Janko Matúška
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Janko Matúška (10 January 1821 – 11 January 1877) was an ethnic Slovak poet, activist, occasional playwright, and clerk of the court in the
Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...
. He is best known as the author of the Slovak national anthem, "
Nad Tatrou sa blýska "" (; ) is the national anthem of Slovakia. The origins of it are in the Central European activism of the 19th century. Its main themes are a storm over the Tatra mountains that symbolized danger to the Slovaks, and a desire for a resolution of ...
" ("Lightning over the Tatras"), based on the melody of a Slovak folk song, " Kopala studienku".


Life

Janko Matúška was born into a craftsman's family 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 ...
, then part of the Kingdom of Hungary. He began to attend school there, then probably at the ''Gymnázium'' of Gemer (Sajógömör) and finally he studied at the prestigious Lutheran
Lyceum The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Basic science and some introduction to ...
of
Pressburg 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. ...
(preparatory high school and college) where he took courses in the Institute of Czechoslovak Language and Literature while majoring in theology.
Ľudovít Štúr Ľudovít Štúr (; 28 October 1815 – 12 January 1856), also known as Ľudovít Velislav Štúr, was a Slovak revolutionary, politician, and writer. As a leader of the Slovak nationalism, Slovak national revival in the 19th century and the c ...
, the only professor teaching courses offered by the institute at that time, was fired in December 1843 under pressure from the kingdom's authorities, who objected to his pro-Slovak activism. 23-year-old Janko Matúška wrote "Lightning over the Tatras" when he and other students were agitated about the subsequent repeated denials of their appeals to the school board to reverse Štúr's dismissal. About two dozen students, including Matúška, decided to leave the ''lýceum'' in protest in March 1844. Matúška went to take his final exams at the Lutheran ''
gymnázium ''Gymnasium'' (and variations of the word) is a term in various European languages for a secondary school that prepares students for higher education at a university. It is comparable to the US English term '' preparatory high school'' or th ...
'' in Tisovec (Tiszolc). He lived in Orava (Árva) for most of his adult life, and stopped writing after the
Hungarian Revolution of 1848 The Hungarian Revolution of 1848, also known in Hungary as Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence of 1848–1849 () was one of many Revolutions of 1848, European Revolutions of 1848 and was closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in ...
. He worked in government offices after 1850, and was Clerk of the County Court in Dolný Kubín from 1870 to 1875. He died the day after his 56th birthday and was buried in Dolný Kubín.


Works

He started writing at the lyceum. He focused on poetry, especially ballads and fables. He also wrote some prose and drama and translated from Polish, for instance ''
Dziady Dziady ( "grandfathers, eldfathers", sometimes translated as Forefathers' Eve) is a term in Slavic folklore for the spirits of the ancestors and a collection of pre-Christian rites, rituals and customs that were dedicated to them. The essence o ...
'' by
Adam Mickiewicz Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. He also largely influenced Ukra ...
.


Poetry

* 1844 - ''Nad Tatrou sa blýska'' * ''Púchovská skala'' * ''Svätý zákon'' * ''Hrdoš'' * ''Sokolíček plavý'' * ''Preletel sokolík nad tichým Dunajom'' * ''Slepý starec'' * ''Po dolinách'' * ''Vzdychy spod Lysice'' * ''Kozia skala''


Prose

* ''Zhoda liptovská'' (novella)


Selections and collections

* 1921 - ''Janka Matúšku Zobrané spisy básnické'' * 1971 - ''Piesne a báje'', selection from poetry, prose and drama


Drama

* 1846 - ''Siroty''


References


External links

*
Janko Matúška at Osobnosti.sk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matuska, Janko 1821 births 1877 deaths People from Dolný Kubín Slovak poets National anthem writers Poets from the Austrian Empire Poets from Austria-Hungary