Encyclopedia of Romantic Nationalism in Europe

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Jurčič, Josip

  • SlovenianLiterature (fictional prose/drama)Literature (poetry/verse)Publishing, periodicals
  • GND ID
    119450305
    Social category
    Journalists, editors, publishersCreative writers
    Title
    Jurčič, Josip
    Title2
    Jurčič, Josip
    Text

    Josip Jurčič (Muljava 1844 – Ljubljana 1881) was the first popular Slovenian story-teller, author of the first Slovenian novel, journalist, and editor of the first Slovenian daily newspaper. While still at school, Jurčič started publishing his short prose in the journal Slovenski glasnik; his early fiction was mostly based on folk tales. Influenced by Fran Levstik’s literary programme for writing narrative fiction in Slovenian and by Walter Scott’s historical novels, Jurčič soon became a prolific writer, publishing fifteen books during his short lifetime.

    After abandoning his philological studies in Vienna (1865-68) due to lack of money, Jurčič returned to Slovenia and took the position of editor of the liberal newspaper Slovenski narod, which in 1872 moved from Maribor to Ljubljana to become the first national daily in 1873. Jurčič worked for the development of the Slovenian print media and publishing infrastructure. He was one of the first Slovenes to make a living as a writer/journalist. Politically among the liberal Young Slovenians, he contributed to the canonization of France Prešeren as the national poet, whose posthumous poetry collection he edited with Josip Stritar in 1866. With Janko Kersnik, Ivan Tavčar, and Fran Levec he founded the influential literary journal Ljubljanski zvon in 1881.

    Jurčič’s first success was Jurij Kozjak, slovenski janičar (“Jurij Kozjak, a Slovenian janissary”, 1864), a short story historically based on the 15th-century Turkish invasions; it was issued by a Catholic book club Mohorjeva družba (“The Society of St Hermagoras”, founded in 1851). In 1866, Jurčič published the first full-length novel in Slovenian, Deseti brat (“The tenth brother”), which combined folk traditions and rural setting with a sentimental narrative about the social ascent of a young Slovenian intellectual. The novel was followed by a number of shorter prose works, usually denominated povest (“tale”): e.g. the rural tale Sosedov sin (“The neighbour’s son”, 1868), and novels such as Ivan Erazem Tattenbach (1873), Cvet in Sad (“Blossom and fruit”, 1873), and Rokovnjači (“Outlaws”, 1881-82, co-authored by Janko Kersnik). His historical tragedies Tugomer (1876) and Veronika Deseniška (1881, published posthumously in 1886), neither of which was staged during his lifetime, deal with critical moments in the national past.

    Jurčič’s tales depicting scenes from the nation’s life and its past appealed to the growing readership of his time and played a crucial role in building a collective Slovenian self-image and historical awareness.

    Word Count: 395

    Article version
    1.1.1.2/a
  • Dović, Marijan; “Literatura in mediji v Jurčičevem času”, Slavistična revija, 54.4 (2006), 543-557.

    Jurčič, Josip; Zbrano delo (11 vols; Ljubljana: DZS, 1946-84).

    Klancar, Anthony J.; “Josip Jurčič, the Slovene Scott”, American Slavic and East European review, 5.2 (1946), 19-33.

    Kmecl, Matjaž; Josip Jurčič: Pripovednik in dramatik (Ljubljana: Zavod RS za šolstvo, 2009).


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    All articles in the Encyclopedia of Romantic Nationalism in Europe edited by Joep Leerssen are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at https://www.spinnet.eu.

    © the author and SPIN. Cite as follows (or as adapted to your stylesheet of choice): Dović, Marijan, 2022. "Jurčič, Josip", Encyclopedia of Romantic Nationalism in Europe, ed. Joep Leerssen (electronic version; Amsterdam: Study Platform on Interlocking Nationalisms, https://ernie.uva.nl/), article version 1.1.1.2/a, last changed 20-04-2022, consulted 29-03-2024.