Antun "Ante" Kovačić (June 6, 1854 – March 10, 1889) was a Croatian writer who is best known for his

magnum opus A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...

work '' U registraturi''.

Biography

Early life

Born to a family of Croatian peasants in

Hrvatsko Zagorje Hrvatsko Zagorje (; Croatian Zagorje; ''zagorje'' is Croatian for "backland" or "behind the hills") is a cultural region in northern Croatia, traditionally separated from the country's capital Zagreb by the Medvednica Mountain. It comprises ...

, Kovačić made his way through

law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

to become an attorney. He was born in Celine Goričke, a village near Marija Gorica. His parents were Ana Vugrinec and Ivan Kovačić (1826–1906). They were married in Marija Gorica. Ivan was also called Janko and dreamed that Ante would become a priest. In 1857, Ante and his parents went to Oplaznik.

Later life

Kovačić began to write in 1875. While his early works have Romantic tendencies, in later years he was influenced by Realist literature. His stories and novels often had strong

satiric Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or ...

overtones and represent harsh criticism to injustice in Croatian society of his time. One of his novels, '' Među žabari'', remained unfinished because citizens of

Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. According to the 2011 census, its population was 55,705. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located on the Zagreb- Rijeka highway and railway line, south-west of Zagre ...

protested after reading its first paragraphs in a local newspaper. Ovce u Celinama Goričkim

The best known work of Ante Kovačić is semi-autobiographic novel '' U registraturi'' (1888). In it he expressed great deal of

sympathy Sympathy is the perception of, understanding of, and reaction to the distress or need of another life form. According to David Hume, this sympathetic concern is driven by a switch in viewpoint from a personal perspective to the perspective of ano ...

for common Croatian people, most notably

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...

s whom he saw as superior to

snob ''Snob'' is a pejorative term for a person who believes there is a correlation between social status (including physical appearance) and human worth.De Botton, A. (2004), ''Status Anxiety''. London: Hamish Hamilton ''Snob'' also refers to a per ...

bish

citizenry Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

. Kovačić was known as a staunch supporter of

Ante Starčević Ante Starčević (; 23 May 1823 – 28 February 1896) was a Croatian politician and writer. His policies centered around Croatian state law, the integrity of Croatian lands, and the right of his people to self-determination. As an important memb ...

and his

Croatian Party of Rights The Croatian Party of Rights ( hr, Hrvatska stranka prava or HSP) is an extra-parliamentary nationalist political party in Croatia. The "right(s)" in the party's name refer to the legal and moral reasons that justify the independence and autonom ...

. As such he was bitterly opposed to

Ivan Mažuranić Ivan Mažuranić (; 11 August 1814 – 4 August 1890) was a Croatian poet, linguist, lawyer and politician who is considered to be one of the most important figures in Croatia's political and cultural life in the mid-19th century. Mažuranić se ...

and wrote literal travesty of Mažuranić's poem ''

The Death of Smail-aga Čengić ''The Death of Smail-aga Čengić'' ( hr, Smrt Smail-age Čengića) is an epic poem by Croatian poet Ivan Mažuranić during 1845 and first published in the almanac ''Iskra'' for 1846. It is based on the real events of the murder of Bosnian Otto ...

''. In his later years, Kovačić began to show symptoms of

mental disorder A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

which gradually affected his work, including the last chapters of ''U registraturi''. ''U registraturi'', combining biting social satire, naturalist descriptions of Croatian bureaucracy and peasantry, as well as fascination with the

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

inherited from

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

, nevertheless remained the most powerful 19th century Croatian novel and one of the most enduring novels in Croatian history. In 1974 it was adapted into popular television mini-series starring

Rade Šerbedžija Rade Šerbedžija ( sr-Cyrl, Раде Шербеџија, ; born 27 July 1946) is a Croatian actor, director and musician. He is known for his portrayals of imposing figures on both sides of the law. He was one of the best known Yugoslav actors i ...

Death

Kovačić died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...

in Vrapče,

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

. He was insane at the moment of his death. He was buried at

Mirogoj Cemetery The Mirogoj City Cemetery (, hr, Gradsko groblje Mirogoj), also known as Mirogoj Cemetery ( hr, Groblje Mirogoj), is a cemetery park that is considered to be among the more noteworthy landmarks in the city of Zagreb. The cemetery inters members o ...

Family

Kovačić's wife was called Milka Hajdin, with whom he had six children. Ante and Milka were married in Mala Gorica. Their daughters Olga and Marija were teachers, while their son Krešimir was a journalist, who died in 1960.Krešimir Kovačić
/ref>

Works

*''Zagorski čudak'' *'' Fiškal'' *'' Smrt babe Čengićkinje'' *'' Baruničina ljubav'' *'' Među žabari'' *'' U registraturi''

Sources

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kovacic, Ante 1854 births 1889 deaths Croatian nationalists Croatian novelists Croatian male writers Male novelists Croatian lawyers Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery Deaths from pneumonia in Austria-Hungary People with schizophrenia 19th-century novelists 19th-century male writers 19th-century Croatian writers