans during a period of rapid social and political change.

Public engagement and media presence

In addition to academic work, Mikasinovich has appeared in broadcast forums to discuss Yugoslav affairs and literature. He has been a panelist on programs such as ABC’s "Press International" in Chicago and on PBS’s "International Dateline" in New Orleans, and he has contributed to the Serbian Service of the Voice of America. These appearances extend his role as a commentator on cultural and political issues affecting the former Yugoslavia.

Background, influences and legacy

Mikasinovich has also noted family connections to earlier Serbian cultural and educational figures: Baron Mihailo Mikasinovich, who helped establish Serbian schooling in parts of Krajina during the 18th century; Stefan Mikasinovich, associated with the teacher Dositej Obradovic and the Serbian Enlightenment; and his father, Sava Mikasinovich. These family ties to educational and cultural activism informed his scholarly interests in the history and transmission of South Slavic culture. Today his anthologies remain useful entry points for students and general readers seeking translated samples of Yugoslav literature and for scholars tracing reception and translation practices in the late 20th century.