An essay on Croatian literature

         Literature is an important part of any national culture. It is works of art that give us an insight into past times and the people who lived in them. Every nation has its own invaluable pieces of work to reflect upon us those times. Croatian literature however is a unique case, sadly, worth mocking.

         First notable Croatian works appeared in the middle ages. However few known authors remain, only pieces of their work. These vary in genre and subjects. Usually the main subject was hagiography. In the times of the renaissance, first known authors appear. These are Marko Marulić, Juraj Šižgorić, Ivan Lucić, Petar Hektorović and many others. The ones mentioned here are the only ones worth mentioning. The works of these authors begin to deal with contemporary subjects, and in these times Croatian literature is of fine quality. It is in the times of baroque that Croatian literature begins its decline. Beginning with the 16th century the entire country was formed into one huge system of defenses against the Turks. Austria is the regent of these lands and so uses it as its shield for the future. This had a profound effect on Croatian writers, as they were either in Vienna studying, or in Croatia fighting.Thus, this means that the ideas of enlightenment, rationalism and empiricism were slow to come by, if they came at all. A few authors attempted to restore knowledge and advancement by writing helpful works to be read by peasants and nobles alike. Matija Antun Reljković with his "Satir iliti divlji čovjek" is a perfect example of such work, a poem with practical advice about advanced housekeeping, but also written with style.

         It is the 19th century that brings the most twisting change to the course of Croatian literature. National conciousness begins to rise. Writers form a movement called the "Ilirski pokret" and begin writing patriotic works against their lords: the Austrians and Hungarians. Although a noble goal, they utterly failed in creating anything valuable, as these works had little artistical value. The movement eventually fails, as it was destined to. After the fiasco that was the first half of the 19th century, a man named August Šenoa appears, with a more reasonable goal: to educate the Croatian public, so they would read interesting and skillfuly written novels. This he accomplished. However it turned out that his novels were copies of one another, or they were copies of other famous works. Too say he was "heavily influenced" instead of a copycat would be an understatement. Cutting short other surplus and unnoticeable works we approach the modern era, where absolutely nothing happens. At all. We have no famous writers anymore, but it's not their fault. The reason why writing in Croatia is so difficult is because of the language. The Croatian language is absolutely horrible to read and write, as it lacks soul. It is rough and unemotional. One can not express himself or connect to something by saying it in Croatian.

          I can't recommend any Croatian works to anyone who read this short text. There are none to be had. Fortunately we do have a lot of young talent and in the coming years, a new Croatian literary age will begin. Even I, who abhore my own language will give it a shot at writing in Croatian, just for the fun of it.