VERA
JAVAREK, Serbo-Croatian Prose and Verse. A Selection with an Introductory
Essay. London: University of London, The Athlone Press, 1958. XXVII + 161
pp.
The author
is a lecturer in Serbo-Croatian language and literature at the School of
Slavonic and East European Studies, University of London. The literature
covered in this anthology starts with the later writers of the Romantic
movement and ends with the writers who rose to prominence in the period between
the two world wars. The following Croatian writers are included: August Šenoa,
Evgenij Kumičić, Ante Kovačić, Josip Kozarac, Ksaver Šandor
Gjalski, Silvije Strahimir Kranjčević, Antun Gustav Matoš, Vladimir
Vidrić, Ljubo Wiesner, Milan Begović, Gustav Krklec, Nikola Sop, Ivan
Goran Kovačić, Gvido Tartalja, Ivo Andrić, Vladimir Nazor, Miroslav
Krleža, Slavko Kolar. In view of the limited character of this anthology, a
very discriminate choice indeed was made.
The
introductory essay of eighteen pages presents a concise and adequate survey of
the Serbian and Croatian literatures during the period covered in the
anthology. The Serbian and Croatian writers are treated separately. Somewhat
confusing, though, the author resorts to geographical terms. Thus Ivo
Andrić is "a Bosnian writer," Ivo Čipiko "a Dalmatian
novelist", Gvido Tartalja "a Dalmatian by origin" is included in
the Serbian literature. On the whole, however, Vera Javarek has done an
extremely competent and fair job.