Adela Žgur (22 October 1909 – 3 August 1992) was a Slovene academic, who prepared the first English textbooks for secondary students in Slovenia. Holding degrees in German and English language and literature, much of her published work was translation-based. During World War II, because of her work with the
Liberation Front, she was imprisoned. At the end of the war, she served as a translator at the Paris Peace Conference of 1946. In 1951, she was awarded a
Carnegie Fellowship
The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world.
Since its founding, the Carnegie Corporation has endowed or othe ...
and spent a year observing educational practices in the United States.
Early life
Adela Žgur was born on 22 October 1909 in
Komen
Komen (, or ''Comeno'') is a settlement in Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Komen. It is located on the Karst Plateau in the Slovenian Littoral.
Name
Komen was attested in written sources in 1247 as ''Cominum'' (and as ''Cumin'' ...
, in the
Austro-Hungarian Empire
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
to Ljudmila (née Šturm) and Franz Žgur. Her father was in the military and after her birth, the family lived in
Ljubljana
{{Infobox settlement
, name = Ljubljana
, official_name =
, settlement_type = Capital city
, image_skyline = {{multiple image
, border = infobox
, perrow = 1/2/2/1
, total_widt ...
. She attended schools in
Ferlach
Ferlach () in the district of Klagenfurt-Land District, Klagenfurt-Land in Carinthia is the southernmost town in Austria. It is known for its centuries-old gunsmith tradition, part of the Austrian intangible cultural heritage since 2010.
Geography ...
,
Prosecco
Prosecco (, ) is an Italian wine, Italian Denominazione di origine controllata#Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC), DOC or Denominazione di origine controllata#Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita (DOCG), DOCG white wine pro ...
and
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
, before entering the classical
Gymnasium in
Kranj
Kranj (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, fourth-largest city in Slovenia and the largest urban center of the traditional region of Upper Carniola (northwestern Slovenia) and the Slovene Alps. It is located approximately northwest o ...
in 1920. After completing her studies in 1928, Žgur enrolled in the Faculty of Arts at the
University of Ljubljana
The University of Ljubljana (, , ), abbreviated UL, is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. It has approximately 38,000 enrolled students. The university has 23 faculties and three art academies with approximately 4,000 teaching and re ...
to study German language and literature. She graduated with her
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
in 1932.
Career
Žgur taught as a substitute professor at the
normal school in Ljubljana from 1933 to 1936, when she took courses in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
at the
Goethe-Institut
The Goethe-Institut (; GI, ''Goethe Institute'') is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit German culture, cultural organization operational worldwide with more than 150 cultural centres, promoting the study of the German language abroad and en ...
. In 1937, she taught at the gymnasium in
Murska Sobota
Murska Sobota (, Slovenian abbreviation: ''MS'' ; ;''Radkersburg und Luttenberg'' (map, 1:75,000). 1894. Vienna: K.u.k. Militärgeographisches Institut. ) is a town in northeastern Slovenia. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Murska Sob ...
for a year and then at the gymnasium of
Maribor
Maribor ( , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is the seat of the ...
until 1939, when she attended
Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
on a scholarship from the
British Council
The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...
. Returning to Ljubljana, she taught at the Girl's Gymnasium until May, 1943, when she was imprisoned for collaboration with the Liberation Front. After serving time in prisons in Ljubljana and Trieste, she returned to her teaching post, simultaneously serving as editor for the first Slovene secondary school textbooks for English grammar. In 1945 and 1946, she worked as a translator at the
Paris Peace Conference Agreements and declarations resulting from meetings in Paris include:
Listed by name
Paris Accords
may refer to:
* Paris Accords, the agreements reached at the end of the London and Paris Conferences in 1954 concerning the post-war status of Germ ...
and then between 1947 and 1948 she served as a delegate of the
Yugoslav Red Cross to secure repatriation of Yugoslav children who were residing in
the British zone of Austria. In 1949, Žgur was appointed by the Ministry of Education of the
People's Republic of Slovenia as an inspector for foreign languages.
In 1950, Žgur, who had returned to school to study English language and literature, earned her second degree, and was hired as a German-language proofreader in the Arts Faculty of the University of Ljubljana. She was promoted to
lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...
and awarded a
Carnegie Fellowship
The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world.
Since its founding, the Carnegie Corporation has endowed or othe ...
in 1951, spending a year observing educational practices in the United States. From 1952 to 1958, she was the English language lecturer at the University of Ljubljana, and then in 1960 Žgur became a
senior lecturer. She was promoted to professor in 1975 and remained in that post until her retirement in 1977.
Death and legacy
Žgur died on 3 August 1992 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, a year after the country
seceded
Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal is the c ...
from Yugoslavia.
Selected works
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References
Citations
Bibliography
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Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Zgur, Adela
1909 births
1992 deaths
University of Ljubljana alumni
Academic staff of the University of Ljubljana
Slovenian translators
20th-century Slovenian women
Yugoslav translators
Yugoslav women writers