Nyora kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - Zmaj akaberekerwa muNovi Sad, iyo yaive chikamu cheBatsch-Bodrog County (Humambo hweHungary, Humambo hweAustria; nhasi muSerbia), musi wa24 Mbudzi 1833. Mhuri yake yakanga yakwegura uye yakakurumbira, uye yakanga ine midzi muNorth Macedonia yemazuva ano. Mhuri yekwaJovanović yaigara muVojvodina kubvira muzana ramakore rechi18. Baba vaZmaj, Pavle, vakashanda samameya weNovi Sad mushure meHungarian Revolution ya1848
uye vanun'una vake vatatu vaiva varwi, vakuru vakuru vehurumende uye vanhu vaida nyika yeSerbia. Pauduku hwake hwepakutanga akaratidzira chishuvo chokudzidza nomusoro nziyo dzorudzi dzechiSerbia idzo dzakarondedzerwa kwaari. Paaiva mwana akatanga kunyora nhetembo. Akapedza chikoro chepuraimari mutaundi, uye akapinda chikoro chesekondari muHalas nePreßburg (nhasi Bratislava), akazofunda mutemo muOfenpesth (Budapest), Prague neVienna. Ichi chakanga chiri chishuvo chababa vake asi kombamiro dzake amene dzakamusunda kutanga fundo yokurapa. Zmaj akabva adzokera kuguta rokumusha kwake, kwaakagamuchira chinzvimbo chakakurumbira. Gore rimwe gare gare, pfungwa dzake dzokuda kunyora nhetembo dzakaita kuti asiye basa rake kuti azvipire chose chose kubasa rokunyora. Muna 1870, Zmaj akadzokera kuNovi Sad kunoshanda sachiremba, achikurudzirwa neutachiona hweTB hwaitambudzwa nemudzimai wake nevana.