FAMOUS CROATS - SLAVKO KOLAR

SLAVKO KOLAR (1891 – 1963) Slavko Kolar is by the serenity and unique humorous and satirical tone of his story-telling an exceptional appearance in Croatian literature. As heir of the tradition of Croatian humoristic and satirical writing of the 19th century, he already in his collection of Nasmijane pripovijesti (Smiling Stories, 1917) showed his narrative talent and without following any major models shaped the genuine work in his classically direct style. He wrote stories, spoofs, plays, feuilleton, criticisms and scripts. He was born on 1 December 1891 in Palešnik. He finished secondary school Gymnasium) in 1911 in Zagreb, and the School of Economy in 1913 in Križevci. He worked as an agronomist and a principal at state property farms and as teacher at schools (Božjakovina, Petrinja, Hruševac Gornji, Karlovac, and Požega). He died on 15 September 1963 in Zagreb. In the most mature pages of his work (Ili jesmo ili nismo, 1933.; Mi smo za pravicu, 1936) Slavko Kolar is a virtuous painter and a documentarist of Croatian small town and village environment, which he describes - knowing it as an agronomist - in a genuinely humoristic way. His humour is not an entertaining or self-purposed, but he draws the attention of people to the pretence, immorality, political chameleonic and compromising behaviour, social poverty and the backwardness of Croatian peasant. Convincingly and without pathetic or moralising he portraits the characters in a patriarchal environment and sympathetically depicts them as victims of social earthquakes and traditional prejudices. With his fine humour he provokes sorrow and tears through laughter when he seeks to soothe the tragic of life with humorous content and illogical behaviour (Svoga tijela gospodar, 1942; movie, 1957) or subtle compassion (Breza, 1929; movie, 1967). He is the author of the collections Perom i drljačom, Natrag u naftalin, Glavno da je kapa na glavi, of the comedy Narod je strpljiv, of the play Sedmorica u podrumu and of books for children Na leđima delfina and Jurnjava na motoru. Focused on analysing human identity and the possibility of human self-realisation, Slavko Kolar positioned himself with his specific style, high artistic value and humanism pervaded by humour among the most successful Croatian writers of the 20th century. Nevenka Videk