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.