Kosta Trifković, born on Danube Street (Dunavska ulica) in the city of Novi Sad on the 20th of October 1843, was the only child of Atanasije and Ane Trifković. He went to sea just before finishing high school, but his delicate health proved unequal to the task, and after two years sailing the seven seas he went to Rijeka to study law. Upon graduation, he moved back to Novi Sad where he established his law practice and wrote plays in his spare time. Soon his passion for the stage completely engrossed him, he tried his hand both at dramatic criticism and at dramatic authorship. His first piece, Mladost Dositeja Obradovića (The Youth of Dositej Obradović), was produced in 1871, and proved the writer to be the legitimate successor of Jovan Sterija Popović. His industry was prodigious: between 1871 and 1874, he composed fifteen plays, all of them original, and not counting numerous translations or recasts of classical masterpieces.
He died of consumption in Novi Sad on February 19, 1875.