Serbian Writer Branko Ćopić’s Secret 18‑Year Affair Revealed After His Death

Branko Ćopić, a prominent Yugoslav writer and member of the Academy, was married to pediatrician Bogdanka “Cica” Ilić. Their wedding in 1951 was attended by poets Skender Kulenović and Dušan Kostić.

Despite the marriage, Ćopić began a clandestine relationship in the early 1960s with Marijana Babić (born Marija Ana), a married schoolteacher from Dubrovnik. The two met during a school trip to the Krka waterfalls in May 1963, exchanged secret letters for nearly two decades, and kept their affair hidden because both were already wed. Their long‑term liaison has drawn attention to Ćopić’s personal life after his death, highlighting the contrast between his public literary reputation and private relationships.