Kristina Brenk née Vrhovec, also known as Kristina Brenkova (22 October 1911 – 20 November 2009) was a Slovene writer, poet, translator and editor, best known for her books for children. Brenk was born in

Horjul Horjul () is a small town in the Inner Carniola region of Slovenia. It is the administrative center of the Municipality of Horjul. It developed from a clustered village on the north side of the marshy valley of Horjulka Creek. It includes the hamle ...

in what was then

Austria-Hungary 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 ...

in 1911. She studied

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

and

pedagogy Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken as ...

at the

University of Ljubljana The University of Ljubljana ( sl, Univerza v Ljubljani, , la, Universitas Labacensis), often referred to as UL, is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. It has approximately 39,000 enrolled students. History Beginnings Although certain ...

and obtained her doctorate in 1939. 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 ...

she joined the Slovene Liberation Front. From 1949 until her retirement in 1973 she worked as an editor at the ''Mladinska Knjiga'' publishing house. In 1999 she received 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 her lifetime achievement in children's writing. She died in Ljubljana and is buried at

Žale Žale Central Cemetery ( sl, Centralno pokopališče Žale), often simply Žale, is the largest and the central cemetery in Ljubljana and Slovenia. It is located in the Bežigrad District and operated by the Žale Public Company. History The ce ...

. An award for Best Original Slovene Picture Book bestowed since 2003 by the Slovenian Publishers Association was named after Kristina Brenk from 2011 onwards.Bukla site Ljubljana Municipal Library
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Published works

* ''Košček sira'' (A Piece of Cheese), 1971 * ''Deklica Delfina in lisica Zvitorepka'' (The Girl Delphina and the Cunning Fox), 1972 * ''Prva domovina'' (First Motherland), 1973 * ''Kruh upanja'' (Bread of Hope), 1973 * ''Srebrna račka, zlata račka'' (Silver Duckling, Golden Duckling), 1975 * ''Čenča Marenča'' (Čenča Marenča), 1976 * ''Kako šteje Čenča Marenča'' (Čenča Marenča Counting), 1976 * ''Dobri sovaržnikov pes'' (The Enemy's Good Dog), 1980 * ''Hoja za bralci'' (Walking After Readers), 1980 * ''Babica v cirkusu'' (Grandma at the Circus), 1982 * ''Prigode koze Kunigunde'' (Tales of Cunigunda the Goat), 1984 * ''Moja dolina'' (My Valley), 1996 * ''Prišel je velikanski lev'' (The Giant Lion had Arrived), 2008

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brenk, Kristina Slovenian children's writers Slovenian poets Slovenian women poets Slovenian editors Slovenian women editors 1911 births 2009 deaths Levstik Award laureates University of Ljubljana alumni Slovenian women children's writers 20th-century poets 20th-century Slovenian women writers 20th-century Slovenian writers People from the Municipality of Horjul Yugoslav writers