Eugen Kumicic
Encyclopedia
Eugen Kumičić was a prominent Croatia
n writer and politician.
, Mošćenička Draga
(now in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County
), a small town in Istria
, then part of the Austrian Empire
.
After majoring philosophy at the University of Vienna
, he returned to Croatia
and worked as a teacher in high schools in Split
, Zadar
and Zagreb
. From 1875 to 1878 he spent two years in Paris
and six months in Venice
, preparing for his French
and Italian
teaching examinations. While in France, he came into contact with naturalist
writing, primarily through the works of Émile Zola
.
Upon returning to Croatia, he spends the period from 1879 to 1883 teaching in a Zagreb high school. During that time, he becomes actively involved with the Croatian literary scene, as well as political activism. An ardent supporter of Ante Starčević
's political program, he quits the civil service in 1883 in order to pursue a political and literary career. Along with Matko Laginja
he launches the Primorac magazine in Kraljevica
. He also works as editor of the Croatian Party of Rights' magazines Hrvatska vila (1882–1883) and Hrvatska (1887–1888), and publishes essays, opinion pieces and short stories in them. In 1884 he was elected to Croatian Parliament and he spent most of his political career opposing the Hungarian nationalists.
to Croatian literature
in his novels dealing with urban life and Croatian history, but his efforts were often hampered by national romantic tendencies. Nevertheless, as he published an influential Zolaesque literary essay about the poetics of writing (O romanu, (Eng. On Novel)) in 1883, he was seen by his contemporaries as the pioneer of naturalist writing in Croatian literature.
His literary work is usually divided into three thematic periods: the first period of his writing is marked by novels and short stories that involve romanticized descriptions of hard working Istrians' life - primarily fishermen, farmers and seamen; the bulk of his next literary phase typically deals with urban settings (the so-called city novels), where his naturalist tendencies are most prominent and which mostly involve themes of financial and moral chaos that Croatian bourgeoisie
was depicted as caught up in. His last works were historical novel
s loosely based on important figures of Croatian history.
Short stories
Plays
Essays
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n writer and politician.
Biography
Kumičić was born in BrsečBrseč
Brseč is a village in Croatia. It is part of Mošćenička Draga municipality. It is connected by the D66 highway....
, Mošćenička Draga
Mošcenicka Draga
Mošćenička Draga is municipality in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. It has 1,641 inhabitants, 91.5% which are Croats. It is situated southwest of Opatija under the Mt. Učka. Center of municipality is former fishing village of Mošćenička Draga which is today an attractive tourist resort with two...
(now in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County
Primorje-Gorski Kotar County
Primorje-Gorski kotar County is a county in western Croatia that includes the Bay of Kvarner and the surrounding Northern Croatian seacoast, and the mountainous region of Gorski kotar...
), a small town in Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
, then part of the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
.
After majoring philosophy at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
, he returned to Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
and worked as a teacher in high schools in Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
, Zadar
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
and Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
. From 1875 to 1878 he spent two years in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and six months in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, preparing for his French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
teaching examinations. While in France, he came into contact with naturalist
Naturalism (literature)
Naturalism was a literary movement taking place from the 1880s to 1940s that used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character...
writing, primarily through the works of Émile Zola
Émile Zola
Émile François Zola was a French writer, the most important exemplar of the literary school of naturalism and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism...
.
Upon returning to Croatia, he spends the period from 1879 to 1883 teaching in a Zagreb high school. During that time, he becomes actively involved with the Croatian literary scene, as well as political activism. An ardent supporter of Ante Starčević
Ante Starcevic
Ante Starčević , was a Croatian politician and writer whose activities and works laid the foundations for the modern Croatian state.His works are base for Croatian nationalism, he is often referred to as Father of the Fatherland by Croats.-Life:...
's political program, he quits the civil service in 1883 in order to pursue a political and literary career. Along with Matko Laginja
Matko Laginja
Matko Laginja , was a Croatian lawyer and politician.He earned a doctorate in law in Graz...
he launches the Primorac magazine in Kraljevica
Kraljevica
Kraljevica is a town in the Kvarner region of the country of Croatia, located between Rijeka and Crikvenica, approximately thirty kilometers from Opatija and near the entrance to the bridge to the island of Krk...
. He also works as editor of the Croatian Party of Rights' magazines Hrvatska vila (1882–1883) and Hrvatska (1887–1888), and publishes essays, opinion pieces and short stories in them. In 1884 he was elected to Croatian Parliament and he spent most of his political career opposing the Hungarian nationalists.
Literary themes
He wrote many novels and short stories, mostly dealing with working class people in his native Istria. He also tried to introduce elements of naturalismNaturalism (literature)
Naturalism was a literary movement taking place from the 1880s to 1940s that used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character...
to Croatian literature
Croatian literature
Croatian literature is a definition given to the compilation of novels, dramas, short stories, poems and other various work of written kind entirely attributed to the medieval and modern culture of the Croats and the Croatian language....
in his novels dealing with urban life and Croatian history, but his efforts were often hampered by national romantic tendencies. Nevertheless, as he published an influential Zolaesque literary essay about the poetics of writing (O romanu, (Eng. On Novel)) in 1883, he was seen by his contemporaries as the pioneer of naturalist writing in Croatian literature.
His literary work is usually divided into three thematic periods: the first period of his writing is marked by novels and short stories that involve romanticized descriptions of hard working Istrians' life - primarily fishermen, farmers and seamen; the bulk of his next literary phase typically deals with urban settings (the so-called city novels), where his naturalist tendencies are most prominent and which mostly involve themes of financial and moral chaos that Croatian bourgeoisie
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
was depicted as caught up in. His last works were historical novel
Historical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
s loosely based on important figures of Croatian history.
Works
Novels- Olga i Lina (1881)
- Primorci (1882)
- Začuđeni svatovi (1883)
- Gospođa Sabina (1883)
- Sirota (1885)
- Teodora (1889)
- Urota Zrinsko-Frankopanska (1893)
- Kraljica Lepa ili propast kraljeva hrvatske krvi (1902)
Short stories
- Slučaj (1879)
- Jelkin bosiljak (1881)
- Neobični ljudi (1882)
- Ubilo ga vino (1884)
- Pod puškom (1886)
- Preko mora (1889)
- Saveznice (1889)
- Otrovana srca (1890)
- Broj 84 i 85 (1890)
- Crn Božić (1890)
- Tri mučenice (1890)
- Mladost-ludost (1891)
- Podijeljeni grobovi (1896)
Plays
- Sestre (1890)
- Obiteljska tajna (1890)
- Poslovi (1898)
- Petar Zrinski (1900)
Essays
- O romanu (1883)
- Ivan Turgenjev (1883)
- Zablude naše kritike (1890)
- Petar Zrinski, Fran Krsto Frankopan i njihovi klevetnici (1899)