Milica Janković bila je književnica i autorka najpopularnijih dela 30-ih godina prošlog veka. Tokom svoje karijere objavljivala je dela i pod pseudonimom i L. Mihajlović.
Obrazovala se za nastavnicu crtanja, a slikanje je usavršavala u Minhenu. Govorila je ruski i francuski jezik i bavila se prevođenjem, a kao najznačajnije delo koje je prevela navodi se Tolstojevo „Detinjstvo“. Milica se kao mlada devojka teško razbolela od tuberkuloze kostiju, koja će je ostaviti nepokretnom. Iako su njena dela bila najčitanija u periodu između dva svetska rata, Milica je živela u lošim materijalnim uslovima i generalno nije stekla bogatstvo od svoje spisateljske karijere.
Svoje prve pripovetke Milica šalje tadašnjem uredniku „Srpskog književnog glasnika“, Jovanu Skerliću, 1909. godine, ali pod muškim pseudonimom L. Mihajlović pod kojim su pripovetke i obavljene. Praksa da žene objavljuju dela pod lažnim muškim imenima bila je česta. Milica je ostala saradnica ovog časopisa do kraja života. Pod istim pseudonimom je Milica objavila i jedno od najznačajnijih dela, knjigu pripovedaka „Ispovesti“. Inače, odnos Jovana Skerlića i Milice bio je poseban i Milica je u nekom momentu dobila nadimak „Skerlićeva miljenica“. Interesantan je i podatak da su 1913. godine izašle zbirke pripovedaka „Ispovesti“ Milice Janković i „Saputnici“ Isidore Sekulić, te da je Jovan Skerlić pozitivno ocenio Miličinu a negativno Isidorinu zbirku. Smatra se da je ovo imalo presudan značaj za karijere obe književnice.
Dok je bila na usavršavanju u Minhenu Milica se upoznaje sa ruskim studentima i studentkinjama i preko njih sa revolucionarnim i socijalističkim idejama – čiji postaje pristalica, što je bio slučaj i sa drugim studentima sa ovih prostora koji su studirali po Evropi. Družila sa sestrama Ninković, vatrenim socijalistkinjama. O Anki Ninković je čak napisala i tekst u kojem je objavila i svoje viđenje ideja začetnika socijalističkog pokreta u Srbiji – Svetozara Markovića. Ovaj tekst će biti objavljen tek mnogo nakon Miličine smrti, 1977. godine.
Milica se nije stilski ograničavala na jedan književni žanr, te je pisala pripovetke, romane, knjige za decu, prozu, a njena dela su bila popularna i van granica ovih prostora i prvođena na druge jezike. Njena dela su takođe verodostojno prikazala život i svakodnevicu tadašnjeg Beograda. Međutim, pored ovoga i pored činjenice da su o njenim knjigama pisali cenjeni i značajni kritičari tog perioda, između ostalih Julka Hlapec Đorđević, Ksenija Atanasijević, Paulina Lebl Albala, Jovan Skerlić, Sima Pandurović, Branimir Ćosić i drugi, Miličina književnost je obeležena kao „proza za gospođice“ što će umnogome obezvrediti njihov književni značaj i rezultirati time da, uprkos ogromnoj popularnosti za Miličinog života, njena dela nakon smrti bivaju potpuno skrajnuta. Primera radi, sve do 2012. godine ni jedna njena knjiga nije ponovo štampana.
Milica Janković was a writer and an author of some of the most popular Serbian books of the last century. Over the duration of her career she also wrote books under the alias and L. Mihajlović.
Milica finished school to become an art teacher, and she practised painting in Munich. She spoke Russian and French and did translations. One of the most important pieces she translated was “Childhood” by Tolstoj. Milica got sick of a bone tuberculosis as a young woman and she was immobile over her lifetime. Between two world wars, Milica’s novels were very well read, nevertheless Milica was poor and and she lived a very modest life.
Milica sent her first stories to one famous newspaper of the era under the male alias. Those stories were published under that alias. In order to have their works published,women often had to publish them under male pseudonyms. Throughout all her life she has been a writer for that magazine. Under the same alias she published her book of short stories “ispovesti” (Confessions). Milica had a deep connection with the editor in chief of the magazine, famous writer and critic Jovan Skerlić and Milica was nicknamed “Skerlić’s sweetheart”. In 1913 two important books were published in Serbian language by female authors – one by Milica the other one by Isidora Sekulić. Skerlic gave a great review to Milica’s book and not so good to Isidora’s. That changed the course of the careers of both writers.
While Milica was in Munich, she got to know Russian students with revolutionary and socialist ideas – of whom she became a sympathiser – which often was the case with students from Balkan studying abroad. Milica was a friend of Ninković sisters – that were big socialists. She wrote an essay on Anka Ninković and she also explained her own ideas about the first socialist in Serbia – Svetozar Marković. That essay about him was published in 1977, long after Milica’s death.
Milica wrote in many styles and in different genres. She wrote short stories, novels, children books and her works were well known beyond the borders of Serbia and Balkan. In her work she explains well life in Belgrade of the time. Many important critics of the time wrote about her work, but still, her work was proclaimed girly and shallow. With that attitude, Milica’s importance was disvalued and after her death no body was publishing it. Her books were finally reprinted in 2012.