France Bevk
Encyclopedia
France Bevk (17 September 1890 – 17 September 1970) was a Slovene writer
, poet
and translator
. He also wrote under the pseudonym
Pavle Sedmak.
(now part of the municipality of Cerkno
) in the County of Gorizia and Gradisca of what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire, now in Slovenia
. He attended school in Kranj
, Koper and Gorizia
and became a teacher in the area of the Slovene Littoral. During the First World War he was a soldier on the Eastern Front
and for a while at an military school
in Hungary
.
After the war he worked for various newspapers in Ljubljana
. In 1920 he moved to Gorizia
dedicating himself to cultural and political activism in the Slovene Littoral, then under Ital
ian rule. He was frequently prosecuted by Italian Fascist
authorities and interned for his activities. In 1935 he had to leave the Julian March
and moved to Ljubljana, in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
. There, he came in contact with the vibrant cultural life of the Slovenian capital, becoming friends with figures such as the painter Zoran Mušič
, writer Vladimir Bartol
, political activist and author Lavo Čermelj
, literary critic Josip Vidmar
and art historian France Stele.
After the Axis
invasion of Yugoslavia
in April 1941, he was imprisoned by the Italian occupation authorities due to his public Anti-Fascist stance. In 1943, he escaped from prison and joined the Yugoslav Partisans. After the end of World War II
, he moved to Trieste
and later back to Ljubljana. In 1953 he became a member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts
. He received the Prešeren Award
, the most prestigious award for artistic achievements in Slovenia, twice, in 1949 and in 1954. He died in Ljubljana on his 80th birthday.
editor Zofka Kveder
. In his early poems, Bevk was influenced by the vitalist poetry of Oton Župančič
and Maurice Maeterlinck
. After the experience of World War I
, he came under the influence of Christian expressionism
which represented a strong literary and artistic current in interwar Slovenia. Some of its most talented representatives, such as the poet Joža Lovrenčič and Ivan Pregelj
, came from Bevk's native region of Goriška
. At first, he followed their examples, but later moved to social realism
. He became known in the 1930s with his novels describing the struggle of the Slovene people from the Julian March
to maintain their identity against the Fascist Italianization. His best-known work was the novel Kaplan Martin Čedermac (The Vicar Martin Čedermac), in which he described the inner struggles of a Roman Catholic priest in the westernmost Slovene ethnic region known as Venetian Slovenia
. The novel was published under a pseudonym by the prestigious publishing house Slovenska matica
in 1938 and soon became a best-seller. The term Čedermac is still used in Slovene to refer to the Roman Catholic clergy in the Slovene Littoral that struggled to defend the Slovene identity of their flock under the Italian Fascist regime.
Later in his life, Bevk devoted himself largely to children's literature
. He was a very prolific author: when a complete bibliography was made on the occasion of his 70th birthday, it was determined that Bevk had written over 100 books.
is named after him, as well as the central square in the town.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
. He also wrote under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Pavle Sedmak.
Biography
Bevk was born in the mountain village of ZakojcaZakojca
Zakojca is a settlement in the Cerkno municipality in the Goriška region of Slovenia.It is best known as the birthplace of the writer France Bevk and the house in which he was born is a small ethnologic and literary history museum with exhibits mostly related to Bevk, his life and work.-External...
(now part of the municipality of Cerkno
Cerkno
Cerkno is a small town and a municipality in the Littoral region of Slovenia.It has around 2,000 inhabitants and is the administrative centre of the Cerkno hills...
) in the County of Gorizia and Gradisca of what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire, now in Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. He attended school in Kranj
Kranj
' is the third largest municipality and fourth largest city in Slovenia, with a population of 54,500 . It is located approximately 20 km north-west of Ljubljana...
, Koper and Gorizia
Gorizia
Gorizia is a town and comune in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, and it is a local center of tourism, industry, and commerce. Since 1947, a twin...
and became a teacher in the area of the Slovene Littoral. During the First World War he was a soldier on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War I)
The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theatres strongly influenced each other...
and for a while at an military school
Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School or Officer Cadet School are institutions which train civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country....
in Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
.
After the war he worked for various newspapers in Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
. In 1920 he moved to Gorizia
Gorizia
Gorizia is a town and comune in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, and it is a local center of tourism, industry, and commerce. Since 1947, a twin...
dedicating himself to cultural and political activism in the Slovene Littoral, then under Ital
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
ian rule. He was frequently prosecuted by Italian Fascist
Italian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
authorities and interned for his activities. In 1935 he had to leave the Julian March
Julian March
The Julian March is a former political region of southeastern Europe on what are now the borders between Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy...
and moved to Ljubljana, in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
. There, he came in contact with the vibrant cultural life of the Slovenian capital, becoming friends with figures such as the painter Zoran Mušič
Zoran Mušic
Zoran Mušič was a Slovenian painter. He spent half of his life living and working in Italy.-Life:Zoran Mušič was born in a Slovene-speaking family in Bukovica, a village in the Vipava Valley near Gorizia, in what was then the Austrian County of Gorizia and Gradisca...
, writer Vladimir Bartol
Vladimir Bartol
Vladimir Bartol was a Slovene writer, most famous for his novel Alamut. Alamut was published in 1938 and translated into numerous languages, becoming the most popular work of Slovene literature around the world.-Biography:Bartol was born on February 24, 1903 in San Giovanni , a suburb of the...
, political activist and author Lavo Čermelj
Lavo Cermelj
Lavo Čermelj, Italianized in Lavo Cermeli was a Slovene physicist, political activist, publicist and author...
, literary critic Josip Vidmar
Josip Vidmar
Josip Vidmar was a prominent Slovenian literary critic and essayist. Vidmar is remembered because of his role in the Slovenian resistance during World War II, and for his influence in the cultural policies of the Titoist regime in Slovenia from the mid 1950s to the mid 1970s.He was born in...
and art historian France Stele.
After the Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
invasion of Yugoslavia
Invasion of Yugoslavia
The Invasion of Yugoslavia , also known as the April War , was the Axis Powers' attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II...
in April 1941, he was imprisoned by the Italian occupation authorities due to his public Anti-Fascist stance. In 1943, he escaped from prison and joined the Yugoslav Partisans. After the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he moved to Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
and later back to Ljubljana. In 1953 he became a member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts is the national academy of Slovenia, which encompasses science and the arts and brings together the top Slovene researchers and artists as members of the academy....
. He received the Prešeren Award
Prešeren Award
Prešeren Award is the highest decoration in the field of artistic and in the past also scientific creation in Slovenia awarded each year to one or two eminent Slovene artists...
, the most prestigious award for artistic achievements in Slovenia, twice, in 1949 and in 1954. He died in Ljubljana on his 80th birthday.
Work
Bevk started writing at the age of sixteen with encouragement from the influential feministFeminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
editor Zofka Kveder
Zofka Kveder
Zofka Kveder was writer, playwright, translator and journalist who wrote in Slovene and later in life also in Croatian. She is considered one of the first Slovene women writers and feminists...
. In his early poems, Bevk was influenced by the vitalist poetry of Oton Župančič
Oton Župancic
Oton Župančič was a Slovene poet, translator and playwright.Župančič is regarded, alongside Ivan Cankar, Dragotin Kette and Josip Murn, as the beginner of modernism in Slovenian literature...
and Maurice Maeterlinck
Maurice Maeterlinck
Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck, also called Comte Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911. The main themes in his work are death and the meaning of life...
. After the experience of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he came under the influence of Christian expressionism
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
which represented a strong literary and artistic current in interwar Slovenia. Some of its most talented representatives, such as the poet Joža Lovrenčič and Ivan Pregelj
Ivan Pregelj
Ivan Pregelj was a Slovene writer, playwright, poet, and critic.- Life :Pregelj was born to a tailor's family in Most na Soči . His father died while Pregelj was still a child. He attended school with the help of the parish priest...
, came from Bevk's native region of Goriška
Goriška
Goriška is a traditional region in western Slovenia on the border with Italy. The name means "the Gorizia region" because it is named after Gorizia, Italy. It is part of the wider traditional region of the Slovenian Littoral . Its principal urban center is Nova Gorica...
. At first, he followed their examples, but later moved to social realism
Social realism
Social Realism, also known as Socio-Realism, is an artistic movement, expressed in the visual and other realist arts, which depicts social and racial injustice, economic hardship, through unvarnished pictures of life's struggles; often depicting working class activities as heroic...
. He became known in the 1930s with his novels describing the struggle of the Slovene people from the Julian March
Julian March
The Julian March is a former political region of southeastern Europe on what are now the borders between Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy...
to maintain their identity against the Fascist Italianization. His best-known work was the novel Kaplan Martin Čedermac (The Vicar Martin Čedermac), in which he described the inner struggles of a Roman Catholic priest in the westernmost Slovene ethnic region known as Venetian Slovenia
Venetian Slovenia
Venetian Slovenia is a small mountainous region in northeastern Italy . Most of the region is located in the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, in the area between the towns of Cividale del Friuli, Tarcento and Gemona ....
. The novel was published under a pseudonym by the prestigious publishing house Slovenska matica
Slovenska matica
Slovenska matica , also known as Matica slovenska, is the second-oldest publishing house in Slovenia, founded in the 19th century as an institution for the scholarly and cultural progress of Slovenes...
in 1938 and soon became a best-seller. The term Čedermac is still used in Slovene to refer to the Roman Catholic clergy in the Slovene Littoral that struggled to defend the Slovene identity of their flock under the Italian Fascist regime.
Later in his life, Bevk devoted himself largely to children's literature
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
. He was a very prolific author: when a complete bibliography was made on the occasion of his 70th birthday, it was determined that Bevk had written over 100 books.
Legacy
Although Bevk is still revered as the author of the popular novel The Vicar Martin Čedermac, he is mostly remembered as an author of children's literature. The regional library in Nova GoricaNova Gorica
Nova Gorica ; 21,082 ; 31,000 ) is a town and a municipality in western Slovenia, on the border with Italy...
is named after him, as well as the central square in the town.
Adult works
- Faraon (Pharaoh) (1922)
- Rablji (Executioners) (1923)
- Suženj demona (Slave of the Demon) (1925)
- Kajn (Cain) (1925) (drama)
- Smrt pred hišo (Death in Front of the House) (1925), re-published with major changes in 1934 under the title Ljudje pod Osojnikom (People under Osojnik)
- Muka gospe Vere (Mrs. Vera's Torment) (1925)
- Julijan Sever (1926)
- Beg pred senco (Fleeing Before the Shadow) (1926)
- Hiša v strugi (The House in the Riverbed) (1927)
- Jakec in njegova ljubezen (Jakec and His Love) (1927)
- Kresna noč (Bonfire Night) [of the Summer Solstice] (1927) (a historical novel)
- Krvavi jezdeci (Bloody Riders), (1927), part 1 of the Znamenja na nebu (Signs in the Sky) trilogy
- Vihar (Storm) (1928)
- Krivda (Blame) (1929)
- Škorpijoni zemlje (Scorpions of the Earth), (1929), part 2 of the Znamenja na nebu (Signs in the Sky) trilogy
- V zablodah (In Delusions) (1929; rewritten with new title Zablode (Delusions) in 1963)
- Mati (Mother) (1929)
- Črni bratje in sestre (Black Brothers and Sisters), (1929), part 3 of the Znamenja na nebu (Signs in the Sky) trilogy
- Gospodična Irma (Miss Irma) (1930)
- Mrtvi se vračajo (The Dead Return) (1930)
- Kamnarjev Jurij (Jurij from the Kamnar Farm) (1930)
- Vedomec (Spirit) (1930)
- Človek proti človeku (Man Against Man) (1930)
- Umirajoči bog Triglav (The Dying God Triglav) (1930, 1960)
- Burkež gospoda Viterga (Sir Viterg's Jester) (1931)
- Stražni ognji (Guard Fires) (1931)
- In sonce je obstalo (And The Sun Stopped) (1931, published in book form in 1963)
- Železna kača (Iron Snake) (1932)
- Žerjavi (Cranes) (1932)
- Veliki Tomaž (Big Thomas) (1932)
- Dedič (Heir) (1933)
- Gmajna (Woods) (1933)
- Človek brez krinke (Man without a Mask) (1934; reissued with the title Brez krinke (Without a Mask) in 1960)
- Huda ura (Heavy Weather) (1934)
- Ubogi zlodej (Poor Devil) (1934)
- Samote (Lonelinesses) (1935)
- V mestu gorijo luči (The Lights are On in Town) (1936)
- Srebrniki (Silver Coins) (1936)
- Začudene oči (Surprised Eyes) (1936)
- Kaplan Martin Čedermac (The Vicar Martin Čedermac) (1938)
- Pravica do življenja (Right to Life) (1939)
- Dan se je nagibal (The Day Is Coming) (1939)
- Domačija (Homestead) (1939; published as a book in 1960)
- Mlada njiva (New Field) (1940)
- Med dvema vojnama (Between Two Wars) (1946)
- Novele (Short Stories) (1947)
- Obračun (Settlement) (1950)
- Še bo kdaj pomlad (Spring Will Come Again) (1950) (film script)
- Pot v svobodo (Road into Freedom) (1953)
- Tuja kri (Foreign Blood) (1954)
- Krivi računi (Wrong Dealings) (1956)
- Črna srajca (Blackshirt) (1956)
- Iskra pod pepelom (A Spark in the Ashes)(1956)
- Viharnik (Storm-Weathered Tree) (1957)
- Mrak za rešetkami (Darkness Behind Bars) (1958)
- Slepa ulica (Blind Alley) (1961)
Juvenile Fiction
- Tatič (The Little Thief) (1916–1917)
- Jagoda (Strawberry) (1930)
- Lukec in njegov škorec (Little Luka and His Starling) (1931)
- Lukec išče očeta (Little Luka Looks for Father) (1932)
- Kozorog (The Ibex) (1933)
- Tovariša (Two Comrades) (1934)
- Pastirci (Shepherds) (1935)
- Pestrna (The Nanny) (1939)
- Tonček (1948)
- Mali upornik (The Little Rebel) (1951)
- Črni bratje (Black Brothers) (1952)
- Razbojnik Saladin (The Bandit Saladin) (1959)
- Učiteljica Breda (Breda the Teacher) (1963)
- Iz iskre požar (Conflagration from a Spark) (1963)
See also
- Slovenian literatureSlovenian literatureSlovene literature, meaning the literature in the Slovene language, starts with Freising manuscripts around 1000. From first printed Slovene religious books in 1550 it is followed by these literary periods and notable authors:-Middle Ages:-Folk poetry:...
- Culture of SloveniaCulture of SloveniaSlovenia's first book was printed by the Protestant reformer Primož Trubar . It was actually two books, Katekizem and Abecednik, which was published in 1550 in Tübingen, Germany....
- Liberation Front of the Slovenian PeopleLiberation Front of the Slovenian PeopleOn 26 April 1941 in Ljubljana the Anti-Imperialist Front was established. It was to promote "an international massive movement" to "liberate the Slovenian nation" whose "hope and example was the Soviet Union"...