Veliko proljeće

1,341 Stjepko Vrtar (1890–1945?), a Croatian writer and financial expert, activist of the Peasant Unity, published the novella Veliko proljeće in 1933, published by Matica hrvatska (Naklada Pramatice). The work belongs to the socially engaged prose of the interwar period with emphasized folk and peasant motifs.

The novella depicts the awakening of the Croatian people in the 1930s through the fate of a young peasant or intellectual from the village. The author describes difficult living conditions, poverty, political pressure and the national question, but also hope for a better tomorrow – the “great spring” as a metaphor for national revival, the strengthening of the peasant movement (HSS) and spiritual awakening. Vrtar combines a realistic depiction of rural life with lyrical and idealistic passages, emphasizing the themes of justice, education, solidarity and love for the land and people.

The style is accessible, warm and engaged, typical of literature close to the Peasant Unity. The work exudes optimism and faith in the strength of the common man, despite the difficult social conditions of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Critics have noted the authenticity in the depiction of the rural mentality and social problems.

The Great Spring is a relatively rare antiquarian edition and represents an interesting example of the literature of the Croatian peasant movement in the interwar period. Today it is read as a document of the times and a testimony to the national and social hopes of the 1930s.