Martin Kačur: The Biography of an Idealist (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9789639776418)

The novel Martin Kačur, which dates from 1907, tells the engrossing story of a young schoolteacher who moves from one provincial Slovene town to the next, trying to enlighten his countrymen and countrywomen but instead receiving only the mistrust and scorn of the traditional-minded and petty population. The novel is ruthless in its analysis and self-analysis of the failure of this abstract idealist. Brilliant descriptions of Slovenia's natural beauty alternate with the haze of alcoholic despair, rural violence, marital alienation, and the death of a young and beloved child. The Slovene prose writer, poet, and dramatist Cankar's characterizations of duplicitous political and religious leaders (the village priest, the mayor, other teachers, doctors, etc.) and the treacherous social scene are remarkable in their engaging clarity. No doubt the raw emotional impact of Martin Kačur derives partly from Cankar's portrayal of the way society isolates people, denying them sympathy and solidarity. Cankar's style here owes a debt both to naturalism and to symbolism and contains, in its sometimes frantic pace and associative interior monologues, hints of early expressionism.

Author: Ivan Cankar
ISBN-10: 9639776416
ISBN-13: 9789639776418
Publisher: Central European University Press
Language: English
Published: 03/10/2009
Pages: 244
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.60lbs
Size: 8.10h x 4.90w x 0.90d

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 08/01/2009 pg. 259