Ante Kovacic
Encyclopedia
Ante Kovačić was a Croatia
n writer
.
Born to a family of Croatian peasants, Kovačić made his way through law school to become an attorney.
He began to write in 1875. While his early works have Romantic
tendencies, in later years he was influenced by Realist
literature. His stories and novels often had strong satiric overtones and represent harsh criticism to injustice in Croatian society of his time. One of his novels, Među žabari, remained unfinished because citizens of Karlovac
, protested after reading its first paragraphs in a local newspaper.
The best known work of Ante Kovačić is semi-autobiographic novel U registraturi (1888). In it he expressed great deal of sympathy for common Croatian people, most notably peasants whom he saw as superior to snobbish citizenry.
Kovačić was known as staunch supporter of Ante Starčević
and his Croatian Party of Rights. As such he was bitterly opposed to ban Ivan Mažuranić
and wrote literal travesty of Mažuranić's poem Death of Smail-Aga Čengić.
In his later years, Kovačić began to show symptoms of mental illness which gradually affected his work, including the last chapters of U registraturi.
U registraturi, combining biting social satire, naturalist descriptions of Croatian bureaucracy and peasantry, as well as fascination with the supernatural inherited from Romanticism
, nevertheless remained the most powerful 19th century Croatian novel and one of the most enduring novels in Croatian history. In 1976 it was adapted into popular television mini-series starring Rade Šerbedžija
.
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
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....
.
Born to a family of Croatian peasants, Kovačić made his way through law school to become an attorney.
He began to write in 1875. While his early works have Romantic
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
tendencies, in later years he was influenced by Realist
Literary realism
Literary realism most often refers to the trend, beginning with certain works of nineteenth-century French literature and extending to late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century authors in various countries, towards depictions of contemporary life and society "as they were." In the spirit of...
literature. His stories and novels often had strong satiric overtones and represent harsh criticism to injustice in Croatian society of his time. One of his novels, Među žabari, remained unfinished because citizens of Karlovac
Karlovac
Karlovac is a city and municipality in central Croatia. The city proper has a population of 49,082, while the municipality has a population of 59,395 inhabitants .Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County...
, protested after reading its first paragraphs in a local newspaper.
The best known work of Ante Kovačić is semi-autobiographic novel U registraturi (1888). In it he expressed great deal of sympathy for common Croatian people, most notably peasants whom he saw as superior to snobbish citizenry.
Kovačić was known as staunch 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:...
and his Croatian Party of Rights. As such he was bitterly opposed to ban Ivan Mažuranić
Ivan Mažuranic
Ivan Mažuranić was a Croatian poet, linguist and politician—probably the most important figure in Croatia's cultural life in the mid-19th century...
and wrote literal travesty of Mažuranić's poem Death of Smail-Aga Čengić.
In his later years, Kovačić began to show symptoms of mental illness which gradually affected his work, including the last chapters of U registraturi.
U registraturi, combining biting social satire, naturalist descriptions of Croatian bureaucracy and peasantry, as well as fascination with the supernatural inherited from Romanticism
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
, nevertheless remained the most powerful 19th century Croatian novel and one of the most enduring novels in Croatian history. In 1976 it was adapted into popular television mini-series starring Rade Šerbedžija
Rade Šerbedžija
Rade Šerbedžija , occasionally credited as Rade Sherbedgia in some English-language productions, is a Croatian actor, director and musician of Serb origin. He was one of the most popular Yugoslav actors in the 1970s and 1980s. He is now internationally known mainly for his supporting roles in...
.