Antun "Ante" Kovačić (June 6, 1854 – March 10, 1889) was a Croatian writer who is best known for his

magnum opus A masterpiece, , or ; ; ) is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, skill, profundity, or workmanship. Historically, ...

work ''

U registraturi U, or u, is the twenty-first letter and the fifth vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet and the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''u'' (pronounced ) ...

''.

Biography

Early life

Born to a family of Croatian peasants in

Hrvatsko Zagorje Hrvatsko Zagorje (; Croatian Zagorje; ''zagorje'' is Croatian language, 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 mount ...

, Kovačić made his way through

law school A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for b ...

to become an attorney. He was born in Celine Goričke, a village near

Marija Gorica Marija Gorica () is a municipality in western Zagreb County of Croatia on the border with Slovenia. History The name of the settlement is derived from the patron saint of the parish church, which is dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Vir ...

. His parents were Ana Vugrinec and Ivan Kovačić (1826–1906). They were married in

. Ivan was also called Janko and dreamed that Ante would become a priest. In 1857, Ante and his parents went to Oplaznik.

Later life

Kovačić began to write in 1875. While his early works have Romantic tendencies, in later years he was influenced by Realist literature. His stories and novels often had strong satiric overtones and represent harsh criticism to injustice in Croatian society of his time. One of his novels, '' Među žabari'', remained unfinished because citizens of

Karlovac Karlovac () is a city in central Croatia. In the 2021 census, its population was 49,377. Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County. The city is located southwest of Zagreb and northeast of Rijeka, and is connected to them via the ...

protested after reading its first paragraphs in a local newspaper. The best known work of Ante Kovačić is semi-autobiographic novel ''

'' (1888). In it he expressed great deal of

sympathy Sympathy is the perception of, understanding of, and reaction to the Mental distress, distress or need of another life form. According to philosopher David Hume, this sympathetic concern is driven by a switch in viewpoint from a personal perspe ...

for common Croatian people, most notably

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...

s whom he saw as superior to

snob ''Snob'' is a pejorative term for a person who feels superior due to their social class, education level, or social status in general;De Botton, A. (2004), ''Status Anxiety''. London: Hamish Hamilton it is sometimes used especially when they pr ...

bish citizenry. Kovačić was known as a staunch supporter of

Ante Starčević Ante Starčević ( ; 23 May 1823 – 28 February 1896) was a Croatian politician and writer. His policies centered around Croatian state law, the integrity of Croatian lands, and the right of Croats, his people to self-determination. As an import ...

and his

Croatian Party of Rights The Croatian Party of Rights (, HSP) is an Extra-parliamentary opposition, extra-parliamentary Croatian nationalism, nationalist and Neo-fascism, neo-fascist List of political parties in Croatia, political party in Croatia. The word "right(s)" i ...

. As such he was bitterly opposed to

Ivan Mažuranić Ivan Mažuranić (; 11 August 1814 – 4 August 1890) was a Croatian poet, linguist, lawyer and politician who is considered to be one of the most important figures in Croatia's political and cultural life in the mid-19th century. Mažuranić se ...

and wrote literal travesty of Mažuranić's poem ''

The Death of Smail-aga Čengić ''The Death of Smail-aga Čengić'' () is an epic poem by Croatian poet Ivan Mažuranić during 1845 and first published in the almanac ''Iskra'' for 1846. It is based on the real events of the murder of Bosnian Ottoman army general ('' aga'') ...

''. In his later years, Kovačić began to show symptoms of

mental disorder A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

which gradually affected his work, including the last chapters of ''U registraturi''. ''U registraturi'', combining biting social satire, naturalist descriptions of Croatian bureaucracy and peasantry, as well as fascination with the

supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

inherited from

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

, nevertheless remained the most powerful 19th century Croatian novel and one of the most enduring novels in Croatian history. In 1974 it was adapted into popular television mini-series starring

Rade Šerbedžija Rade Šerbedžija ( sr-Cyrl, Раде Шербеџија, ; born 27 July 1946) is a Croatian actor, director and musician. He is known for his portrayals of imposing figures on both sides of the law. He was one of the best known Yugoslav actors ...

Death

Kovačić died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

psychiatric hospital A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe Mental disorder, mental disorders. These institutions cater t ...

in Vrapče,

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

. He was insane at the moment of his death. He was buried at

Mirogoj Cemetery The Mirogoj City Cemetery (, ), also known as Mirogoj Cemetery (), is a cemetery park that is considered to be among the more noteworthy landmarks in the city of Zagreb. The cemetery inters members of all religious groups: Catholic, Orthodox, M ...

Family

Kovačić's wife was called Milka Hajdin, with whom he had six children. Ante and Milka were married in Mala Gorica. Their daughters Olga and Marija were teachers, while their son Krešimir was a journalist, who died in 1960.Krešimir Kovačić
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Works

*''Zagorski čudak'' *'' Fiškal'' *'' Smrt babe Čengićkinje'' *'' Baruničina ljubav'' *'' Među žabari'' *''

Sources

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kovacic, Ante 1854 births 1889 deaths Croatian nationalists Croatian novelists Croatian male novelists Croatian lawyers Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery Deaths from pneumonia in Austria-Hungary People with schizophrenia 19th-century novelists 19th-century Croatian male writers 19th-century Croatian writers Lawyers with disabilities Writers from Austria-Hungary Lawyers from Austria-Hungary