Branka Primorac is a writer, journalist, editor, and photographer.
She was born in Zagreb, and raised as an only child by her mother – a young widow; her father died before she was even two years old.
Still, she remembers her childhood as bright and joyful spent with the neighbourhood kids from Trešnjevka – Kate Dumbović Street (now B. Adžije), Kranjčevićeva Street, and Nova Cesta where she went to primary school.
Her Grammar School was the closest on Dobojska Street, near Trešnjevka Square. That was the very first secondary school to introduce class testing: it was a modern institution both with its building and teaching methods.
During her University studies, Branka spent some time in Milan and London where she attended the Cambridge School for English language. She graduated from the Faculty of Political Sciences and from the School of Journalism of the Journalists’ Educational Centre (CINK) at the Faculty.
She spent most of career for Zagreb’s daily Večernji list as both a journalist and editor. She also wrote for other newspapers and was an editor for various columns. Most of Branka’s works as an editor included the Saturday magazine-type supplement Revija (now Obzor), and the famous Večernji list literature competition for best short story, the Culture column, and Večernji list series of the best Croatian novel of the 20th century (in cooperation with Seid Serdarević).
Branka is married to Strahimir Primorac. They have two children together- a daughter, Lada, and a son Dražen as well as three grandchildren – Marija, Marta and Luka.
Branka has been writing since childhood. Her first journalist text was published in the magazine for children Radost when she was in the 4th grade of primary school. Her first literature works (stories) were published in the youth magazine Tina (1972-73) under her maiden name Branka Matić.
 intevjuira gošću, 2006.jpg)
Branka’s first novel for children Mum, Beware of the Dog! (Mama, pazi pas!) was published in 1992, followed by her most popular novel The School Leavers’ Trip (Maturalac) only a couple of months later. In 1993, The School Leavers’ Trip was awarded the Mato Lovrak award for the best young adult novel.
It was included in the required reading for the 7th grade of primary school in Croatia. The novel was translated in Spanish in 2018 and the Spanish edition published in Barcelona by KATELANI 2000. The School Leavers’ Trip is not the only work of Branka’s to be included in the required reading. The novel, The Love Case of Joja the Cat, is olso required reading for the 5th grade of primary school. In 2014, Branka’s novel, Zvonka the Dragon and Three Cavaliers (Zvonka Zmaj i Tri kavalira), won the Anto Gardaš award in 2012 and was included in the IBBY Honour List.
Branka attended the IBBY World Congress in Mexico where she was honoured in a ceremony with many other authors and illustrators from all over the world. In 2017, she was presented with two awards for the young adult novel, My Brother Lives in the Computer (Moj brat živi u kompjutoru): the SFERA award by SFeraKon, popular among SF fans, and another Mato Lovrak award (after 23 years) for the best young adult novel published in 2016. My Brother Lives in the Computer was published with a second edition including a special acknowledgment for the author, ever though the book is not required reading for school.
Branka is a versatile author – she writes for children, young adults, and adults: short stories, novels, goodnight stories, and radio-dramas. Branka is a member of the Association of Croatian Writers, Croatian Journalists Association, and Association of Writers of Children and Young Adult Literature. She stepped into the world of adult literature in 2001 when she published a fictionalised biography, Perešin, Life and Death (Perešin, život i smrt), which was awarded the literature-journalistic award, They Were in the Front Ranks When We Needed them, for the best book about the Homeland War in 2001.
She has published ten works so far and wrote detective stories in the Večernji list daily under pen-name Adela M. Fisher. Branka also wrote an adult novel, Wild Years (Divlje godine, 2010), about juvenile delinquency based on a true events. Three radio-dramas for children were recorded for Croatian Radio: Marta’s Promise (Martino obećanje); My Granddad the Astronaut (Moj djed astronaut, a text dramatization by Branka Primorac); and Wild Years (Divlje godine, a text dramatization by Nives Barišić Madunić). She also wrote several goodnight stories for radio.
Currently, she is writing short prose inspired by her journalist life, as well as a lengthy novel, The Editor-in-chief (Glavni urednik). For this novel she was granted a three-month subsidy by the Croatian Ministry of Culture for 2019 so she will spend most of year writing intensively. The new novel is expected to be published in 2020.
 za MOJ BRAT ŽIVI U KOMPJUTORU, 2017..jpg)
.jpg){kind=link}
 i Branka Primorac (Tribina NSK Zbirka inozemna croatica).jpg){kind=link}
Some of Branka’s stories were published collections like 20 + 1 Best Summer story by the Boat of Culture from 2014 - 2016. The story, Touch of Electricity was published in a collection of 40 selected love stories, Gartlic ljubavi (2018), by the Town Library of Ozalj which organises the competition for short love stories, My Dear Heart (Moje drago serce), in memory of Petar Zrinski and a letter he wrote to his wife Katarina on the eve of his execution.
Branka’s short prose was published in the Večernji list daily and in the culture magazine Vijenac. Some extracts from the unpublished novel Entrepreneur (Poduzetnik) were ever read on Croatian Radio. Branka has also tried her hand with picture books as well and wrote How the little Mate was saved (Kako je spašen mali Mate), wich is currently awaiting publishing.