The directory «Plots»

Finžgar Fran Saleški
(1871—1962)

Fran Saleški Finžgar, storytcller and dramatist, "Mohorjeva družba" chief editor for many years, priest and social worker, the offspring of a Gorenjska (Upper Carniola) cottager family, was born on 9th February 1871 in Doslovče in Gorenjska. He continued the literary tradition of Slovene realists of the previous century. He finished primary school in Radovljica and attended grammar school in Ljubljana. He devoted his life to the priesthood remaining faithful to it, despite many disagreements with his superiors and personal doubts. From 1895 to 1900 he worked as a vicar in town and village parishes in the area of the Ljubljana diocese. He was a prison chaplain in the Ljubljana forced labour workshop for two years, and from 1902 to 1936 he was a parish priest for the longest period, in Trnovo in Ljubljana. He spent the last years there as a literary man, editor and social worker. He strongly supported the Resistance movement during World War II. Despite his literary fame and standing, he was a comforter of suffering and persecuted people in church.

Finžgar's stories and dramas could be divided into many expressive-content units; his lyrical and epic verses are clear and smooth, but without melodic and emotional impulse.
Finžgar's greatest works were idealistic-realistic novelettes, short stories and a novel describing the life of the intelligenzia, bourgeoisi and working class society and their environmcnts, showing a development from domestic poetic realism, through the influence of Cankar's lyrical prose, and reaching more or less authentic psychological realism. The historical novel "Pod svobodnim soncem" (Under the sun of freedom) is the only completed part of a planned tetralogy from the national past, conceived on the initiative of Janez Evangelist Krek, and following the Sienkiewicz example with the aim of raising the national spirit. The idealistic-realistic tales and plays describing Upper Carniolan rural life and working class life in Ljubljana are also among his important works.

A comparison between his historical novel "Pod svobodnim soncem" (Under the sun of freedom) and narrative essays "Deteljica" (Clover), "Kvišku" (Upwards), "Moja duša vasuje" (My soul visits my sweatheart) and "Iz modernega sveta" (From modern world) shows the quick and many-sided maturity of the author's literary power. Finžgar's novel "Pod svobodnim soncem" (Under the sun of freedom), which is one of the mþ vivid, attractive and imaginative reconstructions of a historicaþ event apart from Tavčar's "Visoška kronika" (Chronicle from Visoko), proclaims that all Slovenes should keep the original idealism of European culture, although it was rejected from the upper social crust of many nations, and try hard to achieve that every Slovene, as Iztok in the novel, will be the son of "three fathers": his own nation, the classical cultural tradition of mankind and the Slavic poetic tradition.

After this novel, Finžgar started to write tales and plays about folk life. This is the largest and most artistically convincing component of his works. Motifs from village life and folklore had already attracted him during his student and theological years, but he later recognised their significance for his (Maid Ančka), cyclic pictures from II World War collected under the title "Prerokovana" ( Foretold ), a psychological thesis "Beli ženin" White groom ), a family story "Strici" ( Uncles ) and folk plays "Veriga" ( Chain ) and "Razvalina življenja ( Life ruins ) represent love-critical attempts of an artist and a priest in one person, who wishes to understand booth his origins and his spiritual flock. Finžgar's literary works are generally democratic and humane full of compassionate love for commonpeople, helping them to gain moral health, social justice and national freedom.

Slovenia, 1996, Fran Saleški Finžgar

Slovenia, 1996.04.16, Lubljana. Fran Saleški Finžgar