Slovene historical fiction in form of historical tale (''zgodovinska povest'') or historical novel ('' zgodovinski roman'') is besides rural story the central national constitutive genre. Savica Waterfall

Epic poem

Slovene historical narratives started with the 500-line

epic poem An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. ...

The Baptism on the Savica ''The Baptism on the Savica'' ( sl, Krst pri Savici) is a long two-part epic- lyric poem written by the Slovene Romantic poet France Prešeren. According to the literary historian Marko Juvan, the work may be considered the Slovene national e ...

'' (''Krst pri Savici'') by

France Prešeren France Prešeren () (2 or 3 December 1800 – 8 February 1849) was a 19th-century Romantic Slovene poet whose poems have been translated into many languages.

in 1836, dealing with the defeat of the pagan Slovenes by the Christian

Slovenes The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( sl, Slovenci ), are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Slovenia, and adjacent regions in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Slovenes share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovene as their na ...

in the

Bohinj Bohinj (; german: Wochein), or the Bohinj Valley ( sl, Bohinjska dolina) or Bohinj Basin ( sl, Bohinjska kotlina), is a 20 km long and 5 km wide basin in the Julian Alps, in the Upper Carniola region of northwestern Slovenia. It is trav ...

valley in 772. Only the leader Črtomir remains alive. He finds out his betrothed Bogomila has been baptized and has gone to convent – she just kept the promise to St. Mary if her beloved Črtomir would survive the battle. Now Črtomir is easily persuaded to receive baptism at the Savica waterfall and becomes a Christian priest. Črtomir thematizes the basic Slovene national dilemma whether to stick to their own cultural identity or to accept and adopt the best from more industrious and successful neighbours. Jožef Žemlja's ''Sedem sinov'' followed 1843, printed in the newly introduced Illyric alphabet with hacheks, to more clearly demonstrate the inclusion of Slovene national epic into the South Slavic and

Pan-Slavic movement 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 rule ...

. Later, narrative in verse was sporadic. In epic poetry, Anton Aškerc (''

Primož Trubar Primož Trubar or Primus Truber () (1508 – 28 June 1586) was a Slovene Protestant Reformer of the Lutheran tradition, mostly known as the author of the first Slovene language printed book, the founder and the first superintendent of the Pro ...

: Zgodovinska pesnitev'', 1905, ''Mučeniki: Slike iz naše protireformacije'', 1906) is known for persistent interweaving of historical topics into his epic.

Historical drama

The historical tragedies by Friedrich Schiller were being translated from 1848 on, the original dramas by

Josip Jurčič Josip Jurčič (4 March 1844 – 3 May 1881) was a Slovene writer and journalist. He was born in Muljava, Austrian Empire (now part of the municipality of Ivančna Gorica, Slovenia)Levec, Fran. 1881. Josip Jurčič. ''Ljubljanski zvon'' 1(6) ( ...

(''Tugomer: Historična tragedija iz dobe bojev polabskih Slovenov s Franki'', 1876, ''Veronika Deseniška'', 1886) and Anton Medved (''Viljem Ostrovrhar'', 1894, ''Kacijanar'', 1895, ''Za pravdo in srce'', 1896) followed. Historical topic was essential for the first Slovene singspiel (spevoigra) Jamska Ivanka (1850) by Miroslav Vilhar, as well as for the first Slovene operas (''Teharski plemiči'' by

Anton Funtek Anton Funtek (30 October 1862 – 21 October 1932) was a Slovene writer, poet, editor and translator. Funtek was born in Ljubljana that was then part of the Austrian Empire, now the capital of Slovenia. He trained as a teacher and worked in L ...

and Benjamin Ipavec, 1890; ''Urh, grof celjski'' by Funtek and Viktor Parma, 1895). Some more historical dramas: Ana Wambrechtsamer, ''Za staro pravdo'' (1938), Ivan Mrak, ''Marija Tudor'' (1966), Metod Turnšek, ''Krst karantanskih knezov'' (1968), Jože Javoršek, ''Življenje in smrt Primoža Trubarja'' (1988), Miloš Mikeln, ''Knez Ulrik in husit ali Zvezde so mrzle'' (2006), Andrej Rozman Roza, ''Passion de Pressheren'' (2010). Josip jurcic

Historical tale and historical novel

The most influential form of historical literature was yet the historical narrative of various lengths. Throughout the 19th century the subtitle ''zgodovinska povest'' (historical tale) prevailed. Till 2008, 359 narratives, longer than 10.000 words, were published, with production peaks in the years 1905–10, 1925–35 and 1995–2000. 143 authors produced the volume of 26 billion words: historical narrative is the most prolific Slovene narrative genre, with the standard labelling ''zgodovinski roman'' (historical novel) since 1950. Franc Malavašič's ''Erazem iz Jame'' (1845), and Valentin Mandelc's ''Jela'' (1859) share the first place on the chronological list of texts. Several Walter-Scott-like historical novels were composed by the »Slovene

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

« Josip Jurčič who continuously produced this genre, beginning 1864 with ''Jurij Kozjak, slovenski janičar'', the story about Turkish invasions awarded at Mohorjeva publishing house. He is also the author of the first explicit Slovene historical novel ''Ivan Erazem Tattenbach: Historičen roman'' (1873). The Walter-Scottian demand to give stories local color resulted in easily identifiable domestic geographical location. Boj s Turki-Valvasor

Topics

The most widespread and prominent genre types are the novels and tales on Antiquity (Alojzij Carli Lukovič, ''Zadnji dnevi v Ogleju'', 1876,

Alojz Rebula Alojz Rebula (June 21, 1924 – October 23, 2018) was a Slovene writer, playwright, essayist, and translator, and a prominent member of the Slovene minority in Italy. He lived and worked in Villa Opicina in the Province of Trieste, Italy. He was ...

, ''V Sibilinem vetru'', 1968), the novels devoted to Slavic settlement and Christianization (Josip Jurčič, ''Slovenski svetec in učitelj'', 1886; Matija Prelesnik, ''Naš stari greh'', 1903; Fran S. Finžgar, ''Pod svobodnim soncem'', 1906), the chivalrous novels (Miroslav Malovrh's opus), the novels about the dukes of Celje (Fran Detela, ''Véliki grof'', 1885; ''Pegam in Lambergar'', 1991) who were seen as a questionable alternative to the ruling

Habsburg dynasty The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

, the stories about Turkish incursions (Jakob Sket, ''Miklova Zala'', 1884; Rado Murnik, ''Hči grofa Blagaja'', 1911–13) which helped to ignore domestic social conflicts, the religious battles between Catholics and Protestants (Anton Koder, ''Luteranci'', 1883, Andrej Budal, ''Križev pot Petra Kupljenika'', 1911, Ivan Pregelj, ''Bogovec Jernej'', 1923), peasant uprisings (Koder, ''Kmetski triumvirat'', 1884; Ivan Lah, ''Uporniki'', 1906, Ivan Pregelj, ''Tolminci'', 1915, ''Zadnji upornik'', 1918), Jože Pahor, ''Matija Gorjan'', 1940), local history (especially tales about Ljubljana, e.g.

Ivan Tavčar Ivan Tavčar () (28 August 1851 – 19 February 1923) was a Slovenian writer, lawyer, and politician. Biography Tavčar was born into the poor peasant family of Janez and Neža née Perko in the Carniolan village of Poljane near Škofja Loka ...

, ''Janez Sonce'', 1885), secret societies (Malovrh, ''Osvetnik'', 1906, Igor Škamperle, ''Kraljeva hči'', 1997), witches (Emil Vodeb, ''Libera nos a malo'', 1911, Ivan Tavčar, ''Visoška kronika'', 1919) and bandits (Jurčič, ''Rokovnjači'', 1884), Uskoki (Malovrh, ''Strahovalci dveh kron'', 1907; Lea Fatur, ''Za Adrijo!'', 1909), The Illyrian provinces, governed by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

(Fatur, ''Komisarjeva hči'', 1910; Ivan Lah, ''Brambovci'', 1911), family saga (Bogdan Novak, ''Lipa zelenela je'', 1990–2000), and the most frequent of all,

biographical novel The biographical novel is a genre of novel which provides a fictional account of a contemporary or historical person's life. Like other forms of biographical fiction, details are often trimmed or reimagined to meet the artistic needs of the fict ...

(Jakob Bedenek, ''Od pluga do krone'', 1891, about the mathematician Jurij Vega). The most prolific writers were Mimi Malenšek, Ivan Sivec,

Anton Slodnjak Anton Slodnjak (, June 13, 1899 – March 13, 1983) was a Slovene literary historian, critic, writer, Prešeren scholar, and academy member. Slodnjak was a full member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU) from 1967, and a corre ...

with their biographical novels,

France Bevk France Bevk () (17 September 1890 – 17 September 1970) was a Slovene writer, poet and translator. He also wrote under the pseudonym Pavle Sedmak. Biography Bevk was born in the mountain village of Zakojca (Coizza during Italian rule, now p ...

, Ilka Vašte. Ivan Pregelj, Josip Jurčič, Fran S. Finžgar, Ivan Tavčar, and

Vladimir Bartol Vladimir Bartol (24 February 1903 – 12 September 1967) was a writer from the Slovene minority in Italy. He is best known for his 1938 novel '' Alamut'', the most popular work of Slovene literature around the world, which has been translated int ...

succeeded to become classics. Among modern authors,

Drago Jančar Drago Jančar (born 13 April 1948) is a Slovenian writer, playwright and essayist. Jančar is one of the most well-known contemporary Slovene writers. In Slovenia, he is also famous for his political commentaries and civic engagement. Jančar's n ...

is internationally known. The writers of Slovene historical fiction were eager to show their historical erudition. They studied

historical documents Historical documents are original documents that contain important historical information about a person, place, or event and can thus serve as primary sources as important ingredients of the historical methodology. Significant historical documen ...

vigorously. Their most exploited historical sources were

Johann Weikhard von Valvasor Johann Weikhard Freiherr von Valvasor or Johann Weichard Freiherr von Valvasor ( sl, Janez Vajkard Valvasor, ) or simply Valvasor (baptised on 28 May 1641 – September or October 1693) was a natural historian and polymath from Carniola, pr ...

(''Die Ehre des Herzogthums Crain'', 1689), August Dimitz (''Geschichte Krains von der ältesten Zeit bis auf das Jahr 1813'', 1874–76) and Ivan Vrhovnik.

Heroes

The purpose of the historical narrative was to constitute a Slovene national hero. The archetypal hero, ''

Martin Krpan Martin Krpan is a fictional character created on the basis of the Inner Carniolan oral tradition by the 19th-century Slovene writer Fran Levstik in the short story ''Martin Krpan from Vrh pri Sveti Trojici'' ( sl, Martin Krpan z Vrha pri Sveti ...

'' (1858) by

Fran Levstik 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 18 ...

is a smuggler who helped the Austrian emperor to get rid of the dangerous enemy Brdavs, for which he is rewarded with the licence for transport business, thus being socially promoted from peasantry to middle class. The tale doesn't fit into the frames of historical fiction, yet and could be described as a genre antecedent. Ferdo Kočevar's ''Mlinarjev Janez'' (1859), an alternative to Krpan, who seemed not to profit enough for his contribution, rose from peasantry to nobility. Heroes (the rebel knight Erazem, the Protestant preacher Jernej Knafelj, the mythical king Kralj Matjaž etc.) were usually less successful in resolving social conflicts than heroines (e.g. ''Sabinka, slovenska junakinja'', 1876). Historical fiction presented the Slovenes in relation to other nations and offered them different strategies for dealing with the Other: the elimination of the Other (which happened seldom – due to the insignificant social power of the nation), ignoring the Other (this strategy was promoted by the popular Catholic publishing house Mohorjeva), adaptation to the Other (e.g. Prešeren's model), or assimilation of the Other.

Formal features of historical fiction

The narrated time in Josip Jurčič's historical novels encompasses 3 years and in his historical tales 4,4 years, which doesn't comply with the theoretical postulate about novels which should present the whole hero's life and tales which should cover just a part of it. The length of historical narrative grew longer and longer, the average length is 71.700 words. Referring to the complete production till today, the writers from Styria decided twice more frequently for this genre compared to the writers from Carniola who preferred rural topics, and the share of women among writers was 3–4-times higher than in the rural story, still being 12% only. There are 6–9 settings (the characters of historical novels were considerably more mobile than the characters in rural stories) and 10–13 persons in each historical narrative. The direct speech encompasses 50% of the text, historical facts (persons of dates) are sometimes just mentioned, as in Jurčič's Lepa Vida (1877), and sometimes they occupy up to one third of a text (as in Ivan Erazem Tattenbach) due to erudite historical knowledge. 25% of texts in the corpus are literally subtitled as ''roman'' (novel) 38% are called ''povest'' (story or tale). The subtitle novel, when chosen to denotate narratives in the 19th century, applied to historical narratives in 60% cases.

Translated novels

Both the translated novels as well as the foreign-language novels were equally consumed by the 19th-century bilingual Slovene urban readers (i.e. Slovene- and German-speaking). Historical topics were introduced into the Slovene prose narrative in 1831 by Christoph von Schmid, however, it wasn't labelled as historical fiction but rather as a religious educational tale. Slavic writers were favoured till 1919: Michał Czajkowski, Henryk Sienkiewicz among the Poles, Prokop Chocholoušek, Alois Jirásek and Václav Beneš-Třebízský among the Czechs,

Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...

Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...

, Merezhkovsky among the Russians. Croatian books were read in the original version and weren't translated till the late 19th century: August Šenoa, Velemir Deželić, Evgen Tomić. As an exception, the popular non-Slavic writers Edward Bulwer-Lytton (''Rienzi'' and ''The last days of Pompei''), Michel Zévaco, Benjamin Disraeli and Alexandre Dumas were translated into Slovene. A few Slovene historical tales were translated into other languages: Josip Jurčič's '' Jurij Kozjak'' and ''Ivan Erazem Tattenbach'', Fran S. Finžgar's ''Pod svobodnim soncem'', Tavčar's '' Visoška kronika'', Jože Pahor's ''Serenissima'',

's '' Alamut'', Janez Jalen's ''Bobri'',

's '' Galjot'' and ''Katarina, pav in jezuit'', Florjan Lipuš, ''Stesnitev'', Dušan Merc's ''Galilejev lestenec'', Alojz Rebula's ''Maranatha ali Leto 999''.

Bibliography

*Miran Hladnik
Slovenski zgodovinski roman: Podatkovna zbirka
1999. he Slovene historical novel: Database* Miran Hladnik
Slovenski zgodovinski roman
(2009). he Slovene historical novel