Ľudmila Podjavorinská was a

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

used by Ľudmila Riznerová (26 April 1872 – 2 March 1951), a Slovak writer considered to be the first important woman poet for her country but best known for her children's books. She wrote under a number of different pen names, including Božena, Damascena, Ľ. Šeršelínová, Ľ. Špirifangulínová, Ľudka and Ľudmila. The daughter of Karol Rizner, a teacher, she was born in the village of Bzince pod Javorinou. Her uncle Ľudovít Rizner encouraged her to submit her first writing to newspapers for publication. Podjavorinská had three contemporary women writers as mentors: Terézia Vansová, Elena Maróthy-Šoltésová and Božena Slančíková. She contributed to various Slovak periodicals and translated Russian poetry into Slovak. She stayed in her home town until 1910, when she moved to

Nové Mesto nad Váhom Nové Mesto nad Váhom (; ; ) is a town in the Trenčín Region of Slovakia. Geography District town located at the northern edge of the Danubian Hills at the foothills of the northern end of the White Carpathians, on the Váh river. Other moun ...

. For a short time around 1918, she was an official for the district

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

. Podjavorinská was a member of Živena, the first women's organization in Slovakia. In 1947, she was named a

National Artist National Artist is an honorary title issued by some states as the highest recognition of artists for their significant contributions to the cultural heritage of the nation. An equivalent title, People's Artist, has been known in countries of the ...

for Czechoslovakia. Podjavorinská died in Nové Mesto nad Váhom at the age of 78. A

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was named Podjavorinská in her honour.

Selected works

* ''Z vesny života'' ("From life's spring"), poetry (1895) * ''V otroctve'' ("In slavery"), novel (1905) * ''Žena'' ("Woman"), novel (1909) * ''Baránok boží'' ("Lamb of God"), short story about a severely abused child's tragic death (1932) * ''Kytka veršov pre slovenské dietky'' ("A bouquet of poems for Slovak children"), children's poetry (1920) * ''Balady'' ("Ballads"), poetry (1930) * ''Veršíky pre maličkých'' ("Verses for little ones"), children's poetry (1930) * ''Medový hrniec'' ("Pot of honey"), children's poetry (1930) * ''Klásky'' ("Ears of grain"), children's poetry (1947)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Podjavorinska, Ludmila 1872 births 1951 deaths People from Nové Mesto nad Váhom District People from the Kingdom of Hungary 19th-century Slovak writers 20th-century Slovak writers Slovak children's writers Slovak poets Poets from Austria-Hungary Children's writers from Austria-Hungary Slovak novelists Slovak translators Slovak women children's writers Slovak women poets Slovak women novelists 19th-century pseudonymous writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers Pseudonymous women writers Writers from Austria-Hungary