Anton Aškerc facts for kids
Anton Aškerc (pronounced [anˈtoːn ˈaːʃkɛrts]; born January 9, 1856 – died June 10, 1912) was a famous Slovenian poet and a Roman Catholic priest. He is best known for his long, story-telling poems called epic poems. He lived and worked in what was then Austria, which is now part of Slovenia.
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Early Life and Education
Anton Aškerc was born into a farming family near the town of Rimske Toplice. This area was part of the Austrian Empire at the time. His exact birthplace is not known because his family was moving around when he was born. After finishing high school in Celje, he went to a special school. This school was a seminary in Maribor where he studied to become a priest. He became a priest in 1880.
Becoming a Poet
In the same year he became a priest, Anton Aškerc published his first poem. It was called Trije popotniki ("The Three Travelers"). This poem appeared in a literary magazine named Ljubljanski zvon. He started his writing journey by creating shorter, personal poems called lyric poetry. However, after 1882, he began to write more about bigger, story-like topics.
His Poetic Style
Aškerc's poems often showed his strong patriotism (love for his country). They also explored themes of love and sometimes even religious doubt. He wrote many ballades and romances. These poems often told stories from Slovene and Slavic history. He also found inspiration in the Bible, old folk traditions, and everyday life around him. He was greatly influenced by a writing style called literary realism. This style focuses on showing life as it truly is.
Publishing His Work
From 1881, Aškerc published his poems in the Ljubljanski zvon journal. He used the pseudonym (a pen name) Gorázd. But for his first collection of poems, he used his real name. This collection was called Balade in romance ("Ballades and Romances") and came out in 1890. People who read his poems and critics liked the book very much.
Challenges and New Role
However, some new Catholic political leaders did not like Aškerc's ideas. They disagreed with his national pride, his freethinking views, and his modern social ideals. Because of these disagreements, Aškerc decided to retire early from his work as a priest. Soon after, the mayor of Ljubljana, Ivan Hribar, offered him a new job. Aškerc became the chief archivist for the Ljubljana City Archives. He kept this job until he passed away.
Later Years and Recognition
In the last twenty years of his life, Aškerc's relationship with the conservative Catholic clergy became more difficult. Despite this, he continued to receive strong support from liberal political leaders in Carniola. His friendship with Alfred Anton Jensen, a Swedish scholar, helped him gain international fame. His poems were published in countries like Sweden, Russia, Croatia, and Serbia.
Losing Influence
Even with international recognition, Aškerc started to lose his influence over younger Slovenian writers. He did not like the poems of some new poets. He also had a disagreement with the poet Oton Župančič, which he did not win. Another young writer, Ivan Cankar, who Aškerc admired, wrote critical essays about Aškerc's later poems. Cankar suggested that Aškerc's work showed the decline of the older Slovenian liberal leaders.
His Legacy
Despite facing challenges in his final years, many people attended Anton Aškerc's funeral in Ljubljana. This included some of his former opponents. Today, one of the main streets in south-central Ljubljana is named after him. It is called Aškerc Street (Slovene: Aškerčeva cesta). Several other public places and institutions also carry his name.
See Also
In Spanish: Anton Aškerc para niños
- Simon Gregorčič
- List of Slovene-language poets
