Mirjana Marković
| Mirjana Marković | |
|---|---|
| Born |
10 July 1942 Požarevac, Nazi-occupied Serbia |
| Occupation | leader of Yugoslav Left |
| Spouse(s) | Slobodan Milošević (1971–2006; his death) |
| Children | Marko and Marija Milošević |
| Parent(s) | (father) (mother) |
Mirjana "Mira" Marković (pronounced [mǐrjana mǐːra mǎːrkɔʋit͡ɕ]; born 10 July 1942) is the widow and childhood friend of former Yugoslav and Serbian president Slobodan Milošević. She was the leader of the Yugoslav Left political party (JUL/ЈУЛ is the Serbian acronym).
Marković is the daughter of Moma Marković, a wartime communist partisan, and Vera Miletić. Her aunt was Davorjanka Paunović, private secretary and mistress of Josip Broz Tito. Her mother was a member of Tito's partisans during the war. She was captured by German troops and allegedly released sensitive information, under torture. However, according to her grandmother, the story is a little different. Her father had betrayed her to the Gestapo in order to get rid of her, and she was captured as a Partisan courier, wearing clothes which included a handkerchief with flowers. She was then executed in Banjica prison by the Germans.
Her nickname was "Baca" at the time, given to her by her grandparents. It is because she was dropped ("baciti" means "to throw" in Serbian) by her father into a brook, when their grandparents, who had lost all their children, were hiding her from Chetniks in the local mill. When they called him and gave Mira to him, he dropped her shouting "Ne treba mi pasce od kuje!". ("I don't need a hound from the bitch"). She was left scarred on the forehead; and later maintained bangs in order to hide the scar.
Marković met Slobodan Milošević when they were in high school together. They married in 1965. The couple had two children, son Marko and daughter Marija, who founded a Serbian television Košava in 1998, and remained owner of this television station until 5 October 2000.
She held a PhD in Sociology and was Professor in that subject at Belgrade University. Later, she became an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Arts. She wrote a political column in Duga weekly during her husband's years in power. She was considered very powerful in the country and sometimes described as the only person who her husband really trusted and closely consulted. Also, as the leader of Yugoslav United Left political party, she held some independent political influence. Mira is also the author of numerous books, which were translated and sold in Canada, Russia, China and India.
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