From the 16th century to the Enlightenment
The oldest document found in the Slovenian language, the Brižinski spomeniki (the Freising Papers), dates from the end of the 10th century. It was not until a few centuries later that authors became involved in the defence of the language. In 1584, Jurij Dalmatin (1547-1549), a Protestant writer and theologian, published the first translation of the Bible in Wittenberg, which was used by Slovenian priests until the 18th century, thanks to a papal authorization. In the same century, the priest Primož Trubar (1508-1586), a brilliant orator at Ljubljana Cathedral, influenced by the Reformation and the thought of Martin Luther, finally broke with Rome and during his exile in Germany published some thirty works, which he smuggled into barrels. His Katekizem (Catechism) and Abecednik
(Abecedarium) are the first books published in Slovenian (1550). His translation of the New Testament was published thirty years later.Even if it is not entirely about the Slovenian language, we cannot fail to mention the historian Valvasor (1641-1693) who made an important contribution to the research of his time by publishing his encyclopaedia, The Honour of the Duchy of Carniola
(in German). This fifteen-volume encyclopaedia provides an insight into Slovenia at that time. It is a rich source of information with more than 528 illustrations and numerous appendices. Historian, geographer, printer, Valvasor wrote his work for almost twenty years. He evokes the Carniola in all its aspects (history, legends, geography, techniques...). His drawings (costumes) and engravings (castles) remain precious documents. He was also a member of the Royal Society of London for the discovery of the origins of Lake Cerknica. Travelling in Slovenia necessarily means finding the traces of this great traveller. Baron Žiga Zois (1747-1819) encouraged, through his humanism and patronage, the writings promoting the theatrical creation of Anton Tomaž Linhart (1756-1795), the first Slovenian playwright. His adaptation of The Marriage of Figaro (1781), which was censored, was performed in 1848. Žiga Zois also supported the publication of the first Slovenian newspaper, written by Valentin Vodnik (1758-1819), a former Franciscan who became a teacher at the Ljubljana grammar school. Among other things, he published the first collection of Slovenian poetry, Pesme za pokušino, Chants d'essai, and composed an ode to the glory of Napoleon.In the 19th century: Slovenian becomes established
The first grammars devoted to the Slovene language appeared at the end of the 18th century. At that time, Empress Maria Theresa worked to reform the kingdom, particularly in the area of education. Schooling became compulsory, which gave rise to a literary language. The 19th century saw the birth of France Prešeren (1800-1849), who is considered one of the great figures of Slovenian poetry. With the help of his friend Matija Čop (1797-1835), a critic and aesthete and a great connoisseur of European literature, he developed complex poetic forms (sonnet, trochée, ghazel, canzone). His verses, of great sensitivity, were published a year before his death in the collection Poezije. Thanks to him, Carniole's dialect became a literary language. For the record, the national anthem is none other than the seventh stanza of his poem Zdravljica (The Toast
).Anton M. Slomšek (1800-1862) was also a great defender of the Slovenian language. Appointed Bishop of Maribor, he opposed the supremacy of the German language. Author of folk songs and fables, pedagogue, he founded the Society of Saint Hermagor, a publishing cooperative, to promote reading. It is also important to mention the linguist Franc Miklo Šič (1813-1891), author of a very important Comparative Grammar of Slavic Languages and an Etymological Dictionary of Slavic Languages, as well as Fran Levstik (1831-1887), Slovenian language theorist, playwright, poet and novelist. He will tell us the story of Martin Krpan, a salt smuggler who, thanks to his strength, thwarts the traps set by the emperor in Vienna. In the midst of the awakening of nations, Fran Levstik expresses the struggle of the small against imperial power. Let us also mention Josip Jurčič (1844-1881), author of the first Slovenian novel Deseti brat (The Tenth Brother, 1866). His short story, The Slovenian Janissary
(1864), was a great success and was widely translated.Let us now turn our attention to the lyric poet Simon Gregorčič (1844-1906), nicknamed "the nightingale of Gorizia". He practised the priesthood in Kobarid, a small town that was to experience desolation during the Battle of the River Soča (1917). In his odes, Simon Gregorčič expresses his love for his country. His verses have premonitory accents. Unhappy love, illness, an early retirement... He is one of the most loved, understood and listened to poets in Slovenia.
At the turn of the 20th century, literary life was marked by the novelist and playwright Ivan Cankar (1876-1918). The man is considered to be the greatest Slovenian writer. He began with poetry(Erotika, 1899) before becoming a playwright. The Viennese school, Die Moderne, influenced his work. A socialist, he participated in political life. In his work, Ivan Cankar goes beyond naturalism to depict man's confrontation with a hostile world. His Hlapec Jernej(The Valet Jernej, 1907) remains a masterpiece.The 20th century and its committed authors
Fran Finžgar (1871-1963) was a priest, novelist and playwright whose writings enjoyed great popularity. He wrote about Slavic migrations in his historical novel Under the Free Sun (1907). His work is influenced by Sienkiewicz (1846-1916), a great Polish author who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1905. Fran Finžgar was a supporter of the Liberation Front during the war. Her contemporary, Oton Župančič (1876-1949), is another great figure of national poetry. His verses, all of great musical quality, express the harmony of the world. Sensitive to the national destiny, he supported the Resistance and wrote poems committed against Nazism. He is also the author of plays and the creator of Ciciban, a children's character that has become very popular. We should also mention France Bevk (1890-1970), who was greatly affected by the situation in her province, which was annexed to Italy after the First World War, which led to the death of Slovenian culture by the fascists. His best-known novel, Kaplan Martin Čedermac (The Vicar Martin Čedermac)
, has as its hero a priest who is forbidden to preach in the Slovenian language.At the same time, poetry continues to make its mark, notably through the work of Srečko Kosovel (1904-1926), who could be described as a poet from Elsewhere. A child of the Karst, the young visionary died of meningitis after delivering a dazzling work: a few prose texts and no less than 1,200 poems! His collections were published after his death. The work of the young resistance poet Karel Destovnik Kajuh (1922-1944) is just as striking. Dismissed from high school for communist propaganda, he was interned in Serbia in 1941. After joining the partisans in 1943, he became head of the cultural organisation of the 14th division and was shot dead in February 1944. His verses nostalgically evoke freedom and the suffering of the imprisoned man. Contemporary and avant-garde poetry is represented by Dane Zajc (born in 1929), Boris A. Novak (b. 1953) and Tomaž Šalamun (b. 1941).
On the prose side, let us mention Vladimir Bartol (1903-1967), famous for his novel Alamut (1935, translated into French in 1988), and above all Drago Jančar, born in 1948 in Maribor. His works have been translated into some twenty languages. His first novel 35 degrees was published in 1974; his second, Galiote, in 1978. His most famous play, La Grande Valse brillante, was published in 1985. Other books include Le Regard de l'ange (1992), Désir moqueur (1993), Des bruits dans la tête (1998), Cette nuit, je l'ai vu (2014), which won the prize for Best Foreign Book, Six mois dans la vie de Ciril (2014), Et l'amour aussi a besoin de repos (2017). In 1993, he received the Prešeren Prize, the most prestigious literary award, for his body of work.Some writers living abroad
Among the new generation of authors, it is impossible not to mention the name of Brina Svit (born 1954). Living in Paris since 1980, this French-speaking Slovenian author wrote her first novels in Slovenian, then opted for the French language starting with her fifth novel Moreno , which received the prize for the Rayonnement de la langue et de la littérature françaises. In 2006, she published Un cœur de trop, which received the Académie française Maurice Genevoix prize. Also to be read, Petit éloge de la rupture (2009), Une nuit à Reykjavik (2011), Visage slovène (2013) and Nouvelles définitions de l'amour
(2017), a collection for which she was a finalist for the Goncourt short story prize. Slovenian-language authors living abroad are also featured. These include Boris Pahor (born in 1913 in Trieste) and Florjan Lipuš (born in 1937 in Austria). At the time of writing, Boris Pahor was still the oldest writer in the world! Deported to several death camps, his work is strongly marked by this traumatic experience. French readers discovered him through his novel Pèlerin parmi les ombres (1990) in which he evokes his experience in the concentration camps. Also read, Printemps difficile (1995), Quand Ulysse revient à Trieste (1955), La Villa sur le lac (1998), Jours obscurs (2001), La Porte dorée (2002), Dans le labyrinthe (2003) and L'Appel du navire (2008).
