Croatian Literature

August Šenoa

Life November 14th 1838 – December 13th 1881

Not Croatian by nationality

Zagreb - Prague - Vienna – Zagreb

Studied law

Novelist, critic, poet, dramatist, editor,...

" Father of Croatian novel " "Creator of Croatian reading public "

The Age of Šenoa – Šenoino doba 1860 – 1881

Transition from Romanticism to Realism

More than ten novels Goldsmith’s gold (Zlatarovo zlato ) Pirates of Senj (Čuvaj se Senjske ruke) Peasants’ revolt (Seljačka buna)

Literature magazine Wreath (Vjenac)

Patriotic thematics

Goldsmith’s gold (1871) First Croatian historic novel 16th century in Zagreb, after peasants’ revolt Parts written in Latin Main story is constant fight between

declining nobility and rising citizens Love story of Goldsmith’s daughter Dora

ruined by people that seemed like her friends

‘’All that glitters is not gold’’

Šenoa’s other works Our literature (Naša književnost) Stone wedding (Kameni svatovi) Be yourself! (Budi svoj!) Diogenes Carnation from poet’s grave (Karanfil s pjesnikova groba) The Curse (Kletva) - not finished

Antun Gustav Matoš

13. June 1873 - 17. March 1914

Life Born in Tovarnik, Croatia – moved to Zagreb

Veterinary College in Vienna – didn’t finish

Deserted in 1894 - next thirteen years of his life in Vienna and Paris

In 1908 he returned to Zagreb and stayed there until his death in 1914

Literary work He was a central figure of croatian modernism Short stories - he deeply analized inner world of his

main characters His short story ˝The Power of Conscience˝ is considered

the start of croatian modernism

Travelouges, where he used the landscape to convey his emotions

Later in his life he started writing poems - his best works

His most famous work The poem ˝Comfort of hair˝

Love poem, in which he describes a deceased loved woman, who he saw in his dreams

Every part of her is dead, only her hair appears to be alive, giving him some comfort, hence the name of the poem

Miroslav Krleža

Life 7 July 1893 – 29 December 1981 Born and died in Zagreb, Croatia

Finished military school and military academy in Hungary

After the war - recognised as a modernist writer

Greatest Croatian writer of 20th century

Founder of Institute of Lexicography

Literary work More than 50 works in many categories

Poetry, drama, novels, essays, diaries, short stories...

The most of his works were of social thematics, about politics and life in Croatia

Politic reviews: The Flame (Plamen), Today (Danas) and Literary Republic (Književna republika) - BANNED

Anti-war attitude – collection of short stories Croatian God Mars (Hrvatski bog Mars)

Most important work Messrs. Glembay (Gospoda Glembajevi)

- 1928 Drama

First part of the Glembay cycle

Rise of a wealthy family in Croatia which got its wealth through stealing, killing and fraud and later their fall

Like the Glembays, the Austro-Hungarian Empire Croatia was part of, will soon fall apart

Other works The Return of Phillip Latinovicz (Povratak Filipa

Latinovicza) – 1932 – first modern novel in Croatian literature

The Banners (Zastave)    " Croatian War and Peace  " Central European society before, during and after WW I

Diaries

‘’Someone who failed in all aspects of life, can only be a poet or a politician’’

THE ENDAnton Kontić

Filip Peričić Croatia