Slovak Literature in English Translation

Božena Slančíková, pen name Timrava, (1867 – 1951) was a writer of the second wave of Slovak realism, also referred to as critical realism. She was born as one of eleven children in the family of the Lutheran pastor Paul Slančík, a co-founder of the Slovak cultural association Matica Slovenská, and spent almost all her life in the Novohrad region of southern Slovakia. She never married, staying with her family for the greater part of her life, and working as a teacher for ten years. She chose Timrava as her pen name after a mountain spring where she loved to sit, reading and writing. She wrote sketches, short stories, and novellas set in villages and small towns, which appeared in Slovak newspapers, but later she became one of the most successful authors published by Živena, the journal of the Slovak women’s organization. Later in life she also wrote several plays. In 1947 Timrava was awarded the title National Artist for her exceptional contributions to culture.