Despite significant differences in political philosophy and other respects, Branislav Nusic was in some ways his country's Bernard Shaw. According to Serbian critic Vuk Filipovic, he was the "magician of laughter in Serbian literature." He was certainly the most beloved and popular Serbian humorist between the two world wars. His profound and unforgettable impact on his people has produced a plethora of stories about him, both authentic and apocryphal. With his precursor Jovan Sterija Popovic, he is one of the best-known and most talented Serbian comic writers of all times, whose most successful works, despite their distinctive local color and specifically Balkan atmosphere, continue to be performed on many prestigious stages not only in South Slavic countries but elsewhere in Europe as well.

More than fifty years after his death there is no doubt that Nusic, with all his human imperfections and limitations, was an honorable, kindhearted, and...