Oton Župančič facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Oton Župančič
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| Born | January 23, 1878 Vinica, Duchy of Carniola, Austria-Hungary (now in Slovenia) |
| Died | June 11, 1949 (aged 71) Ljubljana, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia |
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| Genre | plays, epic poetry, lyrical poetry |
| Literary movement | Symbolism, Modernism |
Oton Župančič (born January 23, 1878 – died June 11, 1949) was a very important Slovene poet, translator, and writer of plays. He is seen as one of the founders of modernism in Slovene literature. He started this new style along with Ivan Cankar, Dragotin Kette, and Josip Murn. For a long time after World War I, many people thought Župančič was the greatest Slovenian poet after Prešeren.
Contents
A Look at Oton Župančič's Life
Early Life and School Days
Oton Župančič was born in a village called Vinica. This village is in the Slovene region of White Carniola, close to the border with Croatia. His father, Franc Župančič, was a rich merchant in the village. His mother, Ana Malić, came from Croatia.
Oton went to high school first in Novo Mesto and then in Ljubljana. In Ljubljana, he first spent time with a group of Catholic thinkers. Later, he joined a group of young Slovene artists who liked new ideas. This group included Ivan Cankar, Dragotin Kette, and Josip Murn.
University and New Ideas
In 1896, Oton went to the University of Vienna to study history and geography. He stayed in Vienna until 1900 but never finished his studies. In Vienna, he learned about new art styles popular in Europe. These included the Vienna Secession and fin de siècle literature, which were popular at the end of the 19th century.
He also met students from Ruthenia (a region in Eastern Europe). They showed him Ukrainian folk poetry, which is poetry from ordinary people. This type of poetry greatly influenced how Župančič wrote his own poems later on.
Starting His Career
In 1900, Oton Župančič came back to Ljubljana. He worked as a substitute teacher at the Ljubljana Classical Gymnasium. He began to publish his poems in a magazine called Ljubljanski zvon. Here, he had disagreements with Anton Aškerc, who was a very important Slovene writer at that time.
In 1905, he traveled to Paris and then lived in Germany. He worked as a private tutor, teaching children, until 1910.
Return to Ljubljana and Family
In 1910, Župančič returned to Ljubljana again. He started working as a stage director at the Drama Theater of Ljubljana. In 1912, the mayor of Ljubljana, Ivan Tavčar, hired him. He became the director of the City Archive. This job was previously held by Anton Aškerc, the writer he had disagreed with.
In 1913, he married Ana Kessler. Her mother was Marija Kessler, a well-known person in society. Ana's sister, Vera Albreht, was also a poet. In 1920, Župančič went back to his job as a stage director. Later, he became the manager of the Drama Theater.
World War II and Later Years
During World War II, parts of Slovenia were taken over by Italian and German forces. Župančič supported the Liberation Front of the Slovenian People. This was a group fighting for freedom. He wrote poems for underground newspapers using different secret names.
After the war ended in 1945, he received many honors and awards. People often called him "the people's poet." Oton Župančič passed away in Ljubljana on June 11, 1949. He was buried with great respect in Žale Cemetery. He rests in the same grave as his childhood friends, Ivan Cankar, Dragotin Kette, and Josip Murn.
His older son, Marko Župančič, became a famous architect. His younger son, Andrej O. Župančič, was a doctor who studies diseases, an expert on human culture, and a writer.
Oton Župančič's Works
Early Poetry and Controversy
Župančič published his first collection of poems in 1899. It was called Čaša opojnosti (The Goblet of Inebriation). This book, along with another by Ivan Cankar, started the modernism movement in Slovenian literature. These books caused a lot of discussion. The Bishop of Ljubljana, Anton Bonaventura Jeglič, bought and destroyed all copies of Cankar's book. Župančič's book was criticized by a well-known conservative thinker, Aleš Ušeničnik.
Themes in His Poetry
Later, Župančič's poems focused less on sad or decaying themes. Instead, they showed a strong love for life and nature. He slowly started writing about social issues, national identity, and politics. In 1900, he wrote a very important poem called Pesem mladine (The Song of Youth). He wrote it for the 100th birthday of France Prešeren. It was like a battle song for his generation.
In his famous poem Duma from 1908, he mixed beautiful pictures of country life and nature. But he also included hints of social problems, people leaving the country, poverty, and the decline of farming. His poems Kovaška (The Blacksmith's Song, 1910) and Žebljarska (The Nail Maker's Song, 1912) celebrated the strength of hard-working people.
Poetry for Children
The poetry collection that Župančič is most famous for is his book of children's poems called Ciciban. This book was first published in 1915. It is still very popular today.
Translations and Plays
Župančič was also a very good and busy translator. He is best known for translating most of Shakespeare's plays into Slovene. He also translated works by many other important writers. These include Dante, Molière, Goethe, Charles Dickens, and Leo Tolstoy.
He also wrote two plays: Noč za verne duše (A Night for Faithful Souls, 1904) and Veronika Deseniška (Veronika of Desenice, 1924). These plays were performed when he was in charge of the Drama Theater in Ljubljana.
A Special Recording
In 1940, Župančič helped make a documentary film called O, Vrba. This film showed the Prešeren House, where the Slovenian national poet France Prešeren was born. It also showed his home village of Vrba. The film was released after the war in 1945. In the film, Župančič read Prešeren's poem "O Vrba". This is a rare recording where you can hear his voice.
Župančič's Impact and Legacy
A National Poet
For most of his life, Oton Župančič was seen as a truly great writer. He was considered the national poet, second only to France Prešeren. In 1931, a French language expert named Lucien Tesnière wrote a book about Župančič. This book helped make Župančič's poetry known in France. During his lifetime, his works were only translated into French and Serbo-Croatian. Since then, his works have been translated into many other languages.
Lasting Influence
Župančič has not had a huge influence on younger generations of Slovene writers. However, many of his lines and sayings have become common phrases. They are now part of the culture. Today, he is still very popular as a writer of children's books. His collection of children's poetry, Ciciban (also known as Mehurčki or 'Bubbles'), has been printed more than 30 times since 1915.
Many streets, public buildings, and schools in Slovenia are named after him. You can also find places named after him in parts of Serbia (especially in Vojvodina) and in areas of Italy and Austria where Slovenes live.
See also
In Spanish: Oton Župančič para niños
- Slovenian literature
- Culture of Slovenia
Sources
- Janez Mušič, Oton Župančič: življenje in delo (Ljubljana: Mladika, 2007)
- Boštjan M. Turk, Recepcija bergsonizma na Slovenskem (Ljubljana: Filozofska fakulteta Univerze v Ljubljani, 1995)
