[1][2] After finishing elementary school in his hometown of Šibenik, he continued his education in Krupa Monastery and Zadar.

He started working as a teacher in Montenegro in 1881 and moved to Serbia in 1887.

As a writer, he is best known for employing his skill in holding up to ridicule the peculiar foibles of the Dalmatian folk.

Matavulj was an honorary member of the Matica srpska of Novi Sad, the first president of the Association of Writers of Serbia, president of the Society of Artists of Serbia and a member of the Serbian Royal Academy.

[2] Nobel prize winner Ivo Andrić called him "the master storyteller".