Ivana Brlic-Mažuranic
Encyclopedia
Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić was a Croatia
n writer. Within her native land, as well as internationally, she has been praised as the best Croatian writer
for children.
into a well-known Croatian family of Mažuranić. Her father Vladimir Mažuranić was a writer
, lawyer
and historian
who wrote Prinosi za hrvatski pravno-povjestni rječnik (Croatian dictionary
for history
and law
) in 1882. Her grandfather was the famous politician
, the Croatian ban
and poet
Ivan Mažuranić
, while her grandmother Aleksandra Mažuranić was the sister of well-known writer and one of keypersons of Croatian national revival
movement, Dimitrija Demeter
. Ivana was largely home-schooled. With the family she moved first to Karlovac
, then to Jastrebarsko
, and ultimately to Zagreb
.
Upon marriage to Vatroslav Brlić, a politician
and a prominent lawyer
in 1892, she moved to Brod na Savi
(today Slavonski Brod) where she entered another known family and lived there for most of her life. She devoted all her work to her family
and education
. As the mother of six, she had the ability to identify with the psyche of the child, to understand the purity and naïveté of their world. Her first literary creations were initially written in French
.
, diaries
and essay
s rather early but her works were not published until the beginning of the 20th century. Her stories and articles like the series of educational articles under the name "School and Holidays" started to be published more regularly in the journals after the year 1903.
It was in 1913 when her book The Marvelous Adventures and Misadventures of Hlapić the Apprentice (also known as The Brave Adventures of Lapitch
and Čudnovate zgode i nezgode šegrta Hlapića) was published that really caught the literary public's eye. In the story, the poor apprentice Hlapić searches for his master's daughter as his luck turns for the better.
Her book Croatian Tales of Long Ago
(Priče iz davnine), published in 1916, is among the most popular today in large part because of its adaptation into a computerized interactive fiction product by Helena Bulaja
in 2003/2006. In the book Mažuranić created a series of new fairy-tales, but using names and motifs from the Slavic mythology
of Croats
. It was this that earned her comparisons to Hans Christian Andersen
and Tolkien who also wrote completely new stories but based in some elements of real mythology.
Brlić-Mažuranić was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature
four times - in 1931 and 1935 she was nominated by the historian Gabriel Manojlović, and in 1937 and 1938 he was joined by the philosopher Albert Bazala, both based in Zagreb. In 1937 she also became the first woman accepted as a Corresponding Member into the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts. She died on 21 September 1938 in Zagreb.
.
The Marvelous Adventures and Misadventures of Hlapić the Apprentice was translated, among other languages, into Bengali
(by Dr. Probal Dashgupta), Hindi
, Chinese
(by Shi Cheng Tai), Vietnamese
(a few chapters), Japanese
(by Sekoguchi Ken) and Parsi
(by Achtar Etemadi). Most of the latter translations were made indirectly, through Esperantists
. The book's most recent Esperanto translation is by Maja Tišljar, and important part in translations of "Adventures of Hlapić"
had Spomenka Štimec, the most important Croatian writer that writes in Esperanto.
. Originally released in 1997, it became Croatia's most successful theatrical release, and was its official submission to the 70th Academy Awards
(in the Best Foreign Language Film category).
Milan Blažeković
, the director of Lapitch, has been developing another animated adaptation of her works since 2000, Tales of Long Ago (Priče iz davnine).
In 2000, Helena Bulaja
started an interactive animated project based on her book Croatian Tales of Long Ago. The project, which consists of eight animated interactive stories, cartoons and games, was published as two CD-ROMs and a series of book/DVD editions. It was created in Flash
by eight independent international teams of animators, illustrators, musicians, programmers, actors etc. from all around the world (US, France, UK, Germany, Russia, Australia, Croatia), whose work was coordinated on the Internet. The unique and innovative project and the animations won several awards at the most famous international festivals of new media and animation, including Flashforward San Francisco, Lucca Comics and Games
multimedia award, International Family Film Festival in Hollywood and others. A series of innovative educational iPhone
and iPad
games based on the project are in development.
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. Within her native land, as well as internationally, she has been praised as the best Croatian 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....
for children.
Life
She was born on April 18, 1874 in OgulinOgulin
Ogulin is a town in north-western Croatia, in Karlovac County. It has a population of 8,712 , and a total municipal population of 15,054...
into a well-known Croatian family of Mažuranić. Her father Vladimir Mažuranić was a 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....
, lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
who wrote Prinosi za hrvatski pravno-povjestni rječnik (Croatian dictionary
Dictionary
A dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...
for history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
) in 1882. Her grandfather was the famous politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, the Croatian ban
Ban (title)
Ban was a title used in several states in central and south-eastern Europe between the 7th century and the 20th century.-Etymology:The word ban has entered the English language probably as a borrowing from South Slavic ban, meaning "lord, master; ruler". The Slavic word is probably borrowed from...
and 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...
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...
, while her grandmother Aleksandra Mažuranić was the sister of well-known writer and one of keypersons of Croatian national revival
Illyrian movement
The Illyrian movement , also Croatian national revival , was a cultural and political campaign with roots in the early modern period, and revived by a group of young Croatian intellectuals during the first half of 19th century, around the years of 1835–1849...
movement, Dimitrija Demeter
Dimitrija Demeter
Dimitrija Demeter was a Croatian writer and dramatist....
. Ivana was largely home-schooled. With the family she moved first to 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...
, then to Jastrebarsko
Jastrebarsko
- Antiquity :In 1865, remnants of a Roman settlement were uncovered in Repišće, Klinča Sela, a village in Jastrebarsko metropolitan area. Further archeological investigation in the late 20th century classified them as a villa rustica and a necropolis consisting of six tumuli, both dating to...
, and ultimately to Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
.
Upon marriage to Vatroslav Brlić, a politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and a prominent lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
in 1892, she moved to Brod na Savi
Slavonski Brod
Slavonski Brod is a city in Croatia, with a population of 59,507 in 2011. The city was known as Marsonia in the Roman Empire, and as Brod na Savi 1244–1934. It is the sixth largest city in Croatia, after Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Osijek and Zadar. Located in the region of Slavonia, it is the...
(today Slavonski Brod) where she entered another known family and lived there for most of her life. She devoted all her work to her family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
and education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
. As the mother of six, she had the ability to identify with the psyche of the child, to understand the purity and naïveté of their world. Her first literary creations were initially written in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
Work
Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić started writing poetryPoetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, diaries
Diary
A diary is a record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. A personal diary may include a person's experiences, and/or thoughts or feelings, including comment on current events outside the writer's direct experience. Someone...
and essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
s rather early but her works were not published until the beginning of the 20th century. Her stories and articles like the series of educational articles under the name "School and Holidays" started to be published more regularly in the journals after the year 1903.
It was in 1913 when her book The Marvelous Adventures and Misadventures of Hlapić the Apprentice (also known as The Brave Adventures of Lapitch
The Brave Adventures of Lapitch
The Brave Adventures of Lapitch , also known as The Marvellous Adventures of Hlapić the Apprentice, is a 1913 novel by Croatia children's author Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić....
and Čudnovate zgode i nezgode šegrta Hlapića) was published that really caught the literary public's eye. In the story, the poor apprentice Hlapić searches for his master's daughter as his luck turns for the better.
Her book Croatian Tales of Long Ago
Croatian Tales of Long Ago
Croatian Tales of Long Ago , is a short story collection written by the acclaimed children's author Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić , originally published in 1916 in Zagreb by the Matica hrvatska publishing house...
(Priče iz davnine), published in 1916, is among the most popular today in large part because of its adaptation into a computerized interactive fiction product by Helena Bulaja
Helena Bulaja
Helena Bulaja is a Croatian multimedia artist, film director, scriptwriter, designer and film producer.- Career:Helena Bulaja was born in Split, Croatia. She was educated in art history and comparative literature at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb....
in 2003/2006. In the book Mažuranić created a series of new fairy-tales, but using names and motifs from the Slavic mythology
Slavic mythology
Slavic mythology is the mythological aspect of the polytheistic religion that was practised by the Slavs before Christianisation.The religion possesses many common traits with other religions descended from the Proto-Indo-European religion....
of Croats
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
. It was this that earned her comparisons to Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
and Tolkien who also wrote completely new stories but based in some elements of real mythology.
Brlić-Mažuranić was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
four times - in 1931 and 1935 she was nominated by the historian Gabriel Manojlović, and in 1937 and 1938 he was joined by the philosopher Albert Bazala, both based in Zagreb. In 1937 she also became the first woman accepted as a Corresponding Member into the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts. She died on 21 September 1938 in Zagreb.
List of works
- 1902 The Good and the Mischievous (Valjani i nevaljani)
- 1905 School and Holidays (Škola i praznici)
- 1912 Pictures (poetryPoetryPoetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
) (Slike) - 1913 The Brave Adventures of LapitchThe Brave Adventures of LapitchThe Brave Adventures of Lapitch , also known as The Marvellous Adventures of Hlapić the Apprentice, is a 1913 novel by Croatia children's author Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić....
(Čudnovate zgode šegrta Hlapića) - 1916 Croatian Tales of Long AgoCroatian Tales of Long AgoCroatian Tales of Long Ago , is a short story collection written by the acclaimed children's author Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić , originally published in 1916 in Zagreb by the Matica hrvatska publishing house...
(Priče iz davnine) - 1923 A Book for Youth (Knjige o omladini)
- 1935 From the Archives of Family Brlić in Brod na Savi (Iz arhive obitelji Brlić u Brodu na Savi)
- 1937 Jaša Dalmatin Viceroy of the Gujarati (Jaša Dalmatin, potkralj Gudžarata)
- 1939 Gingerbread Heart (Srce od licitara)
- 1943 Fables and Fairy-tales (Basne i bajke)
Translations
Her books of novels and fairy tales for children, originally intended to educate her own, have been translated into nearly all European languages. Highly regarded and valued by both national and foreign literary critics, she obtained the title of Croatian AndersenHans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
.
The Marvelous Adventures and Misadventures of Hlapić the Apprentice was translated, among other languages, into Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
(by Dr. Probal Dashgupta), Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
(by Shi Cheng Tai), Vietnamese
Vietnamese language
Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...
(a few chapters), Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
(by Sekoguchi Ken) and Parsi
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
(by Achtar Etemadi). Most of the latter translations were made indirectly, through Esperantists
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
. The book's most recent Esperanto translation is by Maja Tišljar, and important part in translations of "Adventures of Hlapić"
had Spomenka Štimec, the most important Croatian writer that writes in Esperanto.
Film
In the 1990s, the Croatia Film company adapted Brlić-Mažuranić's work The Marvellous Adventures and Misadventures of Hlapić the Apprentice as a children's animated feature, Lapitch the Little ShoemakerLapitch the Little Shoemaker
Lapitch the Little Shoemaker is an animated film for children that was originally released in Croatian theatres in 1997 by Croatia Film. Produced on vintage cel equipment during the early 1990s, this was the third feature from Croatia Film's animation unit and director Milan Blažeković, after The...
. Originally released in 1997, it became Croatia's most successful theatrical release, and was its official submission to the 70th Academy Awards
70th Academy Awards
The 70th Academy Awards were noted for their high ratings and the 11 wins obtained by the Best Picture Titanic. Billy Crystal hosted the ceremony for the sixth time, and received an Emmy award for his performance....
(in the Best Foreign Language Film category).
Milan Blažeković
Milan Blažekovic
Milan Blažeković is a Croatian animator.Blažeković began his career at the Zagreb Film studio with short films such as Gorilla Dance , The Man Who Had to Sing and Man: The Polluter...
, the director of Lapitch, has been developing another animated adaptation of her works since 2000, Tales of Long Ago (Priče iz davnine).
In 2000, Helena Bulaja
Helena Bulaja
Helena Bulaja is a Croatian multimedia artist, film director, scriptwriter, designer and film producer.- Career:Helena Bulaja was born in Split, Croatia. She was educated in art history and comparative literature at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb....
started an interactive animated project based on her book Croatian Tales of Long Ago. The project, which consists of eight animated interactive stories, cartoons and games, was published as two CD-ROMs and a series of book/DVD editions. It was created in Flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
by eight independent international teams of animators, illustrators, musicians, programmers, actors etc. from all around the world (US, France, UK, Germany, Russia, Australia, Croatia), whose work was coordinated on the Internet. The unique and innovative project and the animations won several awards at the most famous international festivals of new media and animation, including Flashforward San Francisco, Lucca Comics and Games
Lucca Comics and Games
Lucca Comics and Games is an annual comic book and gaming convention in Lucca, Italy. It takes place, usually, at the end of October.Launched in 1966, the event grew in importance years after years; but it's only in 2006, for the 40th anniversary, that fair has been moved to the city center: from...
multimedia award, International Family Film Festival in Hollywood and others. A series of innovative educational iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
and iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
games based on the project are in development.
External links
- Works by & about Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić at Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
(scanned books original editions color illustrated) - Worldwide Fairytale Adventure "Croatian Tales of Long Ago" by Bulaja Naklada
- Ivana Brlic Mazuranic Pages about Ivana by SBpeople Adventures of Hlapić Info for Esperantists