Maribor information system

Maribor entered Slovene literary history in 1760 with a manuscript of a German-Slovene dictionary by the Capuchin Ivan Anton Apostel, who was born in Maribor. (The manuscript is kept in the Maribor University Library.) Later, an intellectual, spiritual, and political awakening in Slovenia spread among Maribor high school (Gymnasium) students, with the result that in 1846 the students published the first Slovene college journal "Sprotuletna vijolica". In 1864 it was the Gymnasium students again who published the almanac "Lada" thus offering the first published translation of Shakespeare in Slovene.

For popular Catholic literature an important event was the transfer of the seat of the diocese to Maribor. Here Bishop Anton Martin Slomsek continued to publish the educational series "Drobtinice" ("The Breadcrumbs"). Devotional Slovene literature, however had been issued in Maribor earlier than that in fact right after 1795 when the first printing press was set up. Secular literature was given a new impetus with the arrival in Maribor of the writer Josip Jurcic. He devoted himself to journalism and literature and started the literary review "Slovenski glasnik" ("The Slovene Nation"). During the years 1872-1878 the journal "Zora" ("The Dawn") was published; for two years it was under the editorship of Davorin Trstenjak in turn followed by Janko Pajk.

Slovene literary creativity in Maribor then turned back to theology . Among the contributors to its handwritten journal "Lipica" ("The Small Lime Tree") were Anton Askerc and Franc Ksaver Mesko.


Before World War I, a new generation of writers had grown up among the high school students, including the poet of the Pohorje mountain Janko Glazer, and Stanko Majcen, the lyricist, novelist, and dramatist. Between the two wars the
number of writers in Maribor increased. Among them were the poets General Rudolf Maister, Janko Samec, Anton Tanc, Branko Rudolf, and Vida Taufer; the novelists Bratko Kreft, Maks Snuderl, Josip Kostanjevec, lvo Sorli, Ivan Dornik, Ivan Potrc; and the dramatists Rudolf Golouh, Radivoj Rehar, and Tone Cufar. Renowned among essayists, journalists, and critics were Franc Susnik, Vladimir Kralj, and Bogo Teply. In addition to the review "Zrnje" ("The Seeds"), published shortly after World War I, Maribor had the literary and cultural review "Piramida" ("The Pyramid"). It was published for a year during 1936-1937. However, it was only its successor the review "Obzorja" ("The Horizons") that took hold and continued to be published right up to the German occupation.

After the war more such journals enhanced the literary scene. In 1948 the review "Nova Obzorja" ("The New Horizons") was established, to be replaced in 1965 by "Dialogi" ("The Dialogue"). Younger writers published for a short while "Svit" ("The Daybreak", 1952 1954); a later younger generation joined the Maribor student journal "Katedra" ("The Chair"). The number of writers and poets living in Maribor greatly increased, so that a branch of The Slovene Writers' Association was formed. Preparations for the annual Statenberg literary meetings generally create much interest in the cultural life of Slovenia.

The Maribor publishing house Obzorja ("The Horizons") has been most receptive to Slovene writers. From its inception in 1950, until the end of 1989, it has published no fewel than 3223 literary works. Needless to say, it has always encouraged the publication of contemporary Slovene writing. Among German writers in Maribor, one should mention Dr Rudolf Gustav Puff, an historian of Maribor, the dramatist Max Mell, who was awarded the prize the "Grillparzer Ring", the German nationalistic poet Ottokar Kernstock, and the novelist and essayist Alfred Maderno. Among literary works where the locale is set in Maribor, are the following: Josip Vosnjak's Navzgor in navzdol ("Up and Down") , Ljudevit Pivko's Ribicev Jurka ("Ribic's Jurka"). Makso Snuderl's Osvobojene meje ("The Liberated Frontiers"); Bratko Kreft's Clovek mrtvaskih lobanj ("The Man of Dead Skulls"); Filip Kalan's Pustolovci ("'The Adventurers"); Drago Vresnik's Dan v oktobru ("A Day in October") and Praznina ('Emptiness"); Smiljan Rozman's Nekdo ("Somebody"), Mesto ("The City"), and Rusevine ("The Ruins"); Anton Ingolic's Stavka ("The Strike"); Nada Gaborovic's Ne samo jaz ("Not Just Me"), Razdalje ("Distances"), and Malahorna; Janez Svajncer's Karneval ("The Carnival') and Prelom ('The Rupture") , Joze Hudales's General ("The General"); Drago Jancar's Severni sij ("The Northern Lights"); Zlata Vokac's Marpurgi ("The Marpurgians"); Tone Partljic's Pepsi ali provincialni don Juan ("Pepsi or The Provincial Don Juan"). Janez J. Svajncer's Ministrova sprejemnica ("The Minister"s Reception Room"); Ludwig Mahnert's Die Wildenrainer; Karl Bienenstein's Garender Wein and Heinz Brunner's Brucke uber die Drau.


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