Miroslav Krleža (pronounced [mǐrɔ̝slav̞ kř̩le̞ʒa]; July 7, 1893 – December 29, 1981) was a Croatian writer who is widely regarded as one of the most important figures of the 20th century. He wrote famous works in many types of writing, such as poetry (The Ballads of Petrica Kerempuh, 1936), plays (Messrs. Glembay, 1929), short stories (The Croatian God Mars, 1922), novels (The Return of Philip Latinowicz, 1932; On the Edge of Reason, 1938), and a personal diary. His writing often explored topics like the dishonesty and strict rules of the middle class in Austria-Hungary and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Krleža also wrote many essays about art, history, politics, literature, philosophy, and military strategy. He was known for strongly arguing about different ideas. His writing style mixes imaginative poetic language with sharp humor.

Krleža had a major influence on the culture of Croatia and Yugoslavia for about 50 years. He called himself a "Communist of his own making" and was criticized by Communist groups in the 1930s for refusing to follow the rules of socialist realism. After World War II, he held many important cultural positions in Socialist Yugoslavia, including director of the Yugoslav Lexicographical Institute and a regular advisor on cultural matters to President Tito. After Yugoslavia broke away from Stalin, Krleža’s speech at the 1952 Congress of Yugoslav Writers marked a time of greater freedom in Yugoslav literature.

Biography

Miroslav Krleža was born in Zagreb, the son of a constable. He attended a military school in Pécs, which is now part of Hungary. At that time, both Pécs and Zagreb were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Later, he studied at the Ludoviceum military academy in Budapest. He left the Austro-Hungarian army to join Serbia but was dismissed because he was suspected of being a spy. When he returned to Croatia, he was demoted in the army and sent to fight on the Eastern front during World War I. After the war, Krleža became a well-known Modernist writer and a politically controversial figure in Yugoslavia, a new country formed from parts of the former Habsburg Empire, as well as the kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro.

Krleža helped create several important literary and political publications, including Plamen ("The Flame", 1919), Književna republika ("Literary Republic", 1923–1927), Danas ("Today", 1934), and Pečat ("Seal", 1939–1940). He joined the Communist Party of Yugoslavia in 1918 but was removed from the party in 1939 because of his unusual views on art, his rejection of Socialist realism, and his refusal to support the Great Purge. This disagreement, known as "the Conflict on the Literary Left," involved Krleža and many other important writers in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between the two World Wars. Josip Broz Tito, a Party official, was sent to help resolve the conflict.

After the Nazi-controlled Independent State of Croatia was created under Ante Pavelić, Krleža refused to join the Partisans led by Tito. After the war, he faced criticism for a time but was later cleared of wrongdoing. In 1947, he became vice-president of the Yugoslav Academy of Science and Arts in Zagreb. From 1958 to 1961, he was president of the Yugoslav Writers' Union. During this time, Croatia’s main publishing house released his collected works. With Tito’s support, Krleža founded the Yugoslav Institute for Lexicography in 1950 and led it until his death. The institute was later named after him and is now called the Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography.

From 1950 onward, Krleža lived as a respected writer and intellectual, often working closely with Tito. He also served as president of the Yugoslav Writers' Union between 1958 and 1961. In 1962, he won the NIN Award for his novel Zastave ("The Banners"), and in 1968, he received the Herder Prize.

After Tito died in May 1980 and Krleža’s son, Bela Krleža, died in April 1981, Krleža spent his final years in poor health. He was honored with the Laureate Of The International Botev Prize in 1981. Krleža died on December 29, 1981, in his home, Villa Gvozd, in Zagreb. He was given a state funeral on January 4, 1982. In 1986, Villa Gvozd was donated to the City of Zagreb. The villa opened to the public in 2001 but was temporarily closed due to damage from the 2020 Zagreb earthquake as of 2021.

Works

Krleža's body of work can be divided into the following categories:

Although Krleža's lyric poetry is highly respected, critics widely agree that his most important poetic work is Balade Petrice Kerempuha (Ballads of Petrica Kerempuh). This work spans more than five centuries and focuses on the character of Petrica Kerempuh, a common people's prophet from Croatia, similar to the German figure Till Eulenspiegel.

Krleža's novels include four works: The Return of Philip Latinowicz, On the Edge of Reason, The Banquet in Blitva, and The Banners. The Return of Philip Latinowicz is a story about an artist. On the Edge of Reason and The Banquet in Blitva are satires (the latter set in an imaginary Baltic country and described as a political poem), filled with themes of widespread oppressive government control. The Banners is often called a "Croatian War and Peace." It is a detailed look at Croatian (and Central European) society before, during, and after World War I, focusing on the conflict between fathers and sons. All of Krleža's novels except The Banners have been translated into English.

The most well-known collection of Krleža's short stories is the anti-war book Croatian God Mars, which describes the experiences of Croatian soldiers sent to World War I battlefields.

Krleža's main artistic focus was drama. He began with experimental plays, such as Adam i Eva and Michelangelo Buonarroti, which explored the intense emotions of heroic figures. Later, he wrote more realistic plays. His most famous work is Gospoda Glembajevi (The Glembays), a series of plays about the decline of a middle-class family. Another play, Golgota, deals with political themes.

Krleža's memoirs and diaries include Davni dani (Olden Days) and Djetinjstvo u Agramu (Childhood in Zagreb). Other works include Dnevnici (Diaries) and Zapisi iz Tržiča (Notes from Tržič), which record many different experiences.

Selected works

• Croatian God Mars (Hrvatski bog Mars, 1922)
• Messrs. Glembay (Gospoda Glembajevi, 1928)
• The Return of Philip Latinowicz (Povratak Filipa Latinovicza, 1932)
• The Ballads of Petrica Kerempuh (Balade Petrice Kerempuha, 1936)
• On the Edge of Reason (Na rubu pameti, 1938)
• The Banquet in Blitva (Banket u Blitvi, 1939)
• The Banners [hr] (Zastave, 1962)

English translations:

Krleža, Miroslav. The Banquet in Blitva (Banket u Blitvi, 1939). Translated by Edward Dennis Goy and Jasna Levinger-Goy. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 2004.

_____. The Cricket Beneath the Waterfall, and Other Stories (Cvrčak pod vodopadom). Translated by various authors; edited by Branko Lenski. New York: Vanguard Press, 1972.

_____. Harbors Rich in Ships: Selected Revolutionary Writings (The Glembays, 1928, and other early texts). Translated by Željko Cipriš. New York: Monthly Review Press, 2017.

_____. Journey to Russia (Izlet u Rusiju, 1925). Translated by Will Firth. Zagreb: Sandorf, 2017.

_____. On the Edge of Reason (Na rubu pameti, 1938). Translated by Zora Depolo. New York: New Directions, 1995.

_____. The Return of Philip Latinowitz (Povratak Filipa Latinovicza, 1932). Translated by Zora Depolo. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 1995.