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 He is often described as the "Serbian Homer" both because he was blind and for his poetic gift. Living in a time of exceptional significance for Serbian history, the bard composed poems about these events, and they became a highly valued part of the Serbian epic poetry.
He was born at Vilica Guvno in Gornja Trnova near Ugljevik, in the Bosnia Province of the Ottoman Empire (today in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina), and died in the village of Grk (later renamed Visnjicevo after him) near Sid, Serbia (then part of the Austrian Empire). Filip Visnjic's true surname was Vilic. According to some authors, he was called Visnjic either after his mother’s name Visnja, or after the Visnjica quarter of Medasi, where he lived until he moved to Serbia.
He lived in Gornja Trnova until three years of age, when Ottoman Turks destroyed his family. His mother remarried into the Mirkanovic family and moved to the village of Medasi in the lowlands of Semberija, taking little Filip with her. There he learned to play the Serbian epic poets' beloved string instrument gusle, and composed his first verses. He would often play on the archaic gusle at the church in Brodac. Blind from early childhood, unable to earn for living otherwise, he sang the traditional epic songs and composed many by himself.
During the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman rule, unable to join the fight, Visnjic tried to boost the morale of compatriots and composed many songs himself, documenting the battles in form of epic chronicles. After the Turks re-conquered Serbia in 1813, he went into the village of Grk in Syrmia, where he met Vuk Stefanovic Karadzic, who took him to the Sisatovac Monastery and recorded several songs of his. Karadzic recorded and published thirteen of Filip's songs, notably Pocetak bune protiv dahija (The Beginning of the Revolt against Dahijas), Boj na Cokesini (Battle of Cokesina), Boj na Misaru (Battle of Misar), Knez Ivo Knezevic, etc. Visnjic's poetry often exceeds its traditional models: while faithfully describing the battles and events, his poems also carry convincing psychological portraits of the participants, such as Karageorge and Prince Ivo of Semberija, who lost all his property by ransoming slaves from the Ottoman Turks.
Each November, Filip's home village of Gornja Trnova hosts the cultural manifestation named Visnjicevi dani ("Visnjic's Days"). It is held at the site called Vilica Guvno, where the bard’s house once stood. Renowned writers, theoreticians and poets praise Filip Visnjic and his creations, and a commemorative service is held. A commemorative plaque has been raised at the library in Bijeljina, while his countenance is incorporated into the municipal coats of arms of Bijeljina and Ugljevik. At the 1994 Visnjicevi dani cultural event, a commemorative plaque was installed in Gornja Trnova, marking the location where Filip Visnjic was born.
The village of Grk was renamed Visnjicevo in his honour. Numerous streets and schools in Serbia and Republika Srpska are named after Visnjic. His picture is featured on the 20 convertible mark banknote issued in Republika Srpska. During the Second World War he was put on the Serbian 50 dinar bill, in 1941.
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