Tone Polda (a.k.a. Anton Polda, June 4, 1917 – June 23, 1945) was a Slovenian Roman Catholic priest, poet, and writer. Polda was born in Krnica. After completing his studies in theology in Ljubljana, he was ordained a priest in 1943. In September of the same year, he survived the

Partisan Partisan may refer to: Military * Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line Films * ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film * ''Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also know ...

siege at

Turjak Castle Turjak Castle (; sl, grad Turjak or ''turjaški grad'', german: Burg Ursperg, later ''Burg Auersperg'') is a 13th-century castle located above the settlement of Turjak, part of the municipality of Velike Lašče in the Lower Carniola region of ...

and then became a curate for the

Slovene Home Guard The Slovene Home Guard ( sl, Slovensko domobranstvo, SD; german: Slowenische Landeswehr) was a Slovene anti- Partisan military organization that was active during the 1943–1945 German occupation of the formerly Italian-occupied Province of Lju ...

. Before the end of the war, he retreated to

Carinthia Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German language, German. Its regional dialects belong to t ...

, but he was returned from the camp at Viktring by British forces. He was then imprisoned in the

Teharje camp The Teharje camp ( sl, taborišče Teharje) was a concentration camp near Teharje, Slovenia, organised by the Yugoslav secret police (OZNA) after the end of World War II in Yugoslavia. It was primarily used for the internment of Slovene Home Guar ...

, which he managed to escape from. He was shot while on the run in the forest on Mount Mrzlica above

Hrastnik Hrastnik (, German: ''Hrastnigg'') is a town in the Central Sava Valley in central Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Hrastnik. The area is part of the traditional region of Styria. The entire municipality is now included in the Centr ...

. Polda contributed poems and short prose to manuscript publications and the anthologies ''Jutranja zarja'', ''Domače vaje'', and ''Mlada setev'', and he also published in the magazines ''Vrtec'', ''Kres'', and ''Naša zvezda''. In his material and expression, he drew from the writings of

Fran Saleški Finžgar Fran Saleški Finžgar (February 9, 1871 – June 2, 1962) was perhaps the most popular Slovene folk writer. He is particularly known for his novels and short stories, although he also wrote poems and plays. Life Fran Saleški Finžgar was born ...

and

Janez Jalen Janez Jalen (26 May 1891 – 12 April 1966) was a Slovene writer and priest. Life Janez Jalen was born into a rural family in the Upper Carniolan village of Rodine. His father awakened in him a great interest in nature early on in his life. ...

, which is why images from peasant life and stories with a contemporary Christian theme dominate among his sketches and novellas. His selected work was published in 1996 in the volume ''Moja Krnica''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Polda, Tone 1917 births 1945 deaths Prisoners who died in Yugoslav detention Ethnic Slovene people Slovenian poets 20th-century Slovenian writers 20th-century Slovenian Roman Catholic priests