Borislav V. Pekic (Podgorica, 4 February 1930 – London, 2 July 1992) was one of the most important Serbian writers of the 20th century, novelist, playwright, film screenwriter, academician and member of the Crown Council.
He won the NIN Award for the novel Pilgrimage of Arsenije Njegovan in 1970 and a number of other awards: the Sterija Pozorje Award (1972); Publishers Association Award, (1977); Radio Zagreb Award, (1982); Annual Award of the Association of Writers of Serbia for Collected Works (1985); Njegos Award, (1987); Jakov Ignjatovic Endowment Award, 1991, Order of Merit for the People with a Silver Star for Contribution to Cultural Creativity.
As a member of the Alliance of Democratic Youth of Yugoslavia, after the Second World War he was sentenced to fifteen years in prison with forced labor. He served his sentence in the CF Sremska Mitrovica and CF Nis. He was pardoned after five years, in 1953. During the imprisonment, many ideas were conceived, which he later developed in his main novels. After Pekic’s emigration to London in 1971, the Yugoslav authorities considered him a persona non grata and for many years thwarted the publication of his works in Yugoslavia. His most famous works are The Golden Fleece, Rabies, Defense and the Last Days, How to Lay to Rest a Vampire, Atlantis and Time of Miracles. From 12 December 1985, he was a corresponding member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
Recognitions: NIN Award (1970); Sterija Pozorje Award (1972); Publishers Association Award (1977); Radio Zagreb Award (1982); Annual Award of the Association of Writers of Serbia for Collected Works (1985); Njegos Award (1987); Jakov Ignjatovic Endowment Award (1991); Order of Merit for the People with a Silver Star for Contribution to Cultural Creativity