Svetolik Rankovic
Encyclopedia
Svetolik Ranković was a Serbian
author most prominent in the period of Realism
. As a realist, he was the first Serbian author to take a significant step towards the emancipation of prose from the laws of event-centered narration. He was referred to as the Russian pupil for his elegant style.
, near Belgrade
, on the seventh of December 1863. Ranković's preparation for writing lay in the precocious and omnivorous reading of his boyhood -- perhaps stimulated by the example of his scholarly teachers at school. In grammar school he began reading and studying the works of Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy
, Gorky
, Turgenev, Gogol, Vladimir Korolenko
, in fact, all the Russian greats of that era, which made a lasting impression on him. After graduating from the Seminary of St. Sava in Belgrade and from the presitigious Kiev Theological Academy
in 1889, he taught religion in Serbia
. He began publishing his works in 1892. His short stories, Pictures From Life, first appeared in 1904; and novels, King of the Forest (1897), Village Schoolmistress (1899) and Wrecked Ideals (1900) deal with the life of the Serbian peasantry and intelligentsia in the late 19th century. The theme of the tragic conflict between man and The Establishment
resonates through all his novels. A prominent Serbian realist, Ranković was one of the creators of the psychological novel, deliberately seeking to explore the gloomy side of life. He also translated the works of Leo Tolstoy
(Sevastapol Sketches), Ivan Turgenev
, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and Vladimir Korolenko
.
He died at Belgrade on the eighteenth of March 1899, of tuberculosis
. He was 35.
. His Jesenje slike (Images of Fall, 1892) fragmented the composition but used sound repetitions and structured the sentences rhythmically. Other notable works include Gorski car (Mountain Tsar) and Seoska uciteljica (Village Schoolmistress). His contemporaries are Veljko M. Milićević, Ivo Ćipiko, Borislav Stanković
, Petar Kočić
, Simo Matavulj
, Radoje Domanović
, Milorad J. Mitrović (poet), Stevan Sremac
, Laza Kostić
and others.
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
author most prominent in the period of Realism
Literary realism
Literary realism most often refers to the trend, beginning with certain works of nineteenth-century French literature and extending to late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century authors in various countries, towards depictions of contemporary life and society "as they were." In the spirit of...
. As a realist, he was the first Serbian author to take a significant step towards the emancipation of prose from the laws of event-centered narration. He was referred to as the Russian pupil for his elegant style.
Biography
Svetolik Ranković was born at MoštanicaMoštanica
Moštanica is a village in Croatia. It is connected by the D30 highway....
, near Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, on the seventh of December 1863. Ranković's preparation for writing lay in the precocious and omnivorous reading of his boyhood -- perhaps stimulated by the example of his scholarly teachers at school. In grammar school he began reading and studying the works of Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy
Tolstoy
Tolstoy, or Tolstoi is a prominent family of Russian nobility, descending from Andrey Kharitonovich Tolstoy who served under Vasily II of Moscow...
, Gorky
Gorky
Gorky may refer to:People:*Maxim Gorky , Russian author and political activist, founder of socialist realism*Arshile Gorky , Armenian/American abstract expressionist painterInhabited localities:...
, Turgenev, Gogol, Vladimir Korolenko
Vladimir Korolenko
Vladimir Galaktionovich Korolenko was a Ukrainian-Russian short story writer, journalist, human rights activist and humanitarian. His short stories were known for their harsh description of nature based on his experience of exile in Siberia...
, in fact, all the Russian greats of that era, which made a lasting impression on him. After graduating from the Seminary of St. Sava in Belgrade and from the presitigious Kiev Theological Academy
Kiev Theological Academy
The Kievan Theological Academy and Seminary is the oldest college of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is situated in Kiev and traces its history back to 1615, when Yelisey Pletenetsky founded a "brotherhood school" at the Theophany Monastery....
in 1889, he taught religion in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. He began publishing his works in 1892. His short stories, Pictures From Life, first appeared in 1904; and novels, King of the Forest (1897), Village Schoolmistress (1899) and Wrecked Ideals (1900) deal with the life of the Serbian peasantry and intelligentsia in the late 19th century. The theme of the tragic conflict between man and The Establishment
The Establishment
The Establishment is a term used to refer to a visible dominant group or elite that holds power or authority in a nation. The term suggests a closed social group which selects its own members...
resonates through all his novels. A prominent Serbian realist, Ranković was one of the creators of the psychological novel, deliberately seeking to explore the gloomy side of life. He also translated the works of Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...
(Sevastapol Sketches), Ivan Turgenev
Ivan Turgenev
Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright. His first major publication, a short story collection entitled A Sportsman's Sketches, is a milestone of Russian Realism, and his novel Fathers and Sons is regarded as one of the major works of 19th-century...
, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and Vladimir Korolenko
Vladimir Korolenko
Vladimir Galaktionovich Korolenko was a Ukrainian-Russian short story writer, journalist, human rights activist and humanitarian. His short stories were known for their harsh description of nature based on his experience of exile in Siberia...
.
He died at Belgrade on the eighteenth of March 1899, of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. He was 35.
His Works
Svetolik Ranković tinged his picaroon romances with the spirit of revolt against established moral and political arrangements, like Janko VeselinovićJanko Veselinović
Janko Veselinović is the name of:*Janko Veselinović *Janko Veselinović...
. His Jesenje slike (Images of Fall, 1892) fragmented the composition but used sound repetitions and structured the sentences rhythmically. Other notable works include Gorski car (Mountain Tsar) and Seoska uciteljica (Village Schoolmistress). His contemporaries are Veljko M. Milićević, Ivo Ćipiko, Borislav Stanković
Borislav Stankovic
Borislav "Bora" Stanković is a Serbian former basketball player and coach, as well as a longtime administrator in the sport's various governing bodies. For his contributions to the game of basketball he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991.Stanković was born in Bihać, Bosnia and...
, Petar Kočić
Petar Kocic
Petar Kočić was a Serb prose writer and politician from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was active in the Serbian National Organization with ties to the Mlada Bosna revolutionaries, after which he seceded with his closest supporters leading a wing under his leadership.Like both Borisav Stanković, who...
, Simo Matavulj
Simo Matavulj
Simo Matavulj was a Serbian novelist, a representative of lyric Realism, especially in short prose. He is best known for employing his skill in holding up to ridicule the peculiar foibles of the Dalmatian folk...
, Radoje Domanović
Radoje Domanovic
Radoje Domanović was a Serbian writer and teacher, most famous for his satirical short stories. His few remaining years were a constant fight against consumption...
, Milorad J. Mitrović (poet), Stevan Sremac
Stevan Sremac
Stevan Sremac was a Serbian realist and comedy writer. He is considered one of the best truly humorous Serbian writers.-Biography:...
, Laza Kostić
Laza Kostic
Laza Kostić was a Serbian poet, prose writer, lawyer, philosopher, polyglot, publicist, and politician, considered to be one of the greatest minds of Serbian literature.-Biography:...
and others.