Literary-Historical Studies of Slovene Emigration Litera

This paper presents a survey condensed insofar as is possible on literary-historical studies published on Slovene emigration literature, particularly that research which was published in Slovenia. The article also partly covers such professional publications in Slovene indigenous populations abroad and in foreign countries. The chronological overview of treatises is complemented by an extensive bibliography of selected literary-historical monographs, discussions and articles on Slovene emigration literature.

The purpose of this survey is neither an evaluation nor a detailed presentation of the contents of literary-historical publications Slovene emigration literature, but rather, as far as possible, to outline condensed information on those who have Worked or continue to do so in this area of research and the work that has been tried out to date in this field.

At the moment in Slovenia there are approximately twenty literary historians, writers, journalists, and editors Who Work at least occasionally in research on Slovene emigration literature. Apart from these, in this field a few exceptionally active researchers and writers work on indigenous Slovene population abroad, particularly in Trieste, where the most prolific writer on Slovene zdomci (temporary workers abroad) literature is Mart Jevnikar. An equally visible contribution to the study of the important part of Slovene literature is represented by the literary-historical studies written by Slovene emigrants themselves particularly in Argentina, the USA and Australia, and also Vienna.

In comparison to foreign and emigration literary history and criticism, that in the homeland began actively to devote attention to these matters somewhat late. An exception is the works of Louis Adamič which were the subject of attention in practically all the more notable Slovene cultural periodicals from the beginning of the thirties to Slovenia’s gaining of political independence.

In the past decades in Slovenia, Jože Pogačnik, Helga Glušič Denis Poniž Marko Jenšterle, Taras Kermauner, France Pibernik, Mirko Jurak, Jerneja Petrič Janez Stanonik, and Janja Zitnik have been the major writers on Slovene zdomci literature, the last four of whom having focused primarily on Slovene authors who wrote or are Writing in an English cultural sphere. Also belonging to this group of researchers are Barbara Susa and Igor Maver, who have devoted their work predominantly to Slovene Writers in Australia, and Mihael Glavan and Rozina Svent. The results of their Work in this field can be seen at least in part in Izbrane bibliografije literarnozgodovinskih monografij razprav in člankov o slovenski izseljenski književnosti (Selected Bibliographies of Literary-Historical Monographs, Treatises and Articles on Slovene Emigration Literature) published in Slovenia. In all accounts in the past few years a Visible change in Slovene literary history has taken place which gives rise to the hope that from now on We Will study Slovene emigration literature with renewed interest and in particular with more objective criteria than did some of our predecessors.