* Vladimir Dedijer; Tito Biographer

Vladimir Dedijer, 76, whose biography “Tito Speaks” is considered the definitive work on the late Communist leader of Yugoslavia. Dedijer, a World War II partisan fighter in Yugoslavia, saw his 1953 biography translated into 36 languages for a world intrigued by Josip Broz Tito’s independent brand of communism. Dedijer was considered to be a dissident in his homeland and narrowly escaped prison after siding with Milovan Djilas when Djilas was ousted by Tito in a dispute over socialistic principles. Dedijer represented his country at the United Nations and recently moved to the United States for treatment of an eye injury suffered in World War II. In Rhinebeck, N.Y., on Friday of undisclosed causes.