Pôsobil najskôr ako učiteľ, ale kvôli národnému presvedčeniu musel s touto profesiou skončiť. Preto študoval na Obchodnej akadémii v Prahe, následne pracoval v bankách. V roku 1915 narukoval na východný front, vstúpil do čs. légií a v hodnosti kapitána sa vrátil do ČSR. V roku 1925 odišiel do výslužby a venoval sa iba literárnej činnosti. Bol jedným z vrcholných predstaviteľov literárneho realizmu. Knižne debutoval poviedkami; jeho najlepšími prózami sú Maco Mlieč, Mamka Pôstková, Horký chlieb, Mišo a i. Paralelne sa venoval aj dramatickej spisbe. Úspech mu priniesla najmä veselohra Ženský zákon, ďalej Statky-zmätky, Smrť Ďurka Langsfelda a i. Pochovaný je v Tajove; jeho meno nesie divadlo vo Zvolene, v Banskej Bystrici je po ňom pomenované gymnázium na Tajovského ulici a základná škola v Podlaviciach.
Jozef Gregor-Tajovský started working as a teacher but had to leave the profession because of his patriotic views. He later studied at the Academy of Commerce in Prague and worked in banks after graduating. In 1915, he joined the army in the eastern front, became a member of the Czechoslovak Legion and returned to Czechoslovakia as a captain. In 1925, he retired from the active service and focused exclusively on writing. He is one of the leading figures of literary realism. His first published works were short stories and his best works include Maco Mlieč, Mamka Pôstková (Mother Pôstková), Horký chlieb (Bitter Bread), and Mišo. He also wrote theatre plays and became popular mainly for his comedy Ženský zákon (Women’s Law), along with plays such as Statky-zmätky (Tricky Riches), Smrť Ďurka Langsfelda (The Death of Ďurko Langsfeld) and other. He is buried in Tajov. A number of institutions are named after him, including the theatre in Zvolen, the grammar schol on Tajovského street in Banská Bystrica and the primary school in Podlavice.
Autor textu: PaedDr. Jana Borguľová