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HISTORY
OF
SLOVAK LITERATURE
By: Dr. Peter Petro
Those who read the story
of Slovak literature may be compared to the old rafters on the river Váh.
They made their rafts upstream, almost at the source of the river, high in
the mountains, where the rivers are born. When they first launched their
craft, they sped down the river. With each part of their journey, the
river became wider, as the heretofore-constricting valleys gave way to a
wide, open plain. There was more to see, and what there was appeared more
complex and more difficult to make out from the middle of the river.
Finally, they arrived at the mouth of the Váh, where it joins the Danube.
The Váh was a mature river here, its waters not that different from those
of the bigger, cosmopolitan Danube. And so it is with Slovak literature:
in its maturity, it is a distinguished member of the European family of
literatures.
Slovak literature itself
can be compared to Cinderella: the beauty, ability, and potential for fame
are there, but it is unknown, or at any rate less well known than it
deserves to be-to the English-speaking word, at any rate. Few
translations exist to remedy this lack of knowledge. Nevertheless, the
world is beginning to take notice of Slovak literature, as evidenced by
the international conference, organized by the University of London’s
School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies entitled "Slovak
Prose After 1954" (1987). The first to deal with this literature and
a fitting testimonial to its growing importance, the conference dealt with
more than a dozen very talented Slovak novelists. This is a step in the
right direction. The next step should be systematic translation of the
best Slovak literature, past and present.
This work is
intended as a guide for those who would like to be introduced to Slovak
literature, as well as Slavists. Knowing this literature also means
getting acquainted with the people who have lived for over a millennium
right in the center of Europe, whose culture and language have survived
against all odds, and whose literature is in a sense unique - for in it we
see, as in a mirror, a reflection of the unceasing battle for a subtle
balance between the great forces of East and West, North and South. Above
all, as a great Slovak poet, Hugolín Gavlovič, said, "There is
no greater wealth than literature." With this kind of wealth, such
considerations as the size of the country and its political success or
failure do not really matter. What does matter is the expression of genius
through the medium of literature. This book is an invitation to meet this
genius.
In spite of its richness
and long history, Slovak literature is one of the least-known Slavic
literatures in the English-speaking world. Few translations of Slovak
works exist and until now there has been no systematic English-language
history of the field. A History of Slovak Literature provides an excellent
introduction to this important but overlooked body of writing.
Starting with the
Great Moravian period, Peter Petro surveys one thousand years of Slovak
Literature. He examines the medieval, renaissance, baroque, classical,
romantic, realist, and modern periods and highlights the contributions of
such writers as Nedožerský, Tranovský, Papánek, Šafárik, Kollár,
Záborský, Vajanský, Hviezdoslav, Kukučín, Hronský, Tatarka, and
Rúfus.
Like Czech, Polish and
Ukrainian writing, Slovak literature transcended the merely literary to
become an influential political and cultural tool: Slovak writers and
poets played an important role in promoting and protecting the culture and
language of their people against invading cultures.
A History of Slovak
Literature is a welcome addition to the field of Slavic studies.
Peter Petro is associate
professor of Russian, East European and comparative literature, University
of British Columbia.
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