Ľudo Ondrejov (19 October 1901 in Slanje, present day

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

– 18 March 1962 in

Bratislava, Czechoslovakia Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% of ...

) was a Slovak poet and

prose Prose is a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the f ...

writer.

Biography

Ľudo Ondrejov was born in a Slovak family in Slanje,

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(today part of Donji Martijanec, Croatia) on 18 March 1901. He spent most of his childhood in the Kingdom of Hungary in a small village Kostiviarska (today part of

Banská Bystrica Banská Bystrica (, also known by other alternative names) is a middle-sized town in central Slovakia, located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Veľká Fatra, and the Kremnica Mo ...

). He moved to

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...

in 1938 and became a professional writer. Ľudo Ondrejov was a member of a partisan group in 1944–45. During World War II he was given a bookstore as a part of the

Aryanization Aryanization (german: Arisierung) was the Nazi term for the seizure of property from Jews and its transfer to non-Jews, and the forced expulsion of Jews from economic life in Nazi Germany, Axis-aligned states, and their occupied territories. I ...

in Slovakia.

Works

Writing career

Ondrejov's first works were published in periodicals such as ''Slovenské pohľady'' (Slovak views). His first book was published in 1932. He wrote prose and poetry for adults and children. Ondrejov was a significant member of the Slovak school of naturalism. Ondrejov also wrote fictional

travelogues Travelogue may refer to: Genres * Travel literature, a record of the experiences of an author travelling * Travel documentary A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or t ...

List of selected works

Poetry * 1932 – ''Martin Nociar Jakubovie'' * 1932 – ''Bez návratu'' (No return) * 1936 – ''Mámenie'' (Wheedling) * 1956 – ''Básne'' (Poems) Prose * 1932 – ''Rozprávky z hôr'' (Fairy tales from the mountains) * 1936 – ''Africký zápisník'' (African itinerary) * 1936 – ''Horami Sumatry''(Through the mountains of Sumatra) * ''Slnko vychádza nad hory'' (The Sun is rising over the hills) trilogy ** 1937 – ''Zbojnícka mladosť'' (Outlaw's youth) ** 1939 – ''Jerguš Lapin'' (also the name of the main character in the first two volumes) ** 1950 – ''Na zemi sú tvoje hviezdy ''(Your stars are on the ground)

Criticism

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he aryanized the second-hand bookshop of the

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family of Steiners in Bratislava. Moreover, when the deportation of Jews started, he said that in his company no Jew was needed and he reported them to the authorities: "I declare that in this bookstore I do not need these Jews: Max Steiner, Joseph Steiner, Sigismund Steiner and Viliam Steiner. By securing and deporting those Jews neither the trade nor the Slovak state will suffer any economic damage, because I have found compensation in the Aryan person Mr. Viliam Fabry from the St. Martin." These people later died in concentration camps.Slovenské dotyky, október 2005
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ondrejov, Ludo Slovak writers 1901 births 1962 deaths