Ada Škerl (3 April 1924, in

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the a ...

– 29 May 2009, in

Maribor Maribor ( , , , ; also known by other historical names) is the second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Lower Styria. It is also the seat of the City Municipality of Maribor, the seat of the Drava stati ...

) was a Slovene poet, writer and translator from French.

Life

Ada Škerl was born on 3 April 1924, in

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, she was a member of the

Liberation Front of the Slovene Nation The Liberation Front of the Slovene Nation ( sl, Osvobodilna fronta slovenskega naroda), or simply Liberation Front (''Osvobodilna fronta'', OF), originally called the Anti-Imperialist Front (''Protiimperialistična fronta'', PIF), was a Slovene ...

. After the war, she enrolled for Slavic studies at the Ljubljana Faculty of Philosophy, as well as for dramatics at the

Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (Ljubljana) The Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television ( sl, Akademija za gledališče, radio, film in televizijo or AGRFT) is an academy of the University of Ljubljana in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It is the only college and graduate school in Slovenia with ...

. Škerl worked at the publisher ''Mladinska knjiga'' for a period. She worked as a teacher in

Škofja Loka Škofja Loka (; german: Bischoflack) is a town in Slovenia. It is the economic, cultural, educational, and administrative center of the Municipality of Škofja Loka in Upper Carniola. It has about 12,000 inhabitants. Geography Škofja Loka lies ...

for three years, then returned to Ljubljana. Between 1958 and 1982, she worked for

Radiotelevizija Slovenija Radiotelevizija Slovenija ( en, Radio-Television of Slovenia) – usually abbreviated to RTV Slovenija (or simply RTV within Slovenia) – is Slovenia's national public broadcasting organization. Based in Ljubljana, it has regional broadcastin ...

. Škerl would perform her poetic works on stage, earning her popularity and publication in literary journals. But after the Second World War, it was considered necessary to strengthen the national spirit towards the reconstruction of the homeland. Her poetry was rejected by the establishment. She was accused of petty sentimentalism and threatened with censorship. She withdrew from literary life for years after this attack. Škerl spent the last years of her life in

. She died on 29 May 2009.

Work

Škerl is primarily known for her poetry. Her first book of poems ''Senca v srcu'' (''Shadow in the Heart'') was published in 1949, while ''Obledeli pasteli'' (''Faded Pastels'') came out in 1965, and ''Temna tišina'' (''Dark Silence'') in 1992. Facing censorship and critical rejection for ''Senca v srcu'', Škerl withdrew from literary life for years. Because of the propaganda against her book, it had sold out, but by the time her next collection was published, Slovene poetry was leaning towards modernism, and her observations of intimacy remained on the periphery of the literary scene. Škerl's first book was considered a break from objectivist poetry. Written in metaphorical language, the poems depicted ''the pain of unfulfilled erotic expectations, which leads to a feeling of isolation, doubt, weariness and fear''. The next, ''Faded Pastels'', remained true to her attitude to life, and was sympathetic and self-denying. Her final collection, ''Dark Silence'', was the final fulfillment of a poet who had remained vivid in the literary scene, even if marginalised. She also wrote books for children. ''Zgodba o morskem konjičku'' was published in 1953, ''Voščila'' in 1962, and ''Nevsakdanje potovanje'' in 1973. Her translations of children's literature from French were also well-received. Among others, she translated

Claude Aveline Claude Aveline, pen name of Evgen Avtsine (19 July 1901 – 4 November 1992), was a writer, publisher, editor, poet and member of the French Resistance. Aveline, who was born in Paris, France, has authored numerous books and writings througho ...

's ''Baba Diène et Morceau-de-Sucre'' in 1953, and

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

's ''Les travailleurs de la mer'' in 1956. In her last years, she was considered the lone woman aspect of the poetic collective ''Pesmi štirih'', along with Janez Menart, Ciril Zlobec, Kajetan Kovič and Tone Pavček. Škerl's works began to receive appreciation towards the end of her life. Her poems from ''Senca v srcu'' were set as libretto by

Ivo Svetina Ivo Svetina (born 9 September 1948) is a Slovene poet, playwright and translator. He has won numerous awards for his plays and poetry collections. In 1998 he was appointed Director of the ''National Theatre Museum of Slovenia''. In 2014 he was e ...

for an opera on her life performed by the

Ljubljana Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet The Ljubljana Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet ( sl, Slovensko narodno gledališče Opera in balet Ljubljana, ), or shortly Ljubljana SNG Opera and Ballet, is Slovenia's national opera and ballet company. Its seat is the Ljubljana Opera H ...

in 2017.

Bibliography

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Translations

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skerl, Ada Writers from Ljubljana 1924 births 2009 deaths Translators from French 20th-century translators Yugoslav poets Yugoslav women poets Yugoslav Partisans members Slovenian poets Slovenian women poets