Klára Jarunková (née Chudíková; 28 April 1922 – 11 July 2005) was a Slovak writer predominantly of literature for children and teenagers. She is the most translated Slovak author.

Klára Jarunková
BornKlára Chudíková
(1922-04-28)28 April 1922
Šumiac, Czechoslovakia
Died11 July 2005(2005-07-11) (aged 83)
Bratislava, Slovakia
OccupationWriter, editor
LanguageSlovak
EducationComenius University (did not graduate)
Years active1960–1993
Notable awardsPribina Cross (1966)
Order of Ľudovít Štúr (2004)

Biography

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Klára Jarunková was born on 28 April 1922, in the village of Šumiac. Her parents were postal clerks. After the death of her monther, when Klára was just 8 years old, she was mostly raised by her aunt Františka. Jarunková was educated at the grammar school for girls in Banská Bystrica, where she lived with her aunt.[1] After her graduation she worked as a village teacher in Korytárky.[2] In 1943 she moved to Bratislava where she studied, but never graduated, Slovak language and Philosophy at the Comenius University and worked as a clerk and editor of the Slovak broadcast of the Czechoslovak radio.[2]

From 1954 until her retirement in 1984, Jarunková worked as a part of staff of the satirical magazine Roháč. During this period she was also active as an author. In her works, she typically took the perspective of a child, often a girl in her teens, struggling with transition from infancy to adulthood.[3] Her work, full of youth slang, humor and sarcasm, was met with critical acclaim for offering a refreshing change after a decade of hegemony of "stilted socialist realism".[4]

In 1978 she published Horehronský talizman, an edited memorial of her father, Július Chudík, who became an unlikely part of the retinue of the tsar Ferdinand I of Bulgaria, after saving the monarch's life.[5]

Following her retirement, Jarunková remained active as a writer for about ten years. She died on 11 July 2005 in Bratislava.[6]

Legacy and awards

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In 1980, Jarunková was awarded the Merited Artist of Czechoslovakia. Jarunková also received the Pribina Cross, 1st class in 1996 as well as the highest state decoration – the Order of Ľudovít Štúr in 2004.[7] In April 2020 the Slovenská pošta issued a stamp depicting Jarunková.[8]

Works

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Her work was primarily focused on literature for children and teenagers, in particular girls.[2] She is the most translated Slovak author with her works being available in 32 languages.[9]

  • 1960 – Hrdinský zápisník
  • 1961 – Čierna hodinka plná divov a fantázie
  • 1962 – Deti slnka
  • 1963 – Jediná
  • 1963 – Zlatá sieť
  • 1964 – O jazýčku, ktorý nechcel hovoriť
  • 1967 – Brat mlčanlivého Vlka
  • 1968 – Pomstiteľ, novela
  • 1972 – Pár krokov po Brazílii
  • 1974 – Tulák, novela
  • 1974 – O psovi, ktorý mal chlapca
  • 1977 – Tiché búrky
  • 1978 – O Tomášovi, ktorý sa nebál tmy
  • 1978 – Horehronský talizman
  • 1978 – Stretnutie s nezvestným
  • 1979 – Čierny slnovrat, román z obdobia SNP
  • 1979 – Obrázky z ostrova
  • 1980 – Kde bolo, tam bolo
  • 1983 – O vtáčikovi, ktorý vedel tajomstvo
  • 1984 – O dievčatku, ktoré šlo hľadať rozprávku
  • 1986 – Rozprávky
  • 1989 – Dedko a vlk
  • 1993 – Nízka oblačnosť

References

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  1. ^ "Jana Borguľová: K storočnici narodenia jedinej a jedinečnej Kláry Jarunkovej". Bystricoviny.sk (in Slovak). 26 April 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Hiemer, Elisa-Maria; Holý, Jiří; Firlej, Agata; Nichtburgerová, Hana (21 June 2021). Handbook of Polish, Czech, and Slovak Holocaust Fiction: Works and Contexts. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. ISBN 978-3-11-066741-7.
  3. ^ "Takmer sa rozpadol. V rodnom dome Kláry Jarunkovej prespávali pohoniči, TAKTO dnes vyzerá". sarm.pluska.sk (in Slovak). 29 May 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  4. ^ Miller, Jane Eldridge (23 July 2019). Who's Who in Contemporary Women's Writing. Routledge. p. 155. ISBN 978-1-136-21430-1.
  5. ^ "Horehronský talizman | Starými uličkami". rtvs.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Potomkovia slávnych: Klára Jarunková písala len ceruzkou". zivot.pluska.sk (in Slovak). 14 April 2010. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Klára Jarunková: Už sto rokov je Jediná". Pravda.sk (in Slovak). 24 August 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Poštová známka ako pocta spisovateľke Kláre Jarunkovej" (PDF) (in Slovak). posta.sk.
  9. ^ "Klára Jarunková: Už sto rokov je Jediná". Pravda.sk (in Slovak). 24 August 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2023.