Jovan Sterija Popović

Jovan Sterija Popović (pronounced [jɔ̌v̞an stɛ̂ːrija pɔ̌pɔv̞it͡ɕ]; Serbian Cyrillic: Јован Стерија Поповић; 13 January 1806 – 10 March 1856) was a Serbian language playwright, poet, lawyer, philosopher and pedagogue who taught at the Belgrade Higher School. He was a resident and subject of the Austrian Empire his entire life, although he did spend eight years in the Principality of Serbia. Sterija was recognized by his contemporaries as one of the leading Serbian intellectuals and he is regarded as one of the best comic playwrights in Serbian literature.