THE CROATIAN IMMIGRANTS IN AMERICA - THE FIRST LITERARY APPEARANCES

Abstract

The Croatian emigration to America begins after 1800. It is not possible to establish the exact number of the first immigrants to America because they came from Austria-Hungary and they were often registred as Austrians or Hungarians. The estimation is that about 500,000 Croatians came to America before World War I. The first literary appearances may be found in various religious documents, calendars, and year-books. A very important role in the life and literary production of Croatian emigrants played newspapers and journals publishing prose text, anecdotes and poetry. Autobiographies were also important as they reflected their authors' experiences in the new environment. A very rich bilingual literary emigrant production has developed in America.