Etela Božena Mačingová (2 June 1922–23 November 2017) was a Slovak writer, an author of books for children and young adults.

Biography

Mačingová was born and raised in

Košice Košice is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of approximately 230,000, Košice is the second-largest cit ...

. When

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

started, she was still a student. Soon after the outbreak of the war, Košice was occupied by the Hungarian forces and Mačingová had to flee the city. Until the end of the war she lived in

Prešov Prešov () is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is the seat of administrative Prešov Region () and Šariš. With a population of approximately 85,000 for the city, and in total more than 100,000 with the urban area, it is the second-largest city i ...

and

Veľký Šariš Veľký Šariš is a small town near Prešov in eastern Slovakia. The town is known as the site of the largest brewery in Slovakia – Šariš Brewery. Etymology The etymology of the name is uncertain. Hungarian historians and linguists prefer t ...

, where she met her husband, although she kept publishing her writings under her maiden name for the rest of the war. In 1950 Mačingová returned to Košice and started working as a clerk while producing plays for the public radio broadcaster

Slovenský Rozhlas Slovenský rozhlas (, ) or SRo was a state-owned nationwide public-service radio broadcaster in Slovakia. It was headquartered in Bratislava in a building shaped like an inverted pyramid, which currently serves as STVR radio's headquarters. Hi ...

. In 1952 she started working directly for Slovenský Rozhlas, where she was employed until her retirement in 1982. Mačingová spent her entire professional life in Košice with the exception of a short period in the 1950s, when her position at the Slovenský Rozhlas was moved to

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

. She died in Košice on 23 November 2017. She was 95 years old.

Publications

Most of Mačingová's writings were intended for children. Written under the pseudonyms Tetka Betka and Teta Božena (Auntie Betka, Aunt Božena), her children's stories often followed the structure of simple moral fables featuring

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...

animals, but commonly alluded to more complex social issues affecting children, such as conflicts between parents. Many of her writings are based on stories she invented for her own small children. The most popular of her children's books is ''Danuška'' (1962), which reflects the emotions of a small girl suffering due to her parents' marriage problems and poverty. The most influential of Mačingová's books for young adults is ''Bethka a Veterné Mesto'' (1983), which is partly autobiographical.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macingova, Bozena 1922 births 2017 deaths Writers from Košice 20th-century Slovak women writers 20th-century Slovak writers Slovak dramatists and playwrights People from Košice Slovak children's writers