Antun Branko Šimić was born in Drinovci near Grude on November 18, 1898, the son of Vida and Martin Šimić. He was a poet, essayist, critic and translator.  He is the author of Croatia's finest modernist poems, essays, literary and art criticism, debates on the new poetry, several short stories, a diary, autobiography, several unfinished plays for the theater, and an unfinished novel entitled Double Face.

He attended primary school in his native village, followed by three years of secondary school at the Franciscan Classical Grammar School in Široki Brijeg. His education continued in Mostar, Vinkovci and Zagreb’s Downtown Grammar School. 

In 1917 he started a magazine for art and culture Vijavica (Whirlwind), for which he was forced to leave the school. In 1919 Šimić launched magazine Juriš (Attack) following the example of the German magazine Der Sturm. In 1923 Šimić launched his third journal Književnik (Writer). on May 2, 1925, at the age of 27, Šimić died of tuberculosis in Zagreb. 

Together with Tin Ujević and Miroslav Krleža, Šimić is considered one of the most prominent poets of Croatian modernism. He is known for the popularization of free verse and new compositional principles ("Tehnika pjesme"/"Technology of poem", 1923) as well as the definitive integration of Croatian poetry in European literary trends. Ever greater reception of his oeuvre, especially since the 1960s, confirms his status. Today critics hold his collection of poems "Preobraženja"/"Metamorphoses" (1920), among the best of modern Croatian poetry.