THELANDAMONGBATTLES
ZdravkoDuša
Translation:HelenaFošnjar
ZdravkoDuša
THELANDAMONGBATTLES
Itwasoriginally intendedforthisbooktobeginwithexcerptsfromZgodovinaTolminskega(The
history of the Tolmin region), published in 1882 by Simon Rutar. Somehow it seemed tomake
perfectsense,butthenthingstookadifferentturn.Asthelengthy,horrifyingpagesandchapters
piled up about what is presumably the single most important development in the history of
Tolmin, theSoča(Isonzo)FrontduringtheFirstWorldWar,readingoneofthepivotalworkson
thatperiod,Korakiskozimeglo(SteppingThroughtheFog)byVasjaKlavora,openedanotherdoor
into the book. Not only because this has beenmy own entrance into the heart of the Tolmin
region, and I know exactly what it refers to, it became clear to me - as I read through the
descriptionof theview thatunfoldsas you takea right turnunder theMengorehill andabove
Volče,andawidepanoramarevealstheoutlinesofthehomesteadbeneaththeroad,behinditthe
village, and lower, under the village, to the right, St Daniel, followed by layers of background
sceneryreachingfurtherandhigher,acrossfieldsandhillsandmountains,all thewayuptothe
clouds,whichcanprobablybeseenallthewayfromtheBohinjcorner-howthisstricterTolmin
area can be embraced by a single view, and the borders I searched for while selecting and
discardingwhatIhadwritten,wereasclearasdayuphere.Thereisnopithierwayofputtingit.
Butaboveall, it is impossible tobring together, ina fewparagraphs, the landscapeandhistory
withanoutlineoftheheritageandcharacterofpeoplethatlivehere,andthushappilyenjoytheir
company,morebeautifullythanitwasdonebyKlavora.
Followingtheabovelogic,theTolminbasinshouldalsoincludetheareabetweenBučenicaandModrej
uptoMostnaSoči;accountsfromWorldWarIhavestretchedtowardsthewestacrossthevillagesof
Kozmerice and Sela, and included, tracing the outer limits of the TolminBridgehead, the villages of
Kozaršče,Čiginj,andVolčewithMengoreinthecentre,whiletotheeast,ofcourse,themeadowlands
alongtheriverIdrijcauptoTrebuša,thegorgesandslopesalongsidetheriverBača,andtheŠentviška
planotaplateau.Revolutionariesandmenof letterscamemostlyfromthisarea.Writers IvanPregelj
and SašaVuga came fromMostna Soči, Ciril Kosmačbuilt his personality somewhathigherup the
river, inSlapobIdrijci;hewasnotbornintoaprominentfamily, likeVuga(andneitherwasPregelj),
but in a shack in Bukovica, as themodest family property by the Idrijca riverwas called, his father
revealedtohimtheuniversalvalueofhumanpride.So,intheend,withoutpremeditation,theliterary
landscapealmostpreciselymatchedthebordersoftoday'sTolminmunicipality.
Asregardswritings,thefirsttoemergefromtheshadowsoftimewastheFishFaronika.Theancient
folksongwasfirstrecordedinPodmelecin1886andlaterbecamefamousasasourcetoexplorersof
Slavic,wider Indo-European,andevennon-Europeancreationmyths.Threemoreversionswereput
down,allinPodmelec,wheretheycontinuedlateintothetwentiethcenturytotellaboutagiantfish
thatcarriesourworldonitsback:ifitflipsitstail,therewill be an earthquake, if it goes under, the
wholeworldwill drown aswell. Following the ruthless pagan creature, Jesus swims up, setting the
limitstothiswantondestruction:heseparatespeopletothosewhoareworthyofruin,andthosewho
donotdeserveit.WeareattheverycoreofthemeetingbetweenthepaganandtheChristianworlds,
atthebirthofmercy,whichbegan,loadedwithhope,itsmarchintotheworldandhistory.
The Fish Faronika was the obsession that Ivan Pregelj bestowed upon the protagonist of his novel
Plebanus Joannes (The Priest John) - Janez Potrebujež, ofwhom the Tolmin parish chronicle states,
thathewasperformingthejobofavicaratStMary'sAssumptionChurch–theonecelebratedinthe
poemVTminutamnailovci,puttingintoversethelegendoftheflowerthatblossomseveryyearorso
bythestatueofMaryonthefrontexterior–foraslongasfortyyears,from1516to1556.Thisisthe
timewhen theTolmin regionwas struckby theplague,which is, of course, a suitable challenge for
questioning about sin and punishment: whymust all men perish, far and wide? Themiddle-length
novel(publishedin1921),withsettingsbetweenTolminandVolče,wherePlebanus'sfoeandimmoral
antipodedeMenezeisservedasavicar,introducesalocalcharacterwhoseconstantconflictsariseout
of the clash between what he feels and what he is supposed to believe, between conscience and
insight,betweenprincipleandconsequence,betweencarnalityofthebodyandsanctityofthespirit.
In thenovelTolminci (ThePeopleofTolmin),Pregeljalso implants this innerstruggle in thepeasant
character of Andrej Laharnar, who scrapes painfully between his faith in divine providence and his
personal imperatives to revolt; the samemoral discord, aswe shall see later on, is revived by Ciril
KosmačthroughthetormentsofTemnikar,apeasantplaced in theroleofarbiterbetween immoral
survivalandamoralstandatthecostofhisown,andotherpeople'sdeath.
ThegreatTolminpeasantuprisingisthecentralemancipatoryactinthehistoryofthislittleland.The
crueltiesofthecountofTolminwereaconstantlyrecurringthemeinfolktales,wherethemasterof
theKozlovrobhillwouldbepunishedbyhellforhavingleftapeasanttorotawayinthecellarovera
single farthing,orwouldhappilybeseeneatenaliveby lice.Then, in1713, themarchof theTolmin
peasants,whogatheredonMengorehillandsetouttofreetheirwrongfullyimprisonedcountrymen
fromtheGoricaprison,gaverisetotherebellionoftheresidentsoftheGoriškaBrdaHills,splashed
overintotheVipavaregion,andspiltacrossKarstallthewaytoDuino.
The rebel farmers formedapeasantunion, the Idrijaminerswereagitated– in short,anoverthrow
occurredthatwasstifledonlybytheGermanspecialunitsoldiersandthekrajišniki(namedafterthe
Military Frontier region, Vojna Krajina) from Karlovac.Military patrolswere chasing peasants under
suspicion,morethanahundredofthemexperiencedthehorrorsoftheGoricacastledungeon;eleven
TolminfarmerslaytheirheadsonthechoppingblockinthesquareinfrontoftheGoricachurchone
year after the suppressionof theuprising. Taxes, punishments, confiscationof assets and increased
surveillancelongcontinuedtotroubletherebelliousplaces.FrescosinStMary'sAssumptionChurchin
Podmelec(probablyfrom1718),theirstunningdepictionsofthelostsouls'crueltormentsinhell,were
supposedlyinspiredpreciselybythistroublesomeairbuiltaroundthepost-revoltrepression.
The twentieth century discovers the revolt as a national, social, or ethical subject, or simply as an
excitingthemeforstorytelling.ThisepicchapterinTolmin'shistorywastreatedbyFranceBevk:Iskra
podpepelom (ASpark in theAshes), Iz iskrepožar (Conflagration fromaSpark),Tolminskipunt (The
PeasantRevoltinTolmin),andPravicadoživljenja(RighttoLife)-underthesametitle,thelatterwas
dramatizedby JanezDolenc.AlojzijRemecwrotethenovelVelikipunt (TheGreatRevolt). Inpoetry,
themost famous is the sonnet cycleTolminskipunt (TheTolminRevolt)byAlojzGradnik,his fellow
countrymanZlatkoKaučič from theBrda region translated theeponymous theme intoexperimental
jazznearlyahundredyears later;theoperaTolminskipuntarji (TheRebelsofTolmin)waswrittenby
composerUbaldVrabec, itresoundedwithsongwriter IztokMlakarandbecamethetopicofacomic
bookadaptation(by ItalianauthorRemigioGabellini), itwasdepictedvisuallybypaintersToneKralj,
Riko Debenjak, Rudi Skočir, as well as a Tolmin-born sculptor Boštjan Kavčič, who eternalized the
uprisingwithastatueintheheartofthecity,markingitstercentennial,andwhoispresentedinthis
bookwithoneofthemostrecentdepictionsoftheFishFaronika;toSilvesterKomelandTolmin-born
IvanČargo, the revolt servedas a thematic startingpoint. Thenarrative inPustota (Waste Land)by
Vladimir Kavčič revolves around an exiled family of rebels from Tolmin, who settled somewhere
between the Cerkno and Žiri hills. The revolt'smost recognizable literary expression, however,was
providedbyIvanPregeljinhisnovelTolminci(ThePeopleofTolmin),followedlaterbyŠtefanGoljain
njegovi (Štefan Golja and His Folks), and Zadnji upornik (The Last Rebel), and his popular novella
MatkovaTina (Tina fromtheMatko’s Inn). Initially,when itwasserialized intheDominsvet (Home
andWorld)magazine, Pregelj had titled the first asTlačani (Serfs), andonly renamed it toTolminci
when it was about to be published as a book, thus creating – or simply recapping, since after two
centuries"Tolminci"hadbecomeagenericnameforrebels–acollectivesubject,unpredictablewhen
itcomestoloyalty,andconsistentwhenitcomestotheirrights.
Seen from the court of the Gorica Landstände (Provincial Estates), the Tolmin people are a
problematic, stubborn, and highly opinionated community. They are portrayed in the sameway by
FranceBevkinZnamenjananebu (SignsintheSky):afterconqueringTolmin,theGoricavictorsover
thepatriarchyareinforacruelrealitycheck,insteadoftheexpectedstatementofloyaltyonbehalfof
their new underlings. Still, Pregelj was also able to expatiate alongside his fellow landsmen, and
capturetheirwit,asinthestoryaboutAntonMuznik,alsoareal-lifeperson,borninMostnaSoči,who
exploredanddescribedtheGoricaclimateinthesecondhalfofthe18thcentury.
In the second half of the nineteenth century, Tolmin awakens to a nationwide turmoil. Poet Simon
Gregorčič lived quite nearby, he was practically a local, and at that time an icon and linchpin
personalityof theSlovenenationalawakening (alreadyduringhisschoolyears,heperformedwitha
commemorativepoematoneofthecultural/politicaleventscalledBésede,whichwereheldregularly
in Tolmin's ‘Reading Club’ – a social and educational club), while in that same period, the city of
Tolmin itself saw lawyers Peter Kozler, Jovan Vesel Koseski, Karel Lavrič, and Henrik Tuma, all
importantco-creatorsofSlovenenationalhistoryand–toa lesserorgreaterextent–of local life in
Tolmin.ItwasherethatKozlerwasfinalizinghisworkonthefamousfirstmapofSlovenelands,and
had already collected commissions; a testimony to this is his angry letter of complaint about the
interventionofthemilitarycourtinVienna,whichhadsealedhistestprintsandprintingplates.Karel
Lavrič,asensitivesoul,wentthroughapersonalcrisisduringtheperiodhespentinTolmin,converting
from Catholicism to Protestantism, and attempting suicide following a disappointment over a love
affair–yetestablishingaSlovenereadingclubforthelocalinhabitants.AshewasleavingTolmin,an
anonymous"gymnasiumstudentfromGorica"wrotehimarapturousfarewellsonnet;hidingbehind
themodestsignaturewasSimonGregorčič.Thelifeofthemarkettownwasrecountedamusinglyby
HenrikTuma.Notthatitwasofgreatamusementtohim,ashewasasombreperson,andconceitedas
well,yet intellectuallypiercingandstern.Thebuffooneryofthemarkettownworthies, the intrusive
easeoftheirpresence,andtheirresponsiblewayinwhichtheyhandledtheirduties,drawaclearline
between Tolmin, itsworthies – this blend of Friulians, Italians, but also Carniolans and Croats,who
were brought to the place by administrative jobs, clerics, litigators and personnel, the locals that
worked for them, the transfer of authority with its pertaining small privileges and trainings in
eloquenceandpublicappearance,whichiswhytheTolminpeoplecelebrated,andbecamemasterful
in,histrionics–andthesurroundingvillages,whichhewouldvisittoenthuseaboutnativeinhabitants
andthevigorousnessoftheirlanguage:itwasherethathesawthetruepotentialandsupportforthe
upcomingnationwideproject.
(Itis,however,interesting–ortypical?–thatIvanKuk,alocal,whopublishedthe"tale"ofDantejeva
jama (Dante's Cave) in the Klagenfurt magazine Prijatelj (Friend), sees this same Tolmin region
somewhat pathetically as an unredeemed wilderness; a view from the top of mountain Migovec
towardsUpperCarniolainvitinglydisclosestohimthevastbeautyofthemountainsandtheBledLake,
their implied greatness in terms of national awakening not excluded; but as he turns to his native
valley,hesees theKozlov robhill squattingmurkily likeapluckeddownhaystack,behind itamessy
puddle, and even this puddle needs to be filled from time to time, as it does not always contain
enoughwater.) Tumawaswell-equippedwithknowledgeandanexcellentmemory, lackingneither
passion nor empathy, his storytelling talent was indubitable, hence the Tolmin chapter of his
autobiographyisawittyanalysisoftheTolminmilieu.
Everythingchangeswiththearrivaloftherailwayin1906andtheworldwaradecadelater.Morethan
fiftyyearshadtopassbeforetheremainsandimpressionsofthelatterbegantocomposeintoawider
picture.Today,historicaltexts,documents,andpersonaltestimoniescouldfillasmalllibrary;mostof
the credit for depictions of the Tolmin Bridgehead goes to Vasja Klavora, who combined local
testimoniesandmilitaryhistoryinthealreadymentionedworkSteppingThroughtheFog.Inourbook,
fivedifferentperspectivesonthisawfulplacewerechosen.GermanofficerErwinRommeloffersadry
factual analysis andperceives the Tolmin area as a physical spacewith surveyors' benchmarks and
positions,abattleground,fromwhichone'sviewtriestodecipherthephysicalenvironmentoutlined
onthemilitarymap.ThefirstAustrianwarcorrespondentAliceSchalek,keptmoreorlesssafelyabove
the arena, recapitulates thismilitary perspective, but already attempts to invigorate it through the
wordsofawitness,assheaddsconcretemeaning,asenseofexperience,andhumanfigures to the
military terms.We step off the battleground and into the life of locals through the diary notes of
SlovenesoldierJakobPrešeren,whofoughtinthegravestbattlesoftheIsonzoFrontinthosecrucial
days and nights of October, 1917. His account of the fierce twelfth Isonzo battle is militaristically
realistic,butas soonasheentersavillagehousewe findourselvesamong localpeople,whowould
refusetoopenthedoortohimifhewereaGermanandforeigner.WhenPrešerenmovesontoempty
theliberatedFriulianwinecellars,CirilMunihapproaches,theStLuciavicarandachroniclerofMost
na Soči and the surrounding villages, portraying thewartime life of this village community, i.e. the
peoplewhohavenot justpassedbyandwillnot leaveoncethebattleswillhavesubsided,butwho
havetakentheburdenofwarandplaceditontheirshouldersandcarryitthesamewayanyruthless
fateiscarried.
The depictions form a fresco brimful of soldiery, where the smashing sound of falling grenades
interchangeswiththesoundsoftheaccordion,andthecruelfatesofthosewhogothitalternatewith
thesoundofsinginglateintothenightalongsideajugofwine,terrifiedofbecomingrefugees.Here,
thestoryofwarseparatesfromdocumentingimpressions,movingwithCirilKosmačtoitsfifth,literary
incarnation,andelevatingimagesfromrealityintoastoryofkinshipandfamilyatthecuttingedgeof
history.
InJavorca,thesoldiersleftbehindalittlewoodenchurch,colouredandpaintedinvibrantcoloursof
theViennaSecession,designedin1916byViennesearchitectRemigiusGeylinginmemoryofhisfallen
fellowsoldiers,anderectedbyhiscomrades.AustrianartillerymanOskarKokoschkacapturedTolmin
in his notebook. Slovene painter Ivan Vavpotič recorded the course of events in the frontlines and
hinterland. Maksim Gaspari, Hinko Smrekar and Anton Koželj generously lent their talents to a
postcardseriescalledVojskavslikah (TheWar in Images); itwas indeedthepoemSoči(TotheSoča
River) by SimonGregorčič, aswell as someof his other encouraging andnational awareness-raising
poems that often inspired or enhanced illustrations on postcards used during wartime
correspondence.FranTratnik,albeitinLjubljana,createdafewexpressivedrawingsofrefugeesfrom
theplacesheknewwellfromhispre-warstintthere.
PrešerenandMunihspeakofthegreatexpectationsthelocalinhabitantshadastheyrejoicedatthe
downfallofthemuchhatedAustro-Hungary,andtheapproachingcountryofSouthernSlavsappeared
onthehorizoninthepromiseofnationalindependence.Insteadofthis,theplacesdevastatedbywar
were occupied by Italians,while Tolmin as a city, aswell as the art of this region are characterized
during the 1920s and 30s by a sense of historical injustice, the immediate severity of Mussolini's
fascism,andagenocidalpolicyofdenyinglanguageandculture.Thesonnetcyclebyoneofgreatest
SlovenepoetsAlojzGradnikabouttheTolminpeasants’ revoltactuallyunfoldsasamanifesto,acall
for national resistance through a poetised versionof the story of the uprising almost two centuries
earlier.ThepresentselectionfeaturesasonnetŠtefanGoljatohisfatherSimonGolja,whichsumsup
thefrustrationsofthatera.ThesamegoesfortwosonnetstitledTolmin.Gradnik,servingasajudge,
waseven living inTolmin,althoughforaveryshortperiodof time,afterhehadmovedfromGorica
following thebeginningofWorldWar I; laterhemoved toCerkno. (Anotherpoet,whowrotedown
Tolmin'spoeticvignettebearingthesametitleatapproximatelythesametime,SrečkoKosovel,visited
theseplacesforentirelydifferentreasons:hisideologicalcomradeandsweetheart,FanicaObidfrom
Bukovo,wasastudentattheTolminteachers'college.)
Thus,therevoltcycleisconceivedasameansofmobilization,asamanifestoandwarningwithaclear
dramaturgy and rhetoric, with ritualized listing of Slovene place names that were threatened to
becomeeradicateddue to Italianisation,andof Italian familynames servingasawarningabout the
longhistoryofsubmission.Similarcovertoropenstrategiescanbefoundinthedepictionsofbiblical
motifs createdbypainterToneKralj,whoparticipated in the restorationof churches in the Slovene
LittoralthatweredevastatedduringWorldWarI.Slavicapostles,CyrilandMethodiusontherightside
of the presbytery in the church in Volče - according to Egon Pelikan – exchange glancewith Saints
Peter and Paul on the left, thus placing the universalism of Catholicism and particularism of
Slavism/Slovenenessonthesamelevel.Christ'smockersandmurderersontheStationsoftheCrossin
the church of St Lucia (Most na Soči) are obvious caricatures of Mussolini's attackers, dressed in
coloursoftheItalianflagandwearingtypicalfascistfezzes,whileinthechurchofStVitusinŠentviška
gora, Mussolini's typical posture with legs spread apart plays the role of supervisor during the
flagellationofahelplesssaint,ashistwotorturerstakeitoutonhim,wearingclearsignsofNaziand
Fascistsoldiers.
In that time, Ciril Kosmač enters the literary arena: brought up as a patriot, intellectually brilliant,
deprivilegedbyclass,butaboveall, themostartistically talentedauthor fromthetwentiethcentury
Tolmin.Already in his secondary school years he found a connection tomembers of thenationalist
organization TIGR, soon falling into the hands of police investigators, and eventually, following his
conviction(andpardon,duetohisyoungage)atthetrialinRome,fledacrossthebordertoYugoslavia.
Just like Ivo Šorli (born in Podmelec) and Ciril Drekonja (from the nearby settlement of Temljine),
KosmačsharedthefateofotherintellectualsfromtheLittoral,whoretreatedtotheirnationalhome
base.Šorliwasinhisearlytwentieswhenhewrotehis"lettertofellowcountrymen",alawyerwitha
settled existence provided by his job as a public notary, and an established writer with an almost
completedopus,amasteroferoticprose.AsforKosmačandDrekonja, itwasonlyafter1930,when
theycametoYugoslavia,thattheiropusesbegantoform,andare,understandably,thematicallyquite
closely linked to theTolmin region, itspeasantpopulation, and its rural setting; apart fromhisown
writing,DrekonjaalsocollectedandpublishedfolktalesfromtheTolminregion.FranceBevksawhis
ownpersistence andhis political and literary activity among the local people ashis centralmission,
refusing tomove to Ljubljanawhich offered a safer and inclusiveworking environment. During the
timeof increased violencehedescribed the14th century Tolmin,markedby the struggles between
bishops of Aquileia and the Gorica counts, in one of the most extensive chronicles of the Tolmin
history,thetrilogyofnovelsZnamenjananebu(SignsintheSky).
After thewar,writerand journalist JankoPerat,whoalsodepictedotheradventuresof theSlovene
Littoral population under Italy, wrote Golo upanje (Naked Hope), which revived the events at the
Tolmin border between Italy and Yugoslavia,where politicsmingledwith the folklore of smuggling,
which became, following a turn of events, a spying activity and a matter of national security. The
period concludeswitha seeminglymerry jailbirdpoem (it turnsout tobe really sad,oncewe learn
abouttheoutcome)bySimonKos,adefendantintheSecondTriestetrial.Thisyoungmemberofthe
TIGR movement couldn't care less, laughing joyfully and frankly at the graveness of his anti-state
activity,anddeclaringitanoffencesimilartosmugglingorphysicalviolenceineverydayquarrels,for
whichhispeerswerelockeddowninothercells.Hewaslookingforwardtoturningbacktomischief
withhisfriends,afterbeingreleasedfromprison.Onthe14thofDecember1941hewassentencedto
death and, according to thememories of Dorče Sardoč, hewas the only one out of fourwhowas
unabletograsptheidea,cryingallnightafterthepronouncementofsentence,untildawn,whenthey
tookhimtotheexecutiongrounds.
Inthesamestraightforwardmanner,folkpoetPavlaLebanrecountsthegeneralstateofmind,morals,
andawarenessatatimewhenpassiveresistanceprogressedtoliberationmovement.Kosmač'sartistic
treatmentof thesametopicproducedoneof thepivotalworks fromtheSecondWorldWarperiod,
thenovelBaladao trobenti inoblaku (Balladof theTrumpet and theCloud). The inner strugglesof
JernejTemnikar,placedbeforethechoiceofinevitablesacrifice,takeusbacktothecharacterofJanez
Potrebujež.Both, theagedpeasantandthesoulshepherd,areseenstanding lostamidst theTolmin
landscape, robbedof thesafeshellof thevillageparsonageandof thewarmshelterof family farm,
insignificant worms under the hefty mass of the Krn Mountain, must choose, gain, and carry the
burdenoftheirownhumaneness.
The Ballad of the Trumpet and the Cloud first appeared in the magazine Naša sodobnost (Our
Contemporaneity)in1956,onlythreeyearsafterKosmačroundedupthestoryofhispersonal,family,
andvillagelifearoundthecrucialeventsofthe20thcentury:hisnovelPomladnidan(AdayinSpring)
discussestheFirstWorldWar,thedownfalloftheAustro-HungarianEmpire, fascism,theanti-fascist
resistancemovement,andnationalandsocialindependence.Theauthor,whofledfromthestiflingair
of fascist Italy and into the world, was a writer and journalist in France and UK, returned with a
liberationarmy, finallymanagedtoput inanutshell theabundanceofhistory in thissmall territory,
producingthegrandtextabouttheTolminregion.
ThedescriptionfromSašaVuga'snovelOpominkčuječnosti (ARemindertoMindfulness)thematizes
thegrimremainsandunresolvedmattersleftbehindbythewar.Itwouldhavebeenhardforhimto
find a better setting for his shadowy characters other thanMengore, "this little shrine among the
mountains",agatheringpointfortheTolminpeasantsbeforetheirmarchtoGoricaandtheMary’sHill
fromAliceSchalek'sreportage.Ifoneweretostackupthedeadbodiesonenexttotheotherduring
theFirstWorldWar,thislittlehillwouldnotbeenoughforallthedeath,saysoneoftheshadowsin
Vuga's novel: somany soldierswere slaughteredhereduring thewar.Wewill still comeacross the
Mengore hill a fewpages later, in the poemby Ljubka Šorli,who outlines the post-war period: the
churchonthetopwassurroundedbyasortofGod-forsakenzone,onedoesn'thavetobereligiousto
perceivethisabsenceofthedivine,andtheexpectationofthemomentwhenthelittleflameoffaith
andmeaningwillrekindleandattractpilgrims.Itwasatimeofsettlingscoreswithreligionandpriests
-- thememoriesMoje celice (My Cells) by Jožko Kragelj, who was sentenced to death at the 1949
publictrialintheTolmintheatre(laterhispunishmentwaschangedtoimprisonment),isatestimony
tothis.
Ontheothersideoftheborder,inFriuli,thisinspiredadmiration,assuggestedbyapassagefromthe
novelbyPierPaoloPasolini:thestatethatdaredtotakethepowerawayfromthehandsofpriestsand
landowners, was glowing brightly from behind the hills in the east like a socialist paradise. To the
peasantboyswhoescapedthereatgreatrisk,thedisillusioncouldnotbeblunterthanthefirstnight
they spent in the Tolmin prison. On this side, young boys were equally driven towards the Italian
borderbytheideaoffindingtherealandofmilkandhoney.
ThesongMalaTolminka (The littlegirl fromTolmin)alsofound itswayamongthepost-wartexts. It
wasonlyafter thebreakof themillenniumthat ithasbecomeahit in themost trivial sense, for its
melody, and above all, the lyrics, special for no other reason but a single verse, which intervenes
betweenthetremblingandthenaturalbeautiessoartlesslywiththeimageoffactories,lightingthem
uptoastarlitevening:aquickwinktoindustrialization,asitenterstheTolminbasin.Adecadeorso
later,Onelio Supplizi, born in Tolmin between the twowars, nostalgically sang a similar ode to the
beauties of local sights. Painters Riko Debenjak and France Pavlovec left behind less sentimental
testimonies.
The true poet of Tolmin, however, is of course Ljubka Šorli Bratuž. This Tolmin-born poetess was
marriedofftoGorica,whereshelostherhusband,choirmasterLojzeBratuž–fascistsforcedhimto
drinkupmachineoil,ofwhichhedied–,whilesheherselflaterenduredsomeoftheworsttorturesin
the Trieste prison. Her idyllic pictures in verse about Tolmin conclude the period of one and a half
century, when poets and poetesses filled the vessel of poetry with patriotic messages, feelings of
yearning,guilt,andgratitude,orcelebratedtheharmonicsceneryofthelandscapealongsidetheriver
Soča.–DuringendlessconversationsonhisterraceinBazovicaStreet,composerandprofessorMakso
Pirnikwould put ideas into the heads of students from the teachers' college,which later became a
gymnasium;booksfromhisrichandconstantlyreplenishedlibrarypassedfromhandtohand;this is
where,amongotherexquisiteSlovenemenoflettersandintellectuals,RudiŠeligo,DaneZajc,Evgen
Bavčar,AldoKumar,DarkoKomac,SarivalSosičandBorisJukićformedtheirprofilesandworldviews;
the latter providing for the only real contribution of Tolmin to Slovene post-war prose, his novella
Klavir (ThePiano)retells thetruestoryofPirnik’sarrival tothe little townbytheriverSoča, thedry
spiritoftheera.Inthedecadesofhisprofessorship,anothersilentmanfromthesameassembly,Janez
Dolenc, Slavicist and ethnologist, continued to push his students, having them comb through the
Tolmin landscapeuntil theydugup folk taleseven inplaceswhere thereweren'tany left;a smaller
partofhis legacywaspublished,while thebulkof it isstillwaitingtobedealtwith.Onegeneration
later, a blend ofmemoires and culinary texts titledOstružki (Scrapings) by Helena Čujec Stres was
createdon thepremisesof that same school. Somedistinctive fine art depictionsof theold Tolmin
were left behind by academically trained painter Ljubo Brovč, who painted in his spare time, after
finishinghisdaily jobof initiatingsecondaryschoolyoungsterstotheworldoffinearts.Atthesame
timepainterRudiKogejwouldpicklungwortinthegorgeoftheTolminkaandalongsideSočarivers,as
he was trying to capture the hues of both waters, which provided him with decent enough
commissions,butwerealsoasourceof frustration,becausehewas trappedrepeatedly in thesame
circleofmotifs: if theycaresomuchforwater,theyshould justbottle it,heoftenusedtosay.Uroš
Rojko,acomposer,wasdiscoveringhisloveoftheclarinetasanelementaryschoolpupilhere.Atthe
sametime,inthesettlementofVolčanskiRuti,southofTolmin,ethnologistPavelMedveščekcreated
records, which fifty years later disturbed not only the Tolmin region, but the entire Slovenia by
revealing that underneath the surface of these events, a centuries-old belief with its rules,
organization,andworldview,wasbiddingitsfarewell.
Aftertheindependencescratchesof1991theTolminmilitarypostwasshutdown,whichwasnosmall
cut: themilitary had contributed greatly to the development of thismarket town.Miloš Batistuta's
documentary record about changing the clothes of the escaped soldiers became, with a drop of
literalizedhumour,awittyandhumanmetaphorforthemoultingofthetownfromauniformedinto
civilianlife.
Tolminentersthethirdmillenniumasasettingforfilmmakers.In2001,inJanCvitkovič'sKruhinmleko
(BreadandMilk),aTolminstoryunfolds,shotinthelocalstreetsandbars,withlivingcharactersofthe
city'sunderground.The lyricsbythe localmusicandperformancebandTminskimadrigalisti,written
andputintomusicataroundthesametime,celebratethisspirit,whichremainsfaithfullyanchoredin
thelocal,asitdigeststhetraditionofthecountsandtherebelsthroughparodyandpersiflage.Inthe
meantime,writtenpoetrydistilsintothree-versedhaiku.ThesewereintroducedtoTolminbyDimitar
Anakievafterhetookoffhisuniformofamilitarydoctor,whilepoetandmusicpedagogueJožeŠtucin
hasmanaged,throughtheyears,tosetupaninternationalmeetingpointforyounghaikupoets.The
scenehasbecomeindependent,thetroublesomehistory iscurrentlypresentonlyasafinding,asan
impression,orasastorytobetoldtoaforeigntourist.Enjoyment,re-enjoyment,andplay-iswhatwe
could say after reading Andrej Lupinc's story. Nature and spectacle, as they have throughout the
course of history, continue to interchange on this plain under the Castle, and in the gorges and
mountainsoftheTolminlandscape,whichismostlycaughtbytheeyeofhistoryonlywhen"...agreen
rocketrises,lightinguptheareaofattackwithablazingflare",inthewordsofAliceSchalek.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to everyone who discovered sources, contributed ideas, and led the way for the
compilation of this volume. BrankoMarušič as the first, the TolminMuseum, especiallyMarko
Grego,theCirilKosmačLibrary,theTolminMunicipality,everyonewhorespondedbysendingme
texts, butwere left aside as the concept progressed, heirs of the published authors andmany
othersonwhosedoorsonegoesknockingwithsuchwork.Averyspecialacknowledgementgoes
outtotheEUprojectOtherWords,whichmadepossiblethefinalredactionandthewritingofthe
forewordduringmyresidencystayinBitolainSeptember2016.