Janez Trdina (29 May 1830 – 14 July 1905) was a Slovene writer and historian. The renowned author Ivan Cankar described him as the best Slovene stylist of his period. He was an ardent describer of the Gorjanci Mountains and of the

Lower Carniola Lower Carniola ( ; ) is a traditional region in Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south an ...

n region of Slovenia. Trdina Peak (, ), the highest peak of Gorjanci Mountains, situated on the border between southeastern

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

and

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

, was named for him in 1923.

Biography

Trdina was born in Mengeš in the northern

Carniola Carniola ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region that comprised parts of present-day Slovenia. Although as a whole it does not exist anymore, Slovenes living within the former borders of the region still tend to identify with its traditional parts Upp ...

, then part of the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

. He attended school in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

and studied history, geography, and Slavic philology in Vienna. He worked as a teacher in Croatia, in

Varaždin Varaždin ( or ; , also known by #Name, alternative names) is a city in Northern Croatia, north-east of Zagreb. The total population is 46,946, with 38,839 in the city settlement itself (2011). The city is best known for its baroque buildings, ...

and in

Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...

. In 1867, he was retired on charges of misleading students with his radical liberal political views. He moved to Bršljin near

Novo Mesto Novo Mesto (; ; also known by #Name, alternative names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, seventh-largest city of Slovenia. It is the economic and cultural centre of the traditional region of Lower Carniola (southeastern Slovenia) and ...

, and later to the town itself.

Work

Trdina travelled widely across the Lower Carniola, compiling notes on the life and customs of local people. His notebooks were filled with folk sayings, folk tales, anecdotes, and customs. Trdina edited them in an emphasized realistic, even naturalistic manner, rejecting the Romantic vision of an idyllic countryside. In 1882, he published these notes in a volume titled ''Bajke in povesti o Gorjancih'' (Tales and Stories of the Gorjanci Mountains).Slovene Post Office site on the occasion of issuing a stamp of Trdina in 2005
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References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Trdina, Janez 1830 births 1905 deaths People from Mengeš Historians from Austria-Hungary Poets from Austria-Hungary Ethnographers from Austria-Hungary 19th-century Slovenian historians Slovenian ethnographers Slovenian poets Slovenian male poets University of Vienna alumni 19th-century poets Slovenian people from the Austrian Empire Historians from the Austrian Empire