Author. Known as the “Croatian Hans Christian Andersen,” she was born into privilage at Ogulin, Croatia to the famous Mazuranic family whose noted members were historians, politicians, writers and poets. Her grandfather was Ivan Mazuranic, “Viceroy” in the Austro-Hungarian empire and the author of many Croatian epic poems. At the age of eighteen, she married Vatroslav Brlic a lawyer from Slovenski Brod. They had five children. Here she became part of yet another famous family well known in Croatian society, whose members were writers, politicians and journalist. During her childhood, she was surrounded by an immense home library and parents who stressed education, work and patriotism while learning languages, literature and the art of writing. She was inspired to write childrens fairy tales while reading to her own children.  She longed to be a writer. Ivana Brlic was nominated for the Nobel prize for literature.  In 1937 she became the first woman ever to be elected to the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts.  A widow and in declining health, she moved to Zagreb to be near her children.  Here she died at the age of 64 and was interred in Mirogoj which is the Croatian National Cemetery. The author’s old home in Slovenski Brod where she spent most of her life is maintained much as it was in her time and open to visitors.  The cities downtown square is graced with her statue and named in her honor.  Many city libraries in Croatia have Ivana Brlic reading rooms. (bio by: Paul S.)