Petrica Kerempuh is a literary character who appears in a number of Croatian and

former Yugoslav Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

works, but is most famous for his appearance in the critically lauded '' The Ballads of Petrica Kerempuh'' by Croatian author

Miroslav Krleža Miroslav Krleža (; 7 July 1893 – 29 December 1981) was a Yugoslav and Croatian writer who is widely considered to be the greatest Croatian writer of the 20th century. He wrote notable works in all the literary genres, including poetry (''Ba ...

, who wrote in the

Kajkavian dialect Kajkavian (Kajkavian noun: ''kajkavščina''; Shtokavian adjective: ''kajkavski'' , noun: ''kajkavica'' or ''kajkavština'' ) is a South Slavic regiolect or language spoken primarily by Croats in much of Central Croatia, Gorski Kotar and nort ...

. Petrica Kerempuh is a prophet of the people and a cynical commentator on contemporary events. The name is derived from the dialectical word ''kerempuh'', meaning "belly" or "abdomen", with a figurative meaning suggesting a person of cunning or a merrymaker. The earliest origins appear to be from Jakob Lovrenčić's printing of the book ''Petrica Kerempuh iliti čini i življenje človeka prokšenoga'' ("Petrica Kerempuh or the Life of a Prodigal Man") in 1834, which is a translation of a German book on the travels and adventures of

Till Eulenspiegel Till Eulenspiegel (; nds, Dyl Ulenspegel ) is the protagonist of a German chapbook published in 1515 (a first edition of ca. 1510/12 is preserved fragmentarily) with a possible background in earlier Middle Low German folklore. Eulenspiegel is a ...

. In 1936, Krleža published ''The Ballads of Petrica Kerempuh'' 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 are ...

and it was received very well. The book went on to be considered an important moment in 20th-century Central European literature, emblematic of the best the region had to offer. Through the character, Krleža voiced his opposition to the centuries-old oppression of the people. Kerempuh is often considered to be a

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 compris ...

version of the original

tales, as well as the Hungarian tales of Mátyás Garabonciás Diák, which was worked on by Tituš Brezovački. Another example of the character appears in Dragutin Domjanić's little-known "puppet game" ''Petrica Kerempuh i spametni osel'' ("Petrica Kerempuh and the Smart Ass"), in which he critically and satirically describes Croatian intellectuals of the 1920s. Apart from being a literary character, Petrica Kerempuh has also come to life in the theater.http://www.tportal.hr/kultura/kazaliste/46572/Petrica-Kerempuh-prosetao-centrom-Zagreba.html Preuzeto 23. prosinca 2011. There is a sculpture of Petrica Kerempuh by the sculptor Vanja Radauš, erected in 1955, located at the

Dolac Market Dolac () is a farmers' market located in Gornji Grad - Medveščak city district of Zagreb, Croatia. Dolac is the most visited and the best known farmer's market in Zagreb, well known for its combination of traditional open market with stalls an ...

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

. North of Dolac is Petrica Kerempuh's Square, where flowers are sold.

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{{authority control Literary characters Croatian literature