Juraj Cervenák
Encyclopedia
Juraj Červenák is a Slovak
author best known for his short story
and novel, which mix elements of sword and sorcery
with historical fantasy
and Slavic mythology
.
He has published (under the pseudonym Thorleif Larssen) several novels featuring Robert E. Howard
's classic character Conan the Barbarian
, as well as (under his own name) the Warlock trilogy, a set of historical fantasy novels following the adventures of the Slavic
warlock Rogan in the historical setting of the 8th century Principality of Nitra
and neighbouring lands.
Červenák's short stories range from themes similar to those used in his novels to westerns
and horrors
and can be found in various (mostly Czech) anthologies, Slovak science fiction/fantasy magazine Fantázia
and Czech magazines Ikarie and Pevnost. Most of Červenák's books were published in Czech
translation prior to publication of their original Slovak
versions (as of September 2007 none of the novels have been published in Slovak).
Červenák is currently working on a new trilogy
, based on Bylina
s; the first novel, Bohatier: Oceľové žezlo (Bogatyr
: The Iron Sceptre) was published in 2006, with two sequels scheduled for publication in 2007.
, Slovakia
, but spent most of his life in the town of Banská Štiavnica
. After graduating from secondary school he went through a series of odd jobs, finally settling in a position at the town's cultural centre, where his duties included managing the local cinema. He ultimately made writing (as a novelist, short story writer and film critic for various magazines) his full-time career in 2005.
) and lacking in inventiveness and sophistication.
After Tollrander, Červenák went on a nearly four-year writing and publishing hiatus, from which he emerged in 1998 with a short story called "Mŕtvi striebro nepotrebujú" (Dead Men Need No Silver), published in the Fantázia
magazine.
The short story introduced a new protagonist, Rogan the Warlock, along with his wolf-demon companion, Goryvlad, in an original world of high fantasy based on Slavic history and mythology. The readers' response was favourable and more short stories followed. "Krvavý oheň, biely oheň" (Blood Fire, White Fire), published a year later, received the O najlepšiu fantasy (Best Fantasy) Award.
Červenák returned to writing novels with 2000's Conan nelítostný (Conan The Relentless) (writing as Thorleif Larssen once again) and collected two more prestigious awards, Istron for "Z posvátné vody zrozená" (Born Of The Sacred Water) in 2002 and Raketa
for "Hrdlorez" (Cutthroat) in 2003.
2003 saw the publication of the first in the Warlock series of novels, Černokněžník – Vládce vlků (Warlock – The Master of Wolves). It was the first book to be published under Červenák's own name and marked his embrace of historical fantasy
, as it brought Rogan into the historical setting of Central Europe
at the turn of the 8th century. The novel earned positive reviews and was followed by two sequels (2004, 2005) and a short story collection (2006).
Červenák is currently working on a new trilogy based on Bylina
s; the first novel, Bohatier: Oceľové žezlo (Bogatyr
: The Iron Sceptre), describing the exploits of the legendary hero Ilya Muromets
was published in 2006, with two sequels scheduled for publication in 2007.
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
author best known for his short story
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
and novel, which mix elements of sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural...
with historical fantasy
Historical fantasy
Historical fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy and related to historical fiction, which makes use of specific elements of real world history. It is used as an umbrella term for the sword and sorcery genre and sometimes, if fantasy is involved, the sword-and-sandal genre too...
and Slavic mythology
Slavic mythology
Slavic mythology is the mythological aspect of the polytheistic religion that was practised by the Slavs before Christianisation.The religion possesses many common traits with other religions descended from the Proto-Indo-European religion....
.
He has published (under the pseudonym Thorleif Larssen) several novels featuring Robert E. Howard
Robert E. Howard
Robert Ervin Howard was an American author who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. Best known for his character Conan the Barbarian, he is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre....
's classic character Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian is a fictional sword and sorcery hero that originated in pulp fiction magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, several films , television programs, video games, roleplaying games and other media...
, as well as (under his own name) the Warlock trilogy, a set of historical fantasy novels following the adventures of the Slavic
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
warlock Rogan in the historical setting of the 8th century Principality of Nitra
Principality of Nitra
The Principality of Nitra also Nitrian Principality or Slovak Principality is the name for a polity of Nitra Sloviens, centered on large agglomeration, a multi-tribal centre around Nitra, Slovakia. The initially independent Principality of Nitra came into existence in the early 9th century...
and neighbouring lands.
Červenák's short stories range from themes similar to those used in his novels to westerns
Western fiction
Western fiction is a genre of literature set in the American Old West frontier and typically set from the late eighteenth to the late nineteenth century. Well-known writers of Western fiction include Zane Grey from the early 1900s and Louis L'Amour from the mid 20th century...
and horrors
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
and can be found in various (mostly Czech) anthologies, Slovak science fiction/fantasy magazine Fantázia
Fantázia
Fantázia was a Slovak science fiction, fantasy and horror magazine. It was first published in July 1997. The magazine was started in Šaľa, Slovakia by Ivan Aľakša, who served as its editor until 2006, when he withdrew to concentrate on publishing duties and was replaced by Juraj Malíček.Fantázia...
and Czech magazines Ikarie and Pevnost. Most of Červenák's books were published in Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
translation prior to publication of their original Slovak
Slovak language
Slovak , is an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Slavic languages .Slovak is the official language of Slovakia, where it is spoken by 5 million people...
versions (as of September 2007 none of the novels have been published in Slovak).
Červenák is currently working on a new trilogy
Trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
, based on Bylina
Bylina
Bylina or Bylyna is a traditional Russian oral epic narrative poem. Byliny singers loosely utilize historical fact greatly embellished with fantasy or hyperbole to create their songs...
s; the first novel, Bohatier: Oceľové žezlo (Bogatyr
Bogatyr
The bogatyr was a medieval heroic warrior of Kievan Rus' and the Novgorodian Republic, akin to a Western European knight errant.- Kievan Rus' :...
: The Iron Sceptre) was published in 2006, with two sequels scheduled for publication in 2007.
Biography
Juraj Červenák was born on June 16, 1974 in Žiar nad HronomŽiar nad Hronom
Žiar nad Hronom is a town in Banská Bystrica Region, Slovakia.-Geography:It is located in the Žiar Basin, on the Hron river, around 40 km from Banská Bystrica and 170 km from Bratislava...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, but spent most of his life in the town of Banská Štiavnica
Banská Štiavnica
Banská Štiavnica is a town in central Slovakia, in the middle of an immense caldera created by the collapse of an ancient volcano. For its size, the caldera is known as Štiavnica Mountains. Banská Štiavnica has a population of more than 10,000. It is a completely preserved medieval town...
. After graduating from secondary school he went through a series of odd jobs, finally settling in a position at the town's cultural centre, where his duties included managing the local cinema. He ultimately made writing (as a novelist, short story writer and film critic for various magazines) his full-time career in 2005.
Writing career
Červenák's early works, published under the pseudonym 'Thorleif Larssen', were moderately successful with readers but largely dismissed by critics as derivative of his literary influences (most notably HowardRobert E. Howard
Robert Ervin Howard was an American author who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. Best known for his character Conan the Barbarian, he is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre....
) and lacking in inventiveness and sophistication.
After Tollrander, Červenák went on a nearly four-year writing and publishing hiatus, from which he emerged in 1998 with a short story called "Mŕtvi striebro nepotrebujú" (Dead Men Need No Silver), published in the Fantázia
Fantázia
Fantázia was a Slovak science fiction, fantasy and horror magazine. It was first published in July 1997. The magazine was started in Šaľa, Slovakia by Ivan Aľakša, who served as its editor until 2006, when he withdrew to concentrate on publishing duties and was replaced by Juraj Malíček.Fantázia...
magazine.
The short story introduced a new protagonist, Rogan the Warlock, along with his wolf-demon companion, Goryvlad, in an original world of high fantasy based on Slavic history and mythology. The readers' response was favourable and more short stories followed. "Krvavý oheň, biely oheň" (Blood Fire, White Fire), published a year later, received the O najlepšiu fantasy (Best Fantasy) Award.
Červenák returned to writing novels with 2000's Conan nelítostný (Conan The Relentless) (writing as Thorleif Larssen once again) and collected two more prestigious awards, Istron for "Z posvátné vody zrozená" (Born Of The Sacred Water) in 2002 and Raketa
Raketa
Raketa watches have been manufactured since 1962 by the Petrodvorets Watch Factory in Saint Petersburg. The Petrodvorets Watch Factory is Russia's oldest factory, it was founded by Peter the Great in 1721 as the Peterhof Lapidary Works to make hardstone carvings...
for "Hrdlorez" (Cutthroat) in 2003.
2003 saw the publication of the first in the Warlock series of novels, Černokněžník – Vládce vlků (Warlock – The Master of Wolves). It was the first book to be published under Červenák's own name and marked his embrace of historical fantasy
Historical fantasy
Historical fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy and related to historical fiction, which makes use of specific elements of real world history. It is used as an umbrella term for the sword and sorcery genre and sometimes, if fantasy is involved, the sword-and-sandal genre too...
, as it brought Rogan into the historical setting of Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
at the turn of the 8th century. The novel earned positive reviews and was followed by two sequels (2004, 2005) and a short story collection (2006).
Červenák is currently working on a new trilogy based on Bylina
Bylina
Bylina or Bylyna is a traditional Russian oral epic narrative poem. Byliny singers loosely utilize historical fact greatly embellished with fantasy or hyperbole to create their songs...
s; the first novel, Bohatier: Oceľové žezlo (Bogatyr
Bogatyr
The bogatyr was a medieval heroic warrior of Kievan Rus' and the Novgorodian Republic, akin to a Western European knight errant.- Kievan Rus' :...
: The Iron Sceptre), describing the exploits of the legendary hero Ilya Muromets
Ilya Muromets
Ilya Muromets is a Kievan Rus' epic hero. He is celebrated in numerous byliny . Along with Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich he is regarded as the greatest of all the legendary bogatyrs...
was published in 2006, with two sequels scheduled for publication in 2007.
Works
The titles listed in brackets are as literally translated to English; titles of any actual future translations would most probably differ.- Olgerd – Meč z Thormarenu (Olgerd – The Sword Of Thormaren) (as Thorleif Larssen) Saga, 1993.
- Conan a stíny Hyrthu (Conan And The Shadows Of Hyrth) (as George Callahan) Saga, 1994.
- Tollrander – Klenot zakletého čaroděje (Tollrander – The Jewel Of The Enchanted Wizard) (as Thorleif Larssen) Saga, 1994.
- Conan nelítostný (Conan The Relentless) (as Thorleif Larssen) Brokilon, 2000.
- Conan a svatyně démonů (Conan And The Shrine Of Demons) (as Thorleif Larssen) Brokilon, 2002.
- Černokněžník – Vládce vlků (Warlock – The Master of Wolves) Wales, 2003.
- Conan a dvanáct bran pekla (Conan And The Twelve Gates Of Hell) (as Thorleif Larssen) Brokilon, 2004.
- Černokněžník – Radhostův meč (Warlock – The Sword of Radhost) Wales, 2004.
- Černokněžník: Krvavý oheň (Warlock: The Bloody Fire) Wales, 2005.
- Mark Stone – Svatá válka (Mark Stone: The Holy War) Ivo Železný, 2006.
- Černokňěžník: Válka s běsy (Warlock: The War With Demons) (short story collection) Wales, 2006.
- Bohatier: Oceľové žezlo (Bogatyr: The Iron Sceptre) Wales, 2006.
- Bohatier: Dračia Cárovná (Bogatyr: The Dragon Empress) Wales, 2007.
- Bohatier: Biela veža (Bogatyr: The White Tower) Wales, 2008
- Bivoj běsobijce (Bivoj demonslayer) Brokilon, 2008
- Bivoj válečník (Bivoj warrior) Brokilon, 2008
- Sekera z bronzu, rúno zo zlata (The bronze axe, the golden fleece) Brokilon, 2009
- Strážcovia Varadínu (Adventures of Captain Báthory 1 - Guardians of Varadín) Brokilon, 2009
- Strážcovia Varadína (SK) (Adventures of Captain Báthory 1 - Guardians of Varadín) Slovart, 2010
- Vodca Vlkov (SK) (Warlock - The Master of Wolves) Artis Omnis, 2010
- Radhostov meč (SK) (Warlock - The Sword of Radhost) Artis Omnis, 2010
- Brána Irkally (SK) (Adventures of Captain Báthory 2 - The Gate of Irkalla) Slovart, 2010