Literary depictions of the Slovak National Uprising in the first decade after the war

Abstract

The study examines literary depictions of the Slovak National Uprising (1944) in the post-war period and in the years of stabilisation of the emerging communist regime. Special attention is paid to works intended for children and youth that used the adventurous themes of the Uprising to convey current interpretations of recent events, role models, ideals, and norms. It illustrates how individual heroic cults evolved and transformed against the backdrop of the central narrative leading to victory. In this context, it also highlights the emergence of texts written while the war was still ongoing. Through a comparative study of textual modifications in reissued literary works, it documents the gradual shaping of the official narrative of public memory regarding the Uprising, including elements that were subject to censorship. It also highlights how authors employed uprising themes to actively demonstrate their conformity and loyalty to the new political regime. Despite its apparent outward rigidity, the theme of the Uprising provided many authors with a relatively wide field for influencing public discourse and also for advancing their individual or group interests.

Keywords

• slovak national uprising
• world war ii
• communism
• children’s literature
• propaganda
• censorship