Zelinová, Hana (1914—)

Slovak prose writer and dramatist. Name variations: Hana Zelinova; Anna Ivanovna Zelinova. Born on July 20, 1914.

Selected writings:

Zrkadlový most (The Bridge of Mirrors, 1941); Diablo čardáš (The Devil's Csardas, 1958); Alžbetin dvor (Elizabeth's Court, 1971); Volanie vetra (The Call of Wind, 1974); Kvet hrôzy (The Flower of Fright, 1977).

Born in 1914, Hana Zelinová was the author of several novels which were influenced by the Scandinavian saga and the Slovak social novel. Her fiction deals with the romantic: tragic love and self-sacrifice. Her first collection of short stories, Zrkadlový most (The Bridge of Mirrors), appeared in 1941. During the 1940s, Zelinová wrote and staged three Ibsenesque plays dealing with the position of women in an urban society. In addition, she wrote a brief novel, Diablo čardáš (The Devil's Csardas, 1958), and a trilogy: Alžbetin dvor (Elizabeth's Court, 1971), Volanie vetra (The Call of the Wind, 1974), and Kvet hrôzy (The Flower of Fright, 1977). The first volume of the trilogy sparked a debate regarding the idealism in Slovak literature and its tendency toward escapism. Although critics were not friendly toward her work, her fiction was popular with the general public.

sources:

Buck, Claire, ed. The Bloomsbury Guide to Women's Literature. NY: Prentice Hall, 1992.

suggested reading:

Pozner, Vladimir. Parting with Illusions: The Extraordinary Life and Controversial Views of the Soviet Union's Leading Commentator. NY: Avon Books, 1991.

Philip Yacuboski , freelance writer, Mocanaqua, Pennsylvania