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Dobrosav - Bob Živković
Dobrosav Bob Živković is the most awarded contemporary Serbian illustrator, very well known and loved by a wide audience. This very productive author has contributed to numerous books, posters, advertising campaigns and magazines. However, most of his work is dedicated to children’s literature, fantasy, fiction and projects of various organizations promoting children’s rights.
Dobrosav Bob Živković was born on 7 May 1962 in Pirot, Serbia. After graduating from the High School of Art and Design, he enrolled in The Belgrade Faculty of Applied Arts. During his studies, he published his first works in popular student magazines of that time. After the studies he began his career as an illustrator in magazines for children such as “Tik-Tak”, “Zeka”, “Politikin Zabavnik”, “National Geographic Junior”, and others. He has often cooperated with writer Jasminka Petrović and they are recognized as a great tandem for creating children’s books.
Živković has worked for all the major publishing houses in Serbia, but the most important and most fruitful part of his work is related to the publishing house “Kreativni centar” – the largest publisher of children’s books in the country and in the region. Throughout twenty years of working for this publishing house, Živković has illustrated over a hundred books, which have been translated into over 40 languages and have won numerous awards. His remarkable contribution to the development of children’s publishing in Serbia resulted in him receiving the most prestigious awards in the field. He is the only illustrator in Serbia who has been awarded five “Neven” awards for best children’s illustration. Among other awards, he’s received one for the best design of a children’s toy (1994), “Zaharije Orfelin award” (2004), two awards of ULUPUDS (Society of the Artist of Applied Arts and Designers of Serbia) for best illustrated book (1996. and 2004), the award of Zmajeve dečije igre children’s festival, given for extraordinary commitment to the popularization of children’s literature and illustration (2005), and a special award and acknowledgment by the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Živković’s contemporary, truly humanistic spirit and unique talent has changed the face of children’s literature: educational books have become creative, interactive and fun.
His illustrations reached an artistic peak in the books Serbian Folk Fairy Tales, Serbian Folktales, and picture books, where he had on opportunity to combine his vast imagination with national heritage and mythologies from all over the world. These books have won several important awards, as well as, more importantly, the respect and love of a wide audience.
Since the beginning of his career, Živković has been a passionate reader and illustrator of science fiction and fantasy books. He has illustrated over fifty novels and short story collections of the most popular writers of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, and he is best known for his majestic work on Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings novels, as well as his illustrations of Stephen King, Clive Barker and Roger Zelazny’s novels. His illustrations are often considered to be the most significant factor in popularizing certain authors and specialized magazines in Serbia. He is a three-time winner of the Lazar Komarčić Award, the greatest Serbian award for working in the Sci-Fi field, for best illustration (1985, 1986 and 1988).
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