Fran Levstik (28 September 1831 – 16 November 1887) was a
Slovene writer, political activist, playwright and critic. He was one of the most prominent exponents of the
Young Slovene political movement.
Life and work
Levstik was born in 1831 in
Dolnje Retje (now part of the municipality of
Velike Lašče) in
Lower Carniola
Lower Carniola ( sl, Dolenjska; german: Unterkrain) is a traditional region in Slovenia, the southeastern part of the historical Carniola region.
Geography
Lower Carniola is delineated by the Ljubljana Basin with the city of Ljubljana to the n ...
(then part of the
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central- Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...
, today in
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...
) in a peasant
Slovene family.
Levstik was the first notable writer of Slovene epic prose. Among his most known works are the short tale ''
Martin Krpan From Vrh'' ( sl, Martin Krpan z Vrha), which became a classic work of
Slovene literature, and the
itinerary
Itinerary or Itineraries or Itinerarium may refer to:
Travel
* Itinerarium, an Ancient Roman road map in the form of a listing of cities, villages, and other stops, with the intervening distances
* ''Itinerarium Burdigalense'', also known as the ...
''
A Journey from Litija to Čatež'' (), the main objective of which is a
literary manifesto. In the critical essay ''Napake slovenskega pisanja'', he exposed his views on the development of the Slovene literary language.
Levstik was one of the main exponents of the
Young Slovenes, a
progressive and
radical
Radical may refer to:
Politics and ideology Politics
* Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change
*Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe an ...
political group akin to the
Young Czechs
The Young Czech Party ( cz, Mladočeši, officially National Liberal Party, ''Národní strana svobodomyslná'') was formed in the Bohemian crown land of Austria-Hungary in 1874. It initiated the democratization of Czech political parties and le ...
in the
Czech Lands
The Czech lands or the Bohemian lands ( cs, České země ) are the three historical regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia. Together the three have formed the Czech part of Czechoslovakia since 1918, the Czech Socialist Republic sin ...
that challenged the then prevailing influence of
conservatives, led by
Janez Bleiweis, within the
Slovenian National Movement. In his late years, he grew closer to
Pan-Slavist
Pan-Slavism, a movement which crystallized in the mid-19th century, is the political ideology concerned with the advancement of integrity and unity for the Slavic people. Its main impact occurred in the Balkans, where non-Slavic empires had rul ...
ideals.
Levstik and
his literary program had a great influence on future generations of Slovene authors of
national liberal
National liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal policies and issues with elements of nationalism. Historically, national liberalism has also been used in the same meaning as conservative liberalism (right-liberalism).
A seri ...
views, especially
Josip Jurčič,
Josip Stritar
Josip Stritar (6 March 1836 – 25 November 1923) was a Slovene writer, poet, essayist, the first aesthetic critic, playwright, publisher and translator.
Life
Stritar spent his early childhood in his home village of Podsmreka in rural Lower ...
,
Janko Kersnik
Janko Kersnik (4 September 1852 – 28 July 1897) was a Slovene writer and politician. Together with Josip Jurčič, he is considered the most important representative of literary realism in Slovene.
Biography
Kersnik was born in Brdo Ma ...
,
Anton Aškerc
Anton Aškerc (; 9 January 1856 – 10 June 1912) was an Slovenian poet and Roman Catholic priest who worked in Austria, best known for his epic poems.
Aškerc was born into a peasant family near the town of Rimske Toplice in the Duchy of Styr ...
,
Janez Trdina
Janez Trdina (29 May 1830 – 14 July 1905) was a Slovene writer and historian. The renowned author Ivan Cankar described him as the best Slovene stylist of his period. He was an ardent describer of the Gorjanci Ridge and of the Lower Carniolan ...
and
Ivan Tavčar.
He died in
Ljubljana
Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center.
During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...
after a period of serious mental illness, which included delusions of a religious nature. He was buried in the former
St. Christopher's Cemetery in the
Bežigrad district of Ljubljana.
The
Levstik Award
The Levstik Award ( sl, Levstikova nagrada) is a literary award in Slovenia awarded for achievements in children's literature. It has been bestowed since 1949 by the Mladinska Knjiga Publishing House, making it the first literary award established ...
for achievements in children's literature is named after him.
Levstik Award on Culture.si Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia site
/ref>
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levstik, Fran
1831 births
1887 deaths
People from the Municipality of Velike Lašče
Carniolan dramatists and playwrights
Carniolan philologists
Carniolan essayists
Slovenian literary critics
Young Slovenes politicians
Carniolan poets
19th-century Carniolan writers