The Goldsmith's Treasure

by August Šenoa, Neven Divjakinja (Translator)

The town lies before you. In the words of Šenoa himself: “below the mountain, a jewel most precious to us glimmers in the sun, strong like a mighty hero… the town of Zagreb.”

Stop and listen to the murmur of the Kajkavian dialect, bite into a Paprenjak, chat with the women at Dolac Market, get to know the people of Zagreb… You may even bump into a contemporary Dora or a fearless Pavao of your own.


The first Croatian historical novel, the tale of a forbidden love between the daughter of a goldsmith and a nobleman's son set against the backdrop of the streets and squares of 16th century Zagreb.

Love and passion, plots and intrigue, nobles, commoners, tricksters, murderers... A patchwork of colorful characters is bound to leave you breathless!

Genres: Classics, Historical Fiction, Fiction, School, Romance, Read For School, Childrens

388 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1871

About the author

August Šenoa was a Croatian novelist, critic, editor, poet, and dramatist.

He was a transitional figure, who helped bring Croatian literature from Romanticism to Realism and introduced the historical novel to Croatia. He wrote more than ten novels, among which the most notable are:

Zlatarovo zlato (Goldsmith's gold; 1871)
Čuvaj se senjske ruke (Pirates of Senj; 1876)
Seljačka buna (Peasants' revolt; 1877)
Diogenes (1878)
Šenoa was also the author of the popular patriotic song "Živila Hrvatska".

He was born in Zagreb, then part of the Habsburg Empire, into a family of Czech-German origin. His surname was originally spelled Schönoa. He studied law in Prague. He also lived in Vienna for a while, but returned to Zagreb in 1866. From 1874 to 1881, Šenoa edited the literary journal Vijenac ("Wreath").

In 1880, he helped the victims of the Great Zagreb Earthquake, only to pick up pneumonia in the process. Despite the sickness, he didn't give up writing his last novel, "Kletva".
He died in 1881, at the age of 43.

In his novels, he fused the national romanticism characterized by buoyant and inventive language with realist depiction of the growth of petite bourgeois class.

This "father of Croatian novel" (and modern national literature) is at best in his mass Cecildemillean scenes and poetic description of oppressed Croatian peasantry, nobility struggling against foreign rule (Venetians, Austrians/Germans and Hungarians) and romanticised period from the 15th to the 18th century. It has become a commonplace phrase that "Šenoa created the Croatian reading public", especially by writing in a popular style.

Reviews

[Ivana Books Are Magic · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I noticed this book in the library, I decided to pick it up. Besides the beautiful golden cover, there was another thing that attracted me to this particular edition. I wondered what this novel would sound like in English. In other words, I was curious about the translation. Well, the translations is lovely. I particularly enjoyed the many footnotes that explained various historical and social particularities and customs of the time. I love when a novel also carries a historical lesson within it. All the class struggles were so well described in this one. It really felt like a genuine insight into some aspects of the history.

I may or may have not read this novel in Croatian. I honestly can't recall whether I did or not. I read parts of it and I knew what it was about. Basically, the novel takes place shortly after uprising of the serfs. It tells the tale about a conflict of citizens of Zagreb (who had special rights because Zagreb was a royal city) and a Croatian noblemen who came into conflict with the citizens. One can feel hate and tension that exists between the citizens (who mostly do trade) and the noblemen (who are often brave soldiers who protects the country against the never-ending Turkish attacks but some of them tend to abuse their powers) almost every step of the way. As for the poor serfs, well they're always the victims and don't take a prominent space in this one (they sometimes get caught up in the fights between the nobles and the free city folk but that's about it).

This novel is quite well known in Croatia. I would say that the basic plot is something many are familiar with. This historical love story was all the rave in its time. Beautiful Dora, the only daughter of a goldsmith is her father's greatest treasure. Dora falls in love with Pavao, a handsome son of a wicked nobleman who has a particular hatred for citizens of Zagreb. Nobody wants to see them together. You could say it is a Romeo and Juliet kind of story set in historical period in Zagreb.

I knew the names of the characters and their physical and moral attributes before I ever started reading this one. I could even recall in detail their physical descriptions- probably because we had to learn them in school. So, I had a vision of all these characters before I ever started reading. I would say that the characters, especially the main ones, are a bit too white and black. The protagonists are a weak spot for me personally. I was more interested in the story for its plot and for its Machiavellian scheming then for the two main characters who were so annoyingly perfect they came off as quite boring. The negative characters were sometimes more interesting (expect for Grga- the main cardboard villain) that Dora and Pavao. Moreover, some minor characters (like the false mute) were quite fascinating but one never got the chance to learn more about them.The main femme fatale was promising, I wished she was developed a bit more.

Now, when it comes to politics and history, that is where this novel gets interesting. I quite enjoyed the independent spirit of the city folk and the way they were able to take on nobles who often came with quite violent armies. There was also some interesting political scheming going on, fights among the nobles and people of power. Fascinating stuff. It is a romantic novel for sure but one filled with realistic details. It is the historical and political details that interested me the most. The characters on the other hand didn't particularly move me. They were too much over the top for my taste and there were hardly any character development.

I'm quite familiar with the author and his style. August Senoa was such an amazing writer that he helped to create the modern reading public. He was a man that wore many hats- a novelist, a critic, an editor, a poet, and a dramatist. August had an immense effect on Croatian literature and he is worth reading for that fact alone. He is attributed with helping Croatian literature cross the bridge from Romanticism to Realism. His novels are often the mix of both. August Senoa introduced the historical novel to Croatia. He was a very prolific writer. He wrote more than ten novels in total and this novel is quite typical of his writing style .The Goldsmith's Treasure is a lovely novel. It might seem naive to a modern reader, especially in regards to its black and white characters but there is passion it it. Moreover, The Goldsmith's treasure is filled with interesting information and nicely written. I would recommend it, especially this particular edition.

[Tena]

One of the best books in Croatian history. So many historical details about Zagreb. I would definitely recommend to anybody that likes Zagreb and appreciates its historical meaning. All throughout the book you can see how much love the writer had for Zagreb. He dug through archives and found all the information and made an interesting story about love. I am saddened by so many negative reviews because I've read this book many times at it was never boring to me.

[Marta Mlinac · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to read this book for school and I barely survived it. I had to skip some of the historical chapters of the book because I found myself constantly falling asleep while reading. The fictional story was not bad, but I could not care less what happened to the characters. They lived or died, I didn't care.

I think that making students read this type of book (one that bores you to death) in high school is quite counterproductive. By that, I mean that children will begin to hate reading and that is opposite of what schools (should) try to achieve when it comes to books. Fortunately, I am not fazed by boring books that I have to read for school, I just read them and move on to more interesting books. However, I know a lot of people who now hate reading because of the books they had to read for school. And I find that quite sad.

[Amabilis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Za stogodišnjicu prvog hrvatskog modernog romana (1871-1971)izdano je ovo izdanje čiju je naslovnicu i sve ilustracije izradio Josip Vaništa.
Zanimljivo je bogatstvo jezika ovoga romana, tim više što Šenoin otac je jako slabo poznavao hrvatski jezik. Nešto slično kao kod Alberta Camusa, čija majka je bila nepismena.
Ima nešto u tome kada šetaš Vlaškom ulicom, a pogled te uvijek vuče na spomenik Šenoi koji motri svoj grad.

[Mike Dalmays · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's good to read it before bed-time because it is boring. Although, it's made on some local legends and history characters.

[Petra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ne mogu dati jednu zvjezdicu zato jer knjiga nije toliko loša, ali većinu knjige bilo mi je dosadno i ne bih je ponovo pročitala ni da mi netko plati

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iskreno sam iznenađen količinom recenzija koje ovu knjigu opisuju kao "dosadnu" jer meni niti u jednom trenutku čitanja nije ostavila takav dojam. Detaljno opisivanje povijesne i geografske zbilje Zagrebačkog kraja u 16. stoljeću daje ovom romanu dodatnu vrijednost u kojoj svaki ljubitelj povijesti, a pogotovo one zagrebačke, mora uživati.

S druge strane, onom fikcionalnom dijelu radnje (ljubavnoj priči) ipak fali malo originalnosti, pa Zlatarovu zlatu ne dajem pet zvjezdica, no svakako preporučam!

[Bruno · Rating 5 out of 5]

CRO/ENG
Kako se bliži 150. godišnjica, od kako je ovo djelo napisano, lijepo je podsjetiti se kako taj jubilarni broj označava i period hrvatskog književnog stvaralaštva, kada su romani u pitanju. ''Zlatarovo zlato'' predstavlja taj početak, kombinirajući povijesne, političke i društvene prilike sa ljubavnim dijelom priče, dok koristi povijesne zapise iz tog razdoblja. Kada sam ga prvi puta pročitao, primjetio sam da je radnja svojim opsegom kratka u odnosu na sadržaj koji nudi, ali to je razumljivo, s obzirom da nije lagan zadatak započeti nešto, što nikada prije nije učinjeno (Zoranićeve ''Planine'' nisam čitao, ali mišljenje je kako ne posjeduje elemente pravog romana). Isto vrijedi i za sam događaj u romanu, ali i to mi nije problem, jer prvo trebamo naučiti hodati kako bi mogli trčati (kasniji Šenoini romani su veliki po opsegu, događaju i tematikom). Jako me se dojmio opis grada Zagreba, specifično Gornjega grada, koji ima svoje priče i legende, a koje će biti obrađene i u kasnijim radovima drugih književnika (Marija Jurić Zagorka i Dubravko Horvatić su najznačajniji primjeri). Vjerujem kako ne bi bilo pretjerano spomenuti i kako je ''Zlatarovo zlato'', koje je dobilo izdanja na hrvatskom i engleskom jeziku u prekrasnom zlatnom tvrdom uvezu, jedan od 100 brandova samoga grada, a zbog svog značaja bi se našao među top 10 naših najboljih romana (''Seljačka buna'' je moj osobni izbor i bila je jako popularna među tadašnjim čitateljima, ali u obzir treba uzeti kulturološku vrijednost). Iskrena i topla preporuka svakome za pročitati :-)

As it's 150th anniversary is coming near (written in 2021.), since this work is written, it's also nice to remind ourselves how this number marks the period of Croatian literary creativity, when novels are concerned. ''The Goldsmith's Treasure'' represents this beginning, by combining historical, political and social circumstances with the love part of the story, while using the historical accounts of that period. When I first read it, I've noticed that the plot is much shorter in it's length in comparison to it's contents, but that's understandable, since it's not easy to begin something, which has never been done before (I haven't read ''The Mountains'' by Petar Zoranich, but I think it doesn't posses the neccessary elements of a true novel). The same goes for the event in the novel, but even that wasn't a problem to me, since we first need to learn how to walk before we can run (the later novels by Šenoa are larger in it's length, event and theme). I was very impressed by the description of the city of Zagreb, specifically the Upper Town, with it's stories and legends, which will be expanded upon in the later works of other writers (Marija Jurich Zagorka and Dubravko Horvatich are the most significant examples). I trust that it's not overmuch to mention how ''The Goldsmith's Treasure'', which has received it's editions in both Croatian and English with a beautiful gold hardcover, one of 100 brands of Zagreb itself, and, because of it's significance, it is one of the top 10 of our best novels (''The Peasant's revolt is my personal favorite and it was very popular among the readers back then, but we have to consider the cultural significance). A sincere and warm recommendation for everyone to read it :-)

[Samanta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Considered the first Croatian historical novel, Goldsmith's Treasure, was an instant hit when it was first published in 1871 in the Croatian newspaper Vienac in episodes (which was a usual way of publishing novels back in those days). Its success led to a book edition a few years later.

The story is set in 16th century Zagreb, a few years after the Peasants' Revolt of 1573 led by Matija Gubec. It has two parallel stories, the historical one, a dispute between the citizens of Gradec (Zagreb) and a nobleman Stjepko Gregorijanec over the Medvedgrad castle, and a love story of Dora and Pavle, a common woman and a nobleman's son. Dora and Pavle are Zagreb's Romeo and Juliet, as theirs is a story of an unhappy love, thwarted by social class, hate, jealousy and intrigue. Even though the love story is supposed to be the main one, given the title of the book (Goldsmith's Treasure is in fact Dora, who is a goldsmith's daughter), Šenoa gives more emphasis and writing space to the historical part and the descriptions of politics in those times. It is not a surprising thing, as Šenoa was a known and loud critic of political and social circumstances of his time (Austro-Hungarian Monarchy) and he wrote to promote Croatian language, history and culture in a country which didn't even know how to speak its language, much less was familiar with its history. I presume that many people will give a lover rating to this book exactly because you can feel the political tone in all his stories, but I don't mind that part one bit. In fact, I found it very interesting and informative. I had more trouble accepting the insta-love Romeo and Juliet thing and the soap-opera feel to their story (I used to love that kind of stories. What is happening to me?!)

Anyway, this is the first translation to English language. I read this same edition in Croatian, and it has a sort of a glossary added by the editors of this edition, where they explain in short some terms and names mentioned in the story, and there is a glossary made by Šenoa in the original edition, where he gives an explanation and a resource of the terms and historical situations and persons he used in the story. I haven't seen the English edition, but I presume it has everything the Croatian does. I hope so, because it will give an interesting background lessons for the readers who want to learn more about Zagreb's history.

[Roko · Rating 1 out of 5]

The WORST.

[Valentina Markasović · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Šuti, zlato, šuti!" zakrči joj živahno mladac riječ, "ja sam muška glava, meni je misliti"


....

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Considering there are two parallel storylines I'll first address that; the only one that held my interest was the one mainly focused on the love story, while I found the historical part boring and I had a hard time forcing to read it (I'll admit that I skipped some historical parts or only skimmed them).
The only character that really appealed to me was Clara since she was the only character with layers and complexity; even thought I'm now fond of the book she is still the only character that I truly like and enjoy reading about.
Also, at first I hated the book (the fact that I was forced to read it for school may have had at least a small part in that) and for a long time I thought I'd always dislike it, but after a couple of months (close to a year) I realised that I was happy and proud of having read the book.
Therefore, I would definitely recommend it, but also warn that you may not like it at all at first and encourage you to try and push past it if that is the case.

[Anja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Odlicna knjiga, uzivala citajuci.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ovu knjigu u isto vrijeme volim i mrzim.
Svi koji me barem malo poznaju znaju da volim povijest, oni koji me poznaju bolje znaju da mrzim ljubavnu patetiku i "pravu ljubav" među ljudima koji su razminili doslovno dvi riči u životu.
Jedino Zagorka ne spada u tu skupinu, ali ona je oduvik bila posebna priča.

Uglavnom, vratimo se na Šenou.
Kao i uvijek, njegov stil pisanja i prepričavanje su istovremeno prekrasni i iritantno dosadni.
Na nekim sam djelovima doslovno preskakala nekoliko stranica, bacila bih pgled samo da vidim ima li nešto bitno na toj nekoj stranici.
Čak i kad sam čitala "Prosjaka Luku" nisam toliko preskakala. No dobro, ta je priča bila puno kraća.
Što se tiče likova, meni je najdraži bio Stjepko Gregorijanec.
Ljudi mi kažu da sam luda, ne mogu shvatiti da su mi savršeni likovi poput Dore i Pava nepodnošljivo iritantni.
Iako j karakterizacija likova u ovom romanu crno-bijela, Stjepko je sivi lik. Vrlo složeni sivi lik.
Sad bh mogl na dugo i na široko pisati o njemu kao o lku, ali ne da mi se. Recimo samo to da Šenoi SAMO zbog njega skidam kapu do poda. Namjerno on to učinio ili ne, nije jednostavno napisati lika kao što je Gregorjnec stariji.
Klara Grubarova, koju je dslovno mrzio itav razred, bila je podnošljivo iritantna.
Kada usporedim nju, Beatricu Aragonsku(Gordana) i Elizabetu Kumansku(Plameni inkvizitori), Klara je amater. Ali dobro, neću sad o mojoj ljubav prema Zagorki.

Ali stvar koja me uistinu najviše izbacila iz takta je Dorina smrt. Ona je opisana kao pametna djevojka na početku romana.
KOJA OSOBA PRI ZDRAVOJ PAMETI PIJE VODU IZA NEPOZNATOG(TUĐEG) ČOVJEKA KOJI TI JE UPAO U KUĆI I REKAO DA JE ČISTA VODA KOJU SI DONILA MUTNA I KISELA?
Eto, to sam rekla.

Možda ova knjiga nije tako loša. Možda je dbra. Možda sam premlada za takav roman.
Možda mu dam još jednu priliku jednom u budućnosti, ali to neće biti tako skoro.

[Vesna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Iz blurba: ... bio je i danas jest napeto, uzbudljivo, romantično i realistično, zabavno, poučno i umjetnički visoko kvalitetno književno djelo. Ako bi netko nakon čitanja opisao knjigu ijednim od gore navedenih pridjeva, svaka mu čast! Moj jedini pridjev je dosadna...

Kao i za većinu, prvi i zadnji susret s ovom knjigom bio je školska lektira. Tijek događaja je išao otprilike ovako:
Ja (nadobudno): Svaki dan pročitam 20-30 stranica i za čas sam gotova!
Stvarnost: Čitam jednu stranicu pola sata, nemam pojma šta se događa. Probam s drugom stranicom, možda se nešto poveže, pojavi smisao... ništa. Prođe mjesec dana, knjiga pročitana, ja u panici konzultiram Vodič kroz lektiru jer jedino znam nabrojit par glavnih likova!
Postoji realna mogućnost da je knjiga sasvim solidna (ako ju čitaš dobrovoljno, kao odrasla osoba), ali ostaje činjenica da se 99% srednjoškolaca s tom tematikom ne može poistovjetiti.

Ne znam zašto sam joj po sjećanju dala dvije zvjezdice, kad bi jedna, za poštenje, bila sasvim dovoljna!

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the last few years, top 10 the most popular names for girls in Croatia have been: Lana, Lucija, Petra, Ana, Ema, Nika, Dora, Sara, Lara and Mia. The most popular male name is still Luka. Then Ivan, Marko, Filip and Karlo. This book is widely 'guilty' for the name Dora. When you think about name Dora, then it has these connotations: sweet and soft, summerish, purity, hardworking, girl from the next door.

Because Dora Krupić from this book was like that. She adored her father and she was the perfect daughter. This book was written in 1871, and it’s the first Croatian historical novel. It talks about the 16th century capital city Zagreb and classes within: novelty, clergy and citizenry, and their mutual hate and rivalry.

[Luka · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Croatian literature classic (available in English as Goldsmiths gold) and an great read to feed a bit of Zagreb nostalgia with many references to Zagreb neighborhoods, customs and food, all told in Kajkavski dialect. The book tells the story of a 16th century Zagreb, a love story and (more interestingly) the conflicts between the citizens of the free royal city of Zagreb and nobility in the surrounding towns. The ending is a bit underwhelming but the book as a whole very informative and heartwarming.

The book also references pepper cookies 'paprenjaci' traditionally sold at the Harmica market which can be made in a home kitchen (personally confirmed) and are extremely tasty :)
Recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJlhG...

[Matko Knezic · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm giving it two stars because it was very tiresome and full of historical facts that went in and out of my head like a wild river. Even though I know the literary value of the story and the thing Šenoa tried to accomplish with it (to the extent of there being a statue of one of the characters in Zagreb), I look at this book with a look of indifference for it left almost no impact on me whatsoever. There WERE, however, a couple of scenes in the story that resulted in a surge of emotions and I must say I like the way it ended.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly quality writing with rather interesting characters. The two plotlines are interwoven well although I could have done with a little less politics and a little more action. The end is sad and fitting, I think, for a historical novel.

[Katherine Holland · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to read this for school and I died of boredom. His style of writing is horrible and I don't understand why we have to read this as an exaple of a ''good historical novel'' when it actually isn't.

[Amorfna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prošlo je dosta godina od prvog i jedinog čitanja...valjalo bi je obnoviti..a tri zvezdice po sećanju.

[Natalija · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dora ima osobnost trupla.

[Booklover · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical novel filled with love – very powerful book showing us how much of a violent place this world can be. If you want to save yourself, go and love.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vrlo ugodno iznenađenje.

[Katarina · Rating 2 out of 5]

HRV: O, Bože, kako sam mrzila ovu knjigu u srednjoj. Uf.

ENG: Oh lord, I hated this book as a teenager.

[CLM · Rating 2 out of 5]

A melodramatic story of forbidden love set in 16th century Croatia:

https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/20...

[Dora · Rating 3 out of 5]

the goldsmiths treasure is actually me because we share the same name 🤷‍♀️

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Also had to read this for school. It is a very famous and old novel written by one of the most popular writers of all the time, August Šenoa.

Wasn't as bad and boring as I thought it was gonna be but still I found the historical part a bit too much for me and I skipped a lot of paragraphs because of it :P

[Denis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Povijesni dijelovi su donekle zanimljivi, dok je ljubavna radnja prilično ''prozirna''...također sam početak je dosadan, ali sa protom radnje knjiga ipak uspijeva postaviti određenu razinu zanimljivosti...

Malo me razočarala knjiga, više sam očekivao od ovog Šenoina romana...

[Davor K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it!

I particularly enjoyed finding Šenoa's comments about historical accuracy of his own work.

Why did I not read this when I was a teenager?