Fran Levstik (28 September 1831 – 16 November 1887) was a Slovene writer, political activist, playwright and critic. He was one of the most prominent exponents of the

Young Slovene Young Slovenes ( sl, Mladoslovenci) were a Slovene national liberal political movement in the 1860s and 1870s, inspired and named after the Young Czechs in Bohemia and Moravia. They were opposed to the national conservative Old Slovenes. They en ...

political movement.

Life and work

Levstik was born in 1831 in Dolnje Retje (now part of the municipality of Velike Lašče) in Lower Carniola (then part of the Austrian Empire, today in Slovenia) in a peasant Slovene family. Levstik was the first notable writer of Slovene epic prose. Among his most known works are the short tale '' Martin Krpan From Vrh'' ( sl, Martin Krpan z Vrha), which became a classic work of Slovene literature, and the

itinerary Itinerary or Itineraries or Itinerarium may refer to: Travel * Itinerarium, an Ancient Roman road map in the form of a listing of cities, villages, and other stops, with the intervening distances * ''Itinerarium Burdigalense'', also known as the ...

A Journey from Litija to Čatež A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

'' (), the main objective of which is a

literary manifesto Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

. In the critical essay ''Napake slovenskega pisanja'', he exposed his views on the development of the Slovene literary language. Levstik was one of the main exponents of the

Young Slovenes Young Slovenes ( sl, Mladoslovenci) were a Slovene national liberal political movement in the 1860s and 1870s, inspired and named after the Young Czechs in Bohemia and Moravia. They were opposed to the national conservative Old Slovenes. They en ...

, a

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

and

radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

political group akin to the

Young Czechs The Young Czech Party ( cz, Mladočeši, officially National Liberal Party, ''Národní strana svobodomyslná'') was formed in the Bohemian crown land of Austria-Hungary in 1874. It initiated the democratization of Czech political parties and ...

in the Czech Lands that challenged the then prevailing influence of conservatives, led by Janez Bleiweis, within the Slovenian National Movement. In his late years, he grew closer to Pan-Slavist ideals. Levstik and his literary program had a great influence on future generations of Slovene authors of national liberal views, especially Josip Jurčič,

Josip Stritar Josip Stritar (6 March 1836 – 25 November 1923) was a Slovene writer, poet, essayist, the first aesthetic critic, playwright, publisher and translator. Life Stritar spent his early childhood in his home village of Podsmreka in rural Lowe ...

, Janko Kersnik,

Anton Aškerc Anton Aškerc (; 9 January 1856 – 10 June 1912) was an Slovenian poet and Roman Catholic priest who worked in Austria, best known for his epic poems. Aškerc was born into a peasant family near the town of Rimske Toplice in the Duchy of Styri ...

, Janez Trdina and Ivan Tavčar. He died in Ljubljana after a period of serious mental illness, which included delusions of a religious nature. He was buried in the former

St. Christopher's Cemetery Navje Memorial Park ( sl, Spominski park Navje), the redesigned part of the former St. Christopher's Cemetery (), is a memorial park in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is located in the Bežigrad district, just behind the Ljubljana railw ...

in the Bežigrad district of Ljubljana. The

Levstik Award The Levstik Award ( sl, Levstikova nagrada) is a literary award in Slovenia awarded for achievements in children's literature. It has been bestowed since 1949 by the Mladinska Knjiga Publishing House, making it the first literary award established ...

for achievements in children's literature is named after him.Levstik Award on Culture.si Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia site
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Levstik, Fran 1831 births 1887 deaths People from the Municipality of Velike Lašče Carniolan dramatists and playwrights Carniolan philologists Carniolan essayists Slovenian literary critics Young Slovenes politicians Carniolan poets 19th-century Carniolan writers