Drago Štambuk was born on September 20, 1950, in Selca on the island of Brač. He attended high school in Split and graduated from the Medical Faculty in Zagreb. He specialized in internal medicine, subspecialized in gastroenterology and hepatology, and completed postgraduate studies in experimental biology. In London, he conducted research on liver diseases at The Royal Free Hospital from 1983; from 1986 to 1991, at St. Stephen's & Westminster Hospital / Kobler Center, he worked on the HGP-30 AIDS vaccine and experimental AZT therapy.
Appointed by the Croatian Government on May 17, 1991, he became the plenipotentiary representative of Croatia in the UK and head of the Croatian Office. From January 1995, he served as the Croatian Ambassador in several countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Iran, and Pakistan.
At Harvard University (2001-2002), he studied the relationship between principles and interests in political decision-making, the balance of rights and power, and ethics in international relations. He is a lifetime Harvard Fellow (WCFIA).
Štambuk is the creator and promoter of the "Golden Formula" of the Croatian language (ča-kaj-što), celebrating this linguistic trinity through the all-Croatian literary and poetic review "Croatia rediviva ča-kaj-što" in his hometown, where poets are crowned with olive wreaths each summer. The formula was declared a cultural heritage on November 29, 2019.
He has published over 70 books of poetry, essays, anthologies, linguistic dictionaries, and translations. His work has been translated into many languages and acclaimed by international writers. He is considered one of the most significant contemporary Croatian poets.
Štambuk has received numerous national and international awards for art, literature, linguistics, and peace efforts, including the Order of Duke Branimir, the Telugu Academy Award, the Ambassador for Peace title, and poetry awards. He is also a member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts since 2020.
Important poetry collections: "Meu namin," "Vapnena trupla," "Antinoy & mangal," "Snijeg za Ehnatona," "INSULAE / hrvatska nova lirika," "Croatiam aeternam," "Lomna slika," "Uklesano u planinama," "Crni obelisk," "Ruka radosnica," "Morski Božić," "I šišmiši su ptice u bezpjevnoj zemlji," "Mirula," "Staklena šuma," "Spalatum," "Pognuta riža," "Nebo u bunaru," "Nedovršeno stvaranje svijeta," "Hram u stijeni," "Theurgia," "Kad su miši balali molfrinu," "Angjeo s bakljom," "Atahualpa," "CD Duša riječi / Kotodama," "Zlato i prah kraljeva," "Slon siroče," "Uzgon."
He also published six anthologies, "Maslinov vijenac," from the Croatia rediviva ča-kaj-što review in Selca, Brač, from 1991 to 2021.