Jelena Skerlić Ćorović

Life

Jelena was born in 1887 in Belgrade to a well-to-do family. Her parents were Persida and Miloš Skerlić. Her brother was Jovan Skerlić, an influential Serbian literary critic. Jelena's mother Persida Skerlić, who died in 1893, was devoted to her children and family and had a great influence on them, encouraging them to learn and study.

In 1907, Jelena graduated from the Women's High School, a grande école in Belgrade. She then enrolled as a part-time student at the University of Belgrade and studied French under the guidance of professor Bogdan Popović, while also working as a French teacher in a private school in Smederevo. During her studies, Jelena met Vladimir Ćorović, whom she married in 1910. She had two daughters, Mirjana and Milica.

The Ćorović family initially changed their place of residence frequently, living in Sarajevo (1910–1914), Jajce and Banjaluka (1914–1917), Zagreb, Dubrovnik, and Mostar (1917–1919). In 1919 they returned to Belgrade and Vladimir Ćorović became a tenured professor at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade. During the period 1920–1922, Jelena worked as a French teacher at a Gymnasium in Belgrade.

Jelena remodelled her apartment into a salon, where the elite of the interwar period gathered every Tuesday to discuss literature, history, culture and current events.

She died on 16 February 1960 in her home in Belgrade.