Miroslav Krleža (1893-1981)

 

 

"A lettering box of lead letters,

albeit not much,

but nevertheless is the only thing man has so far

devised as a weapon for defending his human dignity."

Miroslav Krleža, Banquet in Blitvia

 

 

 

Miroslav Krleža, Croatian writer, (Zagreb, July 7, 1893 – Zagreb, December 29, 1981). He was the author of the most significant texts in the Croatian literature of the 20th century and the actuator of many cultural initiatives funded on the critical awareness of the Croatian society, which made his opus one of the central determinants in the building up of modern Croatia. Working in conditions of pronounced social division regarding fundamental problems of the community, he succeeded, though not avoiding conflicts, to shape his primary, aesthetic position as indubitable both for supporters and adversaries alike, so that the integrality of his work and thoughts was included in the crucial presumption of the national cultural standard.