Drago Gervais

Drago Gervais (April 18, 1904, Opatija – July 3, 1957, Sežana) was a Croatian Istrian poet and playwright, one of the most prominent authors of Istrian poetry in Chakavian dialect.

Drago Gervais was born in 1904 in Opatija. His father Artur who was descendant of a French soldier who came there during Napoleon's occupation was music teacher born in Severin na Kupi in Gorski kotar region and his mother Klementina was native from Opatija. He had one sister Blanka. In 1918 because of Italian anexation of Istria he moves with his family to Bakar. In 1922 he graduates in Sušak lycée and goes to Zagreb Law School. During his study he starts to cooperate with Triest magazine Naš Glas where he published his first two poems Iz Improvizacija and Mi. After his second year study he moves to Ljubljana Law School, but finishes his senior year in Zagreb. Soon after his diploma he moves to Crikvenica where he finds a job in local law firm. Next year he publishes his first collection of Poems Čakavski stihovi. Later he worked in Bjelovar and Belgrade where he spent war years.

After the war he goes back Istria but went back to Belgrade where he worked for state news agency Tanjug and ministry of foreign affairs but soon went back to Rijeka were he became director of Rijeka's Croatian National theater Ivan Zajc and remained on this position until his sudden death in car accident near Sežana in 1957.

Collection of poems

• Čakavski stihovi (1929)
• Istarski katun (1951)

Comedies

• Radi se o stanu (1951)
• Karolina Riječka (1952)
• Duhi (1953)
• Reakcionari
• Brod je otplovio
• Čudo od djevice Ivane
• Palmin List
• Ujak iz Amerike

Filmography

• Barba Žvane (1949)