Božena Slančíková (October 2, 1867, Polichno - November 27, 1951,

Lučenec Lučenec (; ; ; ; Lelkes György (1992), Magyar helységnév-azonosító szótár, Balassi Kiadó, Budapest, 508 p.) is a town in the Banská Bystrica Region of south-central Slovakia. Historically, it was part, and in the 18th century the capital ...

), better known by the pen name Timrava, was a Slovak novelist, short story writer and playwright. She also wrote under the name "Aunt Polichna". "Timrava" was taken from the name of a popular small lake with a fountain, where she liked to sit while writing.

Biography

She was born into the family of Paul Slančík, a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

and one of the co-founders of

Matica Slovenská Matica Slovenská (en. Slovak Matica) is the oldest Slovakia, Slovak national, Culture, cultural and scientific organization. The headquarters of Slovak Matica is the town of Martin, Slovakia as the center of the national culture of Slovak ...

. She had ten siblings of whom six survived to adulthood. At fifteen, she briefly attended a public boarding school at

Banská Bystrica Banská Bystrica (, also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in central Slovakia, located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Greater Fatra, Veľká Fatra, and t ...

, otherwise her education took place entirely at home, where she lived until her father's death in 1909.Introduction to "That Alluring Land" by N. Rudinsky Although she made several attempts to leave, she had little success finding a job. For three months, she was a companion to a wealthy widow in

Dolný Kubín Dolný Kubín (; also known by #Names, other names) is a town in northern Slovakia in the Žilina Region. It is the historical capital and the largest settlement of the Orava (region), Orava region. Names The name is derived from the archaic Slov ...

, and later became the caretaker of collections at the Slovak National Museum in

Martin Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * M ...

, but this also lasted only for a short time. After her father's death, she moved in with her mother, near her twin brother's

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, p ...

in the village of Ábelová, two miles west of Polichno. While at Martin, she had made the acquaintance of Elena Maróthy-Šoltésová, a member of the Slovak women's movement, who encouraged her to be a writer. Royalties, however, were slim and she was forced to take a position as a kindergarten teacher; a post she held from 1919-1929, when she retired. Her small pension was not sufficient and the royalties from her writing didn't increase, so she moved to

in 1945, to live with relatives. In 1947, she was awarded the title of "National Artist".

Writing

Although she lived in relative seclusion for her entire life, she had meetings with many eminent Slovak cultural figures such as the poet Kolomon Banšell, Ema Goldpergerová (one of the co-founders of the Slovak National Museum) and Olga Petianová ( Štefan Krčméry's mother). Her first works were issued in a handwritten journal called "Ratolest" (Sprig), produced together with her sister Irene. Satirical verses comprised most of her early works, but she eventually turned to novels and short stories, with an occasional play. Her writings describe people and their thoughts, as well as offering some critical commentary on political and ethnic issues. The stories usually take place in a village or small town in her native region, and many of them are based on her own experiences. Although love is often the principal motive in her stories, she never became sentimental, which was the tendency of most earlier Slovak prose.

In English

*''That Alluring Land : Slovak Stories'', translated and edited by Norma L. Rudinsky. University of Pittsburgh Press, (1992)

References

External links

DOKweb: ''My Aunty Timrava'' (documentary film)Timrava website
{{Authority control 19th-century Slovak women writers 19th-century Slovak writers Slovak feminists 1867 births 1951 deaths People from Lučenec District 20th-century Slovak women writers 20th-century Slovak writers Slovak women poets Women short story writers Slovak women novelists Writers from Austria-Hungary