Croatian author Slavenka Drakulic dies at 76

Croatian writer and journalist Slavenka Drakulic has died at the age of 76, Swedish public broadcaster SVT reported on Sunday.

Drakulic was among the first authors to bring feminist issues into public debate in the former communist Yugoslavia. She wrote numerous novels and essay collections translated into more than 20 languages, often focusing on women’s lives, the fall of communism, the rise of nationalism, as well as aging, illness, and the fear of death.

Her internationally recognized works include the essay collections How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed and Balkan Express.

Drakulic lived and worked for extended periods in Croatia, Sweden, and Austria. She was married to Swedish journalist and author Richard Swartz.