]; born 1938 in Split, Croatia) is a prominent and award-winning Croatian playwright, poet and academic.
Born and raised in Split, Mrkonjić moved to Zagreb after finishing high school.
In 1961, he graduated with a dual degree in comparative literature and French from the University of Zagreb.
He studied directing at the Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb, as one of the last students of the famed Croatian director Branko Gavella.
Mrkonjić was an editor for Telegram (a cultural journal) and Prolog (a theatre periodical).