Marija Jurić, born on March 2, 1873, and died on November 30, 1957, was a Croatian journalist, writer, and advocate for women's rights. She used the name Zagorka when writing her books and articles. Marija was the first woman to work as a journalist in Croatia. She is also considered one of the most widely read Croatian writers.
Early life and education
Marija Jurić was born on 2 March 1873 in the village of Negovec. She was the daughter of Ivan Jurić and Josipa Domin. She had two brothers and one sister. She was baptized in a Catholic church on 3 March 1873 and was given the name Mariana. She later described her family as having a lot of money but being unhappy. She spent her childhood in Hrvatsko Zagorje on the Golubovec estate owned by Baron Geza Rauch, which her father managed. She received education from private tutors along with the children of Baron Rauch. Zagorka attended elementary school in Varaždin, where she was known for being very smart and talented. She completed all grades with the highest scores. Although her father wanted to send her to Switzerland for high school, which Baron Rauch agreed to pay for, her mother disagreed. As a result, Zagorka attended an all-girls high school at the Convent of the Sisters of Mercy in Zagreb. At her mother’s request and despite her father’s opposition, Zagorka married Andrija Matraja, a Slovak-Hungarian railway officer who was 17 years older than her, in an arranged marriage at the end of 1891. She did not agree with her husband’s belief that men should be in charge of women. The couple lived in Szombathely for three years, during which Zagorka had a mental health crisis. They eventually divorced. During her time in Hungary, she learned telegraphy and the Hungarian language, which helped her later in her career as a journalist. In 1895, Zagorka escaped her abusive husband. She first lived with her uncle in Sremska Mitrovica and later moved to Zagreb. Matraja claimed she was mentally unstable, so she was placed in an asylum for a time. However, doctors later determined she was healthy and she was released. With her father’s help, she obtained a divorce. However, her mother testified against her, and she was found responsible for the failure of the marriage. As a result, Matraja was not required to pay her alimony or return her personal belongings.
Journalist career
During high school, Zagorka edited her first newspaper, Samostanske novine [Convent Newspaper]. She shared her only copy with other students. In 1891, she edited the only student newspaper in Krapina, Zagorsko proljeće [Spring of Zagorje], using the name M. Jurica Zagorski, which suggested she was a man. After the first issue was published, the newspaper was banned because of her introduction titled "The Spirit of Matija Gubec Accuses – Later Generations Haven't Used Spilled Blood and Are Still Slaves." In 1896, she wrote unsigned articles for the newspapers Hrvatski branik and Hrvatska Posavina.
In the same year, Zagorka began working at Obzor. She first worked as a proofreader because the board of directors and editor-in-chief Šime Mazzuro did not want her to work there as a woman. After bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer helped her, she became a journalist but had to sit in a separate room so no one would see her. She mostly wrote about politics and sometimes wrote travelogues from Zagorje, biographies, autobiographies, feuilletons, humoresques, short stories, and novels in sequels. On 31 October 1896, her first article in Obzor, titled Egy Percz (Hungarian for "One Brief Moment"), was published. In the article, Zagorka wrote about the use of the Hungarian language at train stations in Croatia, which most Croats did not understand, causing confusion for passengers. She later reported on political events in the Croatian-Hungarian Parliament in Budapest and from Vienna, including comments on politicians, interviews, and notes on unofficial political talks and the general political atmosphere. Her work helped increase Obzor's circulation.
After Obzor's editor-in-chief J. Pasarić and his deputy M. Heimerl were imprisoned in 1903 during Khuen-Héderváry's strongest oppression of Croats, Zagorka edited Obzor for five months by herself. A strong opponent of the forced use of Hungarian and German in Croatia, she was locked in a cell alone for ten days for organizing demonstrations against Khuen-Héderváry. However, her work as an editor for Obzor was not mentioned in the 1936 Obzor Memorial Book, which upset her. During this time, she also wrote articles for Hungarian opposition newspapers Népszava and Magyarország. In 1910, she helped start the Croatian Journalists' Association. That same year, she married fellow journalist Slavko Amadej Vodvařka. They divorced in 1914.
In 1917, Zagorka left Obzor and started her own magazine, Zabavnik. She also wrote articles for Jutarnji list. Later, she published and edited the first Croatian women's magazine, Ženski list [Women's Paper] (1925–38), writing most of the articles herself. The magazine had a feminist and patriotic tone. Zagorka also wrote for many other newspapers, including Vijenac and Novi list. She helped start the Croatian Female Writers' Association in 1936.
In 1938, she left Ženski list because most of the editors supported conservatism and clericalism instead of liberalism and feminism. In 1939, she founded the magazine Hrvatica [Croatian Woman] (1939–41). All the money from subscribers was used for printing, and Zagorka volunteered to help. During World War II, the Ustaše persecuted her, forbidding her from publishing Hrvatica, seizing existing copies, subscription money, and even furniture from her apartment. Faced with constant harassment, she tried to commit suicide. In 1944, she tried to join the Yugoslav Partisans but was rejected. After the war, she was excluded from the cultural scene, which she blamed on some of her former colleagues from Obzor who believed women should only write romance novels. Without a pension, she depended on help from friends and readers. She published an advertisement seeking someone to regularly bring her food. She chose two younger men, Nikola Smolčić and Leo Car, who said they were cousins but were actually a couple. She later asked them to move in with her. Letters she secretly sent to friends later revealed she was heavily mistreated by Smolčić and Car. Zagorka joined the Women's Antifascist Front of Croatia. Slobodna Dalmacija purchased the copyright to her works, and in 1952, she became an
Death
Zagorka passed away in Zagreb when she was 84 years old. She was first buried at Mirogoj Cemetery near the chapel on the right side of the entrance. Later, her remains were moved to the arcades on the left side, which is farther from the entrance.
Legacy
Zagorka's property was passed to Smolčić, who died soon after, giving the property to his partner, Car. Although Zagorka wished for her apartment on Dolac Market to become a memorial center, Car did not follow her final request. Instead, he renovated the apartment and lived there until his death in September 1986. In 2009, the City of Zagreb purchased the apartment from Car's heirs and converted it into a Memorial Apartment of Marija Jurić Zagorka. This space is managed by the educational NGO Centre for Women's Studies Zagreb. Visitors can learn about Zagorka and other influential women in culture, politics, science, and human rights. Each year, at the end of November, the Center holds a cultural and scientific event called Days of Marija Jurić Zagorka. Every third Thursday of the month, the Center hosts public lectures about Zagorka and women's literature.
In a 2005 survey conducted by Vjesnik, a Zagreb newspaper, Zagorka ranked second on the list of most popular Croatian writers of all time. The Croatian Journalists' Association presents the annual Marija Jurić Zagorka Award to recognize excellence in written, radio, television, online, and investigative journalism. Zagorka is one of the main subjects in the essay collection No Man's Lands: eight extraordinary women in Balkan history, written by British-Kosovan authors Elizabeth Gowing and Robert Wilton.
Works
Her books have not been translated into English, but two are available in German: The Witch of Gric (1995) and Malleus Maleficarum (1972). The second title shares the same name as a book published in 1486 that explained how to identify witches, though Zagorka’s novel is a fictional story, not a guide for witch-hunting. Eleven of her novels, written in Croatian, are in the Library of Congress.
Zagrebačke silhouette (The Silhouettes of Zagreb) (1911) is Zagorka’s most popular work, blending a historical novel, romance, and adventure. Set in the late 1700s, it follows Countess Nera Keglević, a young woman raised in isolation by her grandmother. Known for her beauty and kind behavior, she becomes admired by Zagreb’s aristocracy. However, her popularity among men causes jealousy among other women. Nera’s efforts to protect poor women from being accused of witchcraft lead to her own accusation of witchcraft. This prompts the aristocracy to protest the law’s unfair treatment of someone from their class. Complaints to the Queen are blocked by a group of women, leaving Nera at the mercy of unjust laws. She is later rescued by Captain Siniša, a fiery pandur who disguises himself as the Devil to scare crowds and take her away. Eventually, Empress Maria Theresa learns about the unfair treatment of her friend’s granddaughter and, with the help of her son Joseph, stops the trial against Nera. Nera and Siniša face new challenges from social and imperial conflicts that threaten their happiness. The story ends with a look at the tragic life and rule of Emperor Joseph II, known as the “Rebel on the Throne.”
The first book, Secret of the Bloody Bridge, is set in the same time period but stands alone as a separate story, unlike later novels that connect to the tale of Countess Nera. Characters from the first book appear in later ones. While the second story is more popular, experts consider the first book Zagorka’s best work. Part of the story involving Maria Theresa was inspired by the real-life story of Magda Logomer, the last woman in Zagreb condemned to death for witchcraft. The book begins with a series of mysterious murders, with each victim found under the Bloody Bridge that links Grič and Kaptol. The story centers on Count Juraj Meško, who seeks to expose Baron Makar for killing his wife, and Stanka, a servant girl dressed as a boy by her mistress and introduced to society as her nephew, Lieutenant Stanko. Meško grows close to Stanko and asks for his help, which Stanka agrees to. Stanka falls in love with Meško, risking her job and safety. She continues to assist Meško, who believes Stanko is a boy and does not return her feelings. The story includes adventure, romance, and history, like all of Zagorka’s novels, and is the only crime novel besides The Princess of Petrinjska Street.