Narrative
Martin Krpan
Fran Levstik · 1858
Synopsis
Martin Krpan, the strongest man in a remote village of Inner Carniola, lives by smuggling “English salt”, which he carries from the Adriatic ports on a sturdy little mare. On a snowy road, he meets the emperor's carriage without knowing who is in it, and lifts his loaded mare to let it pass. Years later, a brutal warrior, Brdavs, camps before Vienna: he has defeated the army and killed the emperor's son. The emperor then remembers the smuggler and summons him to court, where his rough manners shock everyone.
Context
The narrative appeared in 1858 in the journal Slovenski glasnik, the very year in which its author published an essay calling for prose to be based on the spoken language; the first drafts go back to 1855. It takes up a character from the oral tales of Notranjska, and the exact nature of the “English salt” remains debated. Its popularity has made the smuggler a folk hero. The first illustrated edition, by Hinko Smrekar, dates from 1917; that by the painter Tone Kralj, in 1954, reprinted thirteen times, fixed the image people have of it.
Who it is for
A short narrative, in a language close to popular speech, which can be read without knowing anything of Slovene history.
Prizes and reception
It became a classic of Slovene literature, translated into English, German, Italian, Russian and, in 2014, French.