Oton Župančič
Oton Župančič | |
---|---|
Born | Vinica, Duchy of Carniola, Austria-Hungary (now in Slovenia) | January 23, 1878
Died | June 11, 1949 Ljubljana, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia | (aged 71)
Occupation |
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Genre | plays, lyrical poetry |
Literary movement | Symbolism, Modernism |
Oton Župančič (January 23, 1878 – June 11, 1949, pseudonym Gojko[1]) was a Slovene poet, translator, and playwright. He is regarded, alongside Ivan Cankar, Dragotin Kette and Josip Murn, as the beginner of modernism in Slovene literature. In the period following World War I, Župančič was frequently regarded as the greatest Slovenian poet after Prešeren,[2] but in the last forty years his influence has been declining and his poetry has lost much of its initial appeal.[3][4]
Biography
He was born Oton Zupančič in the village of
In 1900, he returned to Ljubljana, where he taught as a substitute teacher at the
During the
His older son
Work
Župančič published his first collection of poems in 1899 under the title Čaša opojnosti (The Goblet of Inebriation). The collection, published at the same time and by the same publisher as Cankar's controversial book Erotika (Eroticism), was a compendium of poems from Župančič's earlier periods, when he was strongly influenced by the
Župančič's later poems showed little influence of decadentism, but remained close to a
The poetry collection that Župančič is best known for is the book of children's poetry Ciciban, published in 1915.
Župančič was also a prolific and talented translator. He is best known for his translations of the majority of
Župančič also wrote two plays, Noč za verne duše (A Night for Faithful Souls, 1904) and Veronika Deseniška (Veronika of Desenice, 1924), which were staged during the time when he headed the Drama Theater in Ljubljana.
In 1940, Župančič collaborated in the production of the documentary O, Vrba, which presented the Prešeren House, where the Slovene national poet France Prešeren was born, and his home village of Vrba.[18] The film was directed by Mario Förster and published after the war in 1945.[19] The house was presented by Fran Saleški Finžgar, who led its arrangement into a museum, and Župančič read Prešeren's poem "O Vrba". This is a rare preserved record of his voice.[19]
Controversies
Already during his lifetime, Župančič was frequently accused of being excessively pragmatic and a political opportunist.
Although Župančič remained a monarchist and Yugoslav nationalist until the
Influence and legacy
During most of his lifetime, Župančič was regarded as a great author. He enjoyed the status of the national poet second only to France Prešeren. In 1931, the French linguist Lucien Tesnière published a book on Župančič (Oton Joupantchhitch: poète slovène. L'homme et l'oeuvre), which was important for the popularization of Župančič's poetry in France. During his lifetime, his works were only translated into French and Serbo-Croatian. Translations into German, English, Hungarian (by Sándor Weöres), Macedonian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Czech, and Slovak have been published since. Slovene composer Breda Šček set Župančič's works to music.[27]
Župančič has had relatively little influence on the younger generations of Slovene authors. Nevertheless, many of his verses and utterances have become catchphrases or common cultural references. Today, he is still very popular as an author of children's literature. His collection of children's poetry called Ciciban (also known as Mehurčki 'Bubbles') has been published in more than 30 editions since it was first issued in 1915.
Numerous streets, public buildings, and institutions in Slovenia, Serbia (mostly in Autonomous Province of Vojvodina) as well as in Slovene-inhabited areas of Italy and Austria are named after him.
Bibliography
Poetry collections:
- Čaša opojnosti (The Goblet of Inebriation, 1899)
- Čez plan (Over the Plain, 1904)
- Samogovori (Monologues, 1908)
- V zarje Vidove (In the Vitus Dawn, 1920)
- Zimzelen pod snegom (The Evergreen beneath the Snow, 1945)
Children's literature:
- Pisanice (Easter Eggs, 1900)
- Lahkih nog naokrog (Careless Wanderings, 1913)
- Sto ugank (A Hundred Riddles, 1915)
- Ciciban in še kaj (Ciciban and More, 1915)
Plays:
- Noč za verne duše (A Night for the Faithful Souls, 1904)
- Veronika Deseniška (Veronika of Desenice, 1924)
See also
- Slovenian literature
- Culture of Slovenia
References
- ^ Pogačnik, Jože. 1978. Parametri in paralele. Ljubljana: Partizanska knjiga, p. 115.
- ^ Fran Erjavec, Slovenija in Slovenci (Ljubljana: Slovenska straža, 1940)
- ^ Boštjan M. Turk, "Ob smrtni postelji: spregledani Oton Župančič", in Delo (September 4, 2004), 35
- ^ Kajetan Kovič, "Dialog z Župančičem" in Sodobnost, vol. 46, no. 6/7 (1998), 491–498
- ^ a b Stanko Janež (1971). Živan Milisavac (ed.). Jugoslovenski književni leksikon [Yugoslav Literary Lexicon] (in Serbo-Croatian). Novi Sad (SAP Vojvodina, SR Serbia): Matica srpska. pp. 597–598.
- ^ Janko Kos, Slovenska književnost (Ljubljana: Cankarjeva založba, 1982), 413
- ^ Janko Kos, ibid.
- ^ Janko Kos, Pregled slovenskega slovstva (Ljubljana: DZS, 1983), 267
- ^ Janko Kos, op.cit., 269
- ^ Janko Kos, ibid.
- ^ Janko Glazer, "Spremna beseda" in Oton Župančič, Izbrane pesmi (Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, 1963), 113
- ^ Janko Kos, op.cit., 267
- ^ Janko Kos, Slovenska književnost, op.cit., 414
- ^ Ženja Leiler et al., Slovenska kultura v XX. stoletju (Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga – Delo, 2002), 114
- ^ "Župančič, Oton, akademik (1878–1949)". Slovenska biografija. Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
- ^ Janko Kos, Pregled slovenskega slovstva, op.cit. 270
- ^ Literature in Context. Oton Župančič: recepcija doma Archived December 16, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- COBISS 899445. Archived from the original(PDF) on December 22, 2014.
- ^ a b "Filmi iz okupirane Ljubljane" [Films from the Occupied Ljubljana]. MMC RTV Slovenija. RTV Slovenija. May 9, 2008.
- ^ Janko Kos, "Prevrednotenje Otona Župančiča" in Nova revija, n. 198 (1998), 105–119
- ^ Fran Albreht, Kriza Ljubljanskega zvona (Ljubljana: Kritika, 1932)
- ^ Janko Kos, "Oton Župančič" in Slovenska kultura XX. stoletja, op.cit.
- ^ Drago Jančar, "Temna stran meseca" in Konec tisočletja, račun stoletja (Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, 1999)
- ^ Speech of Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša on the anniversary of the end of World War Two (May 2005) Archived March 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Božo Repe: Manipulacije s partizanskim pesnikom. Mladina 19. 8. 2016.
- ^ Janko Kos, "Oton Župančič" in Slovenska kultura XX. stoletja, op.cit.
- ^ "Šček, Breda (1893–1968) - Slovenska biografija". www.slovenska-biografija.si. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
Sources
- Janez Mušič, Oton Župančič: življenje in delo (Ljubljana: Mladika, 2007)
- Boštjan M. Turk, Recepcija bergsonizma na Slovenskem (Ljubljana: Filozofska fakulteta Univerze v Ljubljani, 1995)
Further reading
- France Bernik, Mladi Župančič med tradicijo in moderno (Ljubljana: Državna založba Slovenije, 1978)
- Andrej Capuder, Bergson in Župančič (Ljubljana: Univerza v Ljubljani, 1983)
- Jože Pogačnik, Ivan Cankar und Oton Župančič (Munich: Selbstverlag der Südosteuropa-Gesellschaft, 1991)
- Matevž Kos, Župančič in Nietzsche (Ljubljana: Slavistično društvo Slovenije, 2000)
- Dimitrij Rupel, Oton Župančič (Ljubljana: Delavska enotnost, 1978)
- Josip Vidmar, Oton Župančič (Ljubljana: Partizanska knjiga, 1978)