Visoška kronika

by Ivan Tavčar

To je kronika o družini Kalan, ki jo je Ivan Tavčar začel pisati potem, ko je bil že skoraj četrt stoletja lastnik poljanske graščine Visoko. Oče Polikarp je med vračanjem s tridesetletne vojne ubil prijatelja in se polastil ukradene vojaške blagajne. S tem denarjem si je kupil lepo posestvo, vendar zaradi občutka krivde ni našel sreče. Na smrtni postelji je starejšemu sinu Izidorju naročil, naj gre poiskati hčerko umorjenega prijatelja Agato, jo pripelje na Visoko in jo vzame za ženo. Agato zavrnjeni sosed Marks obsodi čarovništva. Da bi dokazala svojo nedolžnost, mora prebresti deročo reko. Ko jo sredi reke zajame močan tok, jo reši Izidorjev brat Jurij in si jo tako pridobi za ženo. Izidor odide v vojsko in prepusti posestvo bratu.

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

245 pages

First published January 1, 1919

About the author

Tavčar was born into a poor peasant family in the Carniolan village of Poljane near Škofja Loka in what was then the Austrian Empire and is now in Slovenia. He started schooling in his home village and continued in Ljubljana from where he was expelled for reasons of discipline. For a while he attended secondary school in Novo mesto and eventually returned to Ljubljana. In 1871 he began studying law at Vienna University. He began his political career in the Provincial Assembly of the Duchy of Carniola, where he formed the core of a radical group of Slovene liberals together with Ivan Hribar. He became one of the leading members of the National Progressive Party and long served as the chief editor of the party journal Slovenski narod, succeeding Josip Jurčič. Between 1901 and 1907 he was member of the Austrian Parliament. In 1911, he succeeded Ivan Hribar as mayor of Ljubljana.
He remained in office until 1921, when he withdrew from public life after being diagnosed with cancer of the intestine. He spent his last years on his estate in Visoko near Škofja Loka.
He was married to Franja Tavčar, a leading figure in the Slovene women associations at the time. The couple was the center of the social life in Ljubljana. They were both active in many organizations. Tavčar was very keen in sport and promoted cycling and athletics. He was one of the founders of the Sokol movement in the Slovene Lands.

Reviews

[Ana]

zavoljo krajnikove iconic izjave "un odrezan prst je mel več karaktrja kt karkol druzga v zgodbi"

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Visoko Chronicle is a marvellous book! I’m glad that I stumbled upon this one while looking for a good history book that covers Carniola or Early Modern Slovenia. While I’m aware that the Visoko Chronicle is a work of fiction, I appreciate that it was set during the period I wanted to learn. There is quite a dearth of good medieval and Early Modern Slovene history books in the English language (I found one but it’s very much outdated and too brief). And thus, for me, The Visoko Chronicle is like a window to understanding the area and the period of early modern Slovenia under the Habsburg dynasty. The land of the Slovenes was also known as the Duchy of Carniola at that time.

Ivan Tavčar was definitely a gifted writer as his inspiration for writing this memoir-like novel was solely from the previous owner of the Visoko Manor that he purchased in 1895. The Visoko Manor is now being used as a museum and there is a café within the building as well according to the Poljanskadolina tourism website. All the natural landscapes and important places surrounding the Visoko Estate (Poljane valley, Mount Blegoš, Žiri town, Zali Log village, the city of Škofja Loka, etc.) were described beautifully and it made me marvel at them as they are indeed real and still present in Slovenia today.

The Visoko Manor near Škofja Loka in Slovenia. Ivan Tavcar based his novel on the previous owner of this estate.

Škofja Loka in Slovenia. This is the town where Izidor often visited on his errand.

The Visoko Chronicle is essentially a rural historical fiction and a family chronicle narrated by Izidor Khallan who was also the protagonist in this book. Izidor lived under the shadow of his father’s sin and his father’s excessive discipline (borderline brutality) shaped him to become a timid, meek, and overly cared about the reputation that ties him to the Visoko holdings (the estate that was passed on to him by his father). Although Izidor was not without a positive quality; he was also a forgiving man, highly aware of his shortcoming, and willing to better himself. Izidor’s personality was in contrast with his younger brother, Jurij. Brasher and braver than Izidor, Jurij was a man whose spirit was free.

When Agata, whom Izidor brought to the Visoko holdings and initially betrothed to him due to his father’s request as part of his father’s repentance, was falsely accused as a witch and set to be tried in front of the Škofja Loka judges, it was Jurij who kneel unashamedly in front of the authorities and bravely plunged to the river to save Agata from drowning and not the timid Izidor who was afraid if Agata was truly a witch and thus tainted the reputation of the Visoko holdings.

The Poljanščica and Selška Sora rivers which flow together beneath the Capuchin Bridge was the place where Agata has to prove her innocence by drowning herself and coming out from the water alive by any means.

It reminds me of this particular phrase from Slovenian National Theatre Drama Ljulbjana (SNG Drama Ljubljana) about the contrast between Izidor and Jurij:

“Izidor lived by the rules of his environment. He worked hard. When he had to resist, he kept silent. He feared his father and feared God. When Izidor loved, he loved indecisively and silently. When Izidor should have shouted, he turned away. Izidor allowed the possibility that Agata was a witch. Because he worked hard and because he was afraid (to lose all that he gained). Izidor did not live his life. He looked at the ground when he should have looked into himself.

Jurij shouted. Jurij loved. Jurij jumped.
Are we Izidor or are we Jurij?”

Consequently, Izidor lost Agata as his betrothed but realizing his error, he decided to relinquish his ownership of the Visoko holdings to Jurij and Agata and joined the Habsburg army. So, this novel is also a bildungsroman one because Izidor came back from the war as a changed man. Braver and more understanding.

This book is worth reading and it’s been quite an experience to walk along the path of Izidor’s growth as a better human. There’s nothing wrong with Timothy Pogačar’s English translation but hopefully, the editor at CEU Press can be more careful in the future because there are a few typos, duplicated words, and some don’t have space in between the words and completely altered the meaning behind the sentence. Overall, though, this is a marvellous book!

[Ajda Naklada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ko sem za #poletnibingo2022 morala prebrati knjigo na temo slovenske zgodovine, sem najprej posegla po romanu, ki mi v tem trenutku ni prijal in med iskanjem alternative mi je pod roke prišla Visoška kronika. Nazadnje sem jo brala (po odlomkih vsaj) v gimnaziji in kot ostala slovenska klasična dela, se mi je tudi to zamerilo. Ob ponovnem branju sem dobila ponoven dokaz, kakšno škodo lahko naredi prezgodnje branje izjemnim klasičnim delom.

V obliki kronike, ki jo o svoji družini - gospodarjih Visokega, piše Izidor Khallan, se avtor dotakne treh pomembnih zgodovinskih dogodkov, ki so zaznamovala življenje na naših tleh; preganjanja čarovnic, tridesetletne vojne in preganjanje protestantov. Sicer namišljeni liki izjemno lepo orišejo življenje v teh časih (17. stoletje) in različne stiske, ki so jih zgoraj omenjeni zgodovinski dogodki povzročili.

Soočimo se z dvomi o lastni veroizpovedi, ki s seboj prinaša tudi dvome o vsem, kar naše junake obdaja. V tistem času je bila zaradi pomanjkanja znanja in informacij vera izredno pomembna, saj je ljudem osmislila mnoge naravne pojave, nesreče in podobno. In dvom v boga, v kakršnega so ljudje verovali, je pomenil dvom v vse, kar je bilo ljudem poznano.

To privede do čarovniških procesov, ki so bili posledica nevednosti in tudi razreševanja zamer do žensk, ki so se v tistih časih upale upreti bodisi družbenim normam ali pa nezaželenim snubcem.

Skozi celotno zgodbo pa se prepleta tema vojne, domoljubja, obveznosti do lastne zemlje in na drugi strani bitke z demoni, ki so moške spremljali domov z bojišč. Čeprav se še vedno težko govori o psiholoških travmah in pomoči, ki jo potrebujemo prav vsi, še posebej tisti, ki so preživeli izredno travmatične dogodke, je bilo to v tistih časih še veliko slabše. In tako lahko spremljamo travme, ki jih močno poškodovani (predvsem) moški prenašajo z generacije na generacijo.

Izjemno, IZJEMNO delo. In čudovita izdaja iz leta 1978 z ilustracijami Iveta Šubica.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my favorite slovenian book! There is something about a father chopping of his sons pinky finger that gets my interest. The first half describes a family dynamic, while the other half focuses on a witch-trial. Both are very interesting topics and very well written.

[majolkazaknjigo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zanimivo branje! Kronika, potopis, ljubezenska zgodba, verska vojna, lov na čarovnice, pa še en zelo pobožen softič vmes.

[Pia Novak]

Izidor je najbl unlikable lik ever

[5am · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ko se spomnim, da smo to morali brati v srednji šoli in kako sem ob tem zavijala z očmi, me je malo sram. Visoška kronika resnično spada v sam vrh slovenske proze in je relevantna in zanimiva še danes, polna kompleksnih likov, značilne atmosfere in prepletena z zgodovinskimi motivi. Skorajda obvezno branje, že zaradi izvrstne rabe jezika, ki se je Tavčar spretno poslužuje skozi cel roman.

[Kati · Rating 1 out of 5]

In še ena Tavčarjeva polomija.
Če imaste željo brati knjigo, polno nesmiselnih stvari in romance med sorodniki, vam to knjigo močno priporočam.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jurij je standard, Izidor je kreten k si ne zasluz Margarete pa se un njegov pokopan prst ma bolsi personality, Agata pa pac obstaja in je ne hejtam nism pa fen.

[Unicevalec · Rating 2 out of 5]

I swear da je usaka tadruga beseda jezus, marija al pa sveti duh

[Ela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ne da se bolj razvlect. Tavcar, the queen of yapping.

[Jurij Gricnik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like the story. This book is a work of art!

[Ulmiel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, stil je pač karkšen je, ampak zgodba je pa luštna. Konec sem prebrala še precej pod vtisom gledališke uprizoritve (SNG Drama) in še toliko bolj uživala. Slovenska klasika.

[maya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sploh nimam komentarja

[Lada · Rating 3 out of 5]

recimo

[Zarja · Rating 4 out of 5]

credit where credit is due

[Dijana Totošković · Rating 5 out of 5]

Izidor, ti si tepec!

[Garrett Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a little tough to read if I am being honest. The 19th century language made it a bit of a snooze, and it doesn’t help that Tavčar left the juicy plot points for the last 60 pages or so. I think in reality it was a very cool story with a lot of great insight on Slovene fear of Germanization, but for modern readers I can see why it’s tough to get through. Overall though it gave me some cool new phrases lol.

[Tia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Now I know why I don’t read books in my native language. This book is total bs. I've only read it because my boyfriend asked me to. I’ll never recover from this bs

[Luc Tajm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for a school assignment and I loved it. There’s a love triangle, an epic saving and 50 women chasing a man out of the city - he absolutely deserved it!

[Tjaša Štern · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vsebina je bla zanimiva, velik stvari se je dogajal ampak so se poglavja dost vlekla, meh. In a lahko Izidor neha komurkoli, ki nima enakih stališč kot on govoriti, da so krivoverci.

[Tadej V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iskreno, sem mislil, da bo veliko slabše!

[iva · Rating 5 out of 5]

banger

[Sara B(ralka) · Rating 5 out of 5]

'' ... da bi mi podelila milost, izvedeti, so li čarovnice na svetu ali jih ni. Dragi moj Odrešenik Jezus, pomagaj mi! Ali vse kriči po meni, da so, da so, ker bi jih drugače stoletja sem ne bili sežigali po grmadah!''

[Zala]

3 1/2 stars RTC

[Anja Orehek · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://aniaorehek.wixsite.com/otherw...

[nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

sam zato ker žvim v tej dolini

[ajda · Rating 1 out of 5]

najbolj boring read ever. sori tavčar.

[Vera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hvala bogu da je te knjige konc ❤️drguc pa ce bi Izidor dubu Agato bi bil to moj 13th reason why JURIJ 🔛🔝

[Hana Žagar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Izidorja je bolj skrebel da je njegov fotr protestant kokr to da mu je prst odrezav in je biu na splosno psihopatski. Sam vesela sm da je Agata pol na koncu bla z Jurijom ne z Izidorjem.