Svetomir Nikolajević (Raduša, September 21, 1844 –Belgrade, April 18, 1922) was aSerbian writer, politician, scholar andNobel Peace Prize candidate.^[1]

Nikolajević was born inRaduša nearUb, Serbia.^[2] Nikolajević was a professor at theBelgrade'sGrandes écoles (suplent Grandes écoles),^[2] in the department of history of literature with a focus on the literature of the Slavs and Serbs. He was also a member of theSerbian Royal Academy and a Nominee for theNobel Peace Prize in 1915.^[3]

Nikolajević taught comparative literature at theUniversity of Belgrade, introducing sections on Shakespeare and Byron in his lectures.^[2] According to him, Shakespeare was a poet to whom psychological truth was the most important goal of dramatic art.^{[citation needed]}

Nikolajević served as thePrime Minister of Serbia from April 3 to 27 October 1894, as theMayor of Belgrade and as the Minister of Internal Affairs. He was one of the founders of thePeople's Radical Party and theSociety of Saint Sava. He was also one of the founders theMasonic lodge "Pobratim".^[2] Nikolajević was an early member of the SerbianRed Cross, founded byVladan Đorđević during theSerbian-Ottoman War (1876–1877).

In politics, Svetomir Nikolajević insisted that preparations for an agreement for a Macedonian settlement should continue in case the Prime MinisterIlija Garašanin was compelled to resign. Following the disappointing turn of events in 1885 (Serbo-Bulgarian War), the Serbian policy toward Macedonia acquired new momentum in 1886, with the establishment of the Society of Saint Sava. Elected as its president, was Svetomir Nikolajević, the founder of the society, who was known for his moderate views of Greek claims in Macedonia. Nikolajević was the first Serbian historian to write aboutRigas Feraios.^[4]

By the early twentieth century, the first professor of the newly established Department of World Literature in the Belgrade School of Philosophy was Svetomir Nikolajević, later Professor in the School of Philology at the University of Belgrade.

In hisListići iz književnosti (Leaves from Literature), published in two volumes (Belgrade, 1883 and 1888), Nikolajević rendered great services to the study of foreign writers and poets such asTacitus,Shakespeare,Ludovico Ariosto,Montesquieu,Byron,Luis de Camões andTorquato Tasso. That work was continued byMarko Car when Nikoajević entered politics.

He died inBelgrade.^[5]

• List of prime ministers of Serbia

• Translated and adapted fromJovan Skerlić'sIstorija nove srpske književnosti / History of Modern Serbian Literature (Belgrade, 1921) pp. 436 and 437

• Biography online SASA

• 1844 births
• 1922 deaths
• People from Ub, Serbia
• People's Radical Party politicians
• Serbian writers
• Serbian Freemasons
• Prime ministers of Serbia
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• Interior ministers of Serbia

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